DISCLAIMER: I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and my viewpoint reflects my opinions and understanding of LDS teachings. However, they are my personal opinions only. I am not an official spokesperson person for the church and my opinions should not be considered LDS official doctrine. For more information about LDS teachings, please go to https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist.

This past April, a couple of weeks after Easter, during the Sacrament I found myself thinking about the Last Supper.  I knew it was Jesus’ last meal and He took that occasion to introduce the Sacrament to his apostles. But I had not ever really pondered the implication of it being the Last Passover.  I realized that this was the last time the feast of the Passover was a necessary observance for God’s chosen people.

For about 1,400 years, faithful Israelites had been observing the Passover every spring. When Moses sought the Israelites’ freedom from the Egyptians, the Lord sent plagues to persuade Pharaoh to release them. When that didn’t work, the Lord sent his destroying angel to kill the first-born son of every household. However, the Lord provided a way to save the first born of Isreal.

They were instructed to take a lamb into their homes, a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year, on the tenth day of the month. They were to keep it in their homes until the fourteenth day and then, “sacrifice it and take of the blood, and strike it onto the two side posts and the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.” (Exodus 12:6-7)

And the Lord promised: “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:12)

The “children of Israel…did as the Lord had commanded…” (Exodus 12:28)

And that night, the Lord destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, “from the firstborn of Pharaoh…unto the first born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.” (Exodus 12:29) But the firstborn of the children of Israel were preserved. And Pharaoh allowed the children of Israel to leave.

In memorial, the Israelites were commanded to keep this “feast unto the Lord” every year, “a feast by ordinance…” according to the instructions given to them by the Lord. (See Exodus 12:14-20)

We know that the lamb, pure and unblemished, male of the first year, sacrificed with no bone broken, is symbolic of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. As the faithful Israelites practiced this “ordinance,” they marked their household with the blood of lamb, symbolic of the blood of Christ, with the promise that the destroying angel would pass them by. As they ate the flesh of the lamb, symbolic of the body of Christ, they expressed their willingness to be one with Him. They marked themselves and their household as Children of the Covenant.

As a faithful Jewish man, we know the Lord also participated in the Passover every year.  And as we know He had to discover who He was and what He was foreordained to do, Can you imagine for a moment how He must felt when He realized what the sacrificed lamb and its blood symbolized Him?

It was Thursday evening as we recon time, but the beginning of Friday according to the Jewish Calendar, Jesus came together with the Twelve, and together they ate the Last feast of the Passover.

“He said unto them…I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 22:15-16)

The same evening and the following afternoon, the need for a sacrifice in “similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father” (Moses 5:7) would no longer be necessary.

That evening, as he suffered for our sins and took upon Himself the infirmities of his people, He trembled because of pain, suffering in both body and spirt as His blood, which dripped from every pore, was sacrificed for us. (D&C 19:18 and Alma 7:11)

As morning came, He was falsely accused, tried, scourged and crucified, dying before sunset, marking the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath.  As Alma taught, He suffered on the cross and “took upon Him death…. that He may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities,” (Alma 7:12) He “loosed the bands of death,” sacrificed His body for us, thus completing his mission and ending the need for sacrifices and burnt offerings.” (see 3 Nephi 9:19)

As I thought about this, I wondered, how do I, in this dispensation, mark my doorposts? Is my life and my household marked with the blood of Christ, identifying us as his covenant followers, protecting us from the destroying angel, in all its forms?

Of course, we now have the Sacrament. A covenant we can participate in almost weekly in remembrance of the blood and body of Christ. As we partake of it, we renew our promises to be willing to:

• Always remember our Savior Jesus Christ.
• Keep the commandments He has Given us.
• And take upon us His name.

In return Heavenly Father promises that we can always have His Spirit to be with us. 

But as with all of the covenants we enter into along the covenant path, the Sacrament is meaningless unless we are properly prepared and committed to keeping our end of the contract. As we come to church each week to participate in this sacred and holy ordinance, are we properly prepared? The Lord warned the Nephites, “whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul” (3 Nephi 18:29).

As a contractor, I have spent a professional career reading and attempting to understand contracts. In all enforceable contracts, there needs to be an offer and acceptance, the nature of which determines the terms and conditions necessary for a transaction to occur.  These conditions, which both parties must agree to, constitute covenants. For example, If I, as the fire sprinkler contractor, provide a sprinkler system that meets the conditions specified in the agreement, I am entitled to receive cash compensation of a predetermined amount.  There are other conditions or covenants that might include payment terms, keeping adequate insurance, holding each other harmless for certain types of liability, meeting a certain schedule, paying my vendors and employees as to keep the project free of liens and so forth necessary for final payment.  

I was never under the illusion that simply by signing a contract I was guaranteed payment.  Of course I needed to meet the conditions set forth in the contractual covenants first.

We must always remember this. The blessings of the gospel, of Heavenly Father’s plan of Happiness, is not dependent on us making covenants but keeping them. The purpose of this church, Christ’s Church, is to assist his children to make and keep sacred covenants.  As we keep these covenants, we receive spiritual tokens, allowing us to commune freely in His name with the Father for our forgiveness and sanctification through the saving blood of Jesus Christ.     

I want to take a moment to discuss what it means to keep on the covenant path. My message today is not to make anyone feel bad. Not only is it acceptable to make mistakes, succumb to temptation, and have difficulties along the way, it is expected. Our commitment to be willing is all that is required.  And the blessings of sincere willingness are incredible.  The key is that we constantly are trying to move forward, seeking the spirit’s help and direction.

The path has been laid out for us.  It starts with obedience. 

When we are baptized and as part of the temple endowment, we commit to the principle of obedience.  I love what we can learn from D&C Section 89, the “Word of Wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all the saints in the last days.” (D&C 89:2)

“A principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints…”

As we ponder the word of wisdom, it is easy for us to use our more advanced knowledge of illness and nutrition to justify the Lord’s counsel to ourselves and others. There is nothing wrong with seeking understanding through study and contemplation. However, we must always keep first and foremost the reasons we try to keep the Lord’s commandments.  Otherwise, we fall into the trap of relying on our own wisdom rather than trusting in the Lord. We can fall into the trap of justifying minor exceptions, thinking  that just one cup of coffee or glass of wine will have no ill affect on my body. The “spirit” of the law, we might tell ourselves, is that I live a healthy life, and we know that just one won’t harm me.”

But the heart of the Word of Wisdom is in verses 18-21. The Lord promises us that “all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow, their bones; and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; and shall run and not be weary and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them.” (D&C 89:18-21)

So why do we keep the Word of Wisdom in as it applies to us in the latter days in exactness?

It spiritually marks our door posts with the blood of our Savior, it identifies us as covenant followers of Jesus Christ.  The same thing can be said about the proper wearing of the temple garment, attending our meetings, paying our tithes and offerings. Being obedient to these basic commandments demonstrates our commitment to our Savior.  These are also things that we can commit to and live perfectly.

But that very often takes sacrifice. A willingness to sacrifice for the Lord is also a covenant we make in the temple.  Of course being obedient to the basic commandments we just discussed requires some level of sacrifice, but also brings the promise of blessings which far outweigh the things you give up.  My life has been richly blessed as I have kept these and other commandments.  But the sacrifice we need to make goes beyond simple obedience. 

After the Saviors crucifixion that was followed by terrible destruction among the people of Nephi and the three days of darkness, the voice of Jesus Christ proclaimed:

“Ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood, yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away…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 contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost…. Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for such is the kingdom of God.” (3 (Nephi 9:20,22)

Becoming like a child before the Lord, surrendering our will to be yoked with our Savior, being broken hearted and contrite is the new way provided by our Savior, Jesus Christ, for us to mark our door posts, identifying us as His covenant children, as Children of Christ.

I know that each one of us is different and struggle with different weaknesses and stumbling blocks. I have come to know that the struggles we have in life are by design. As we all are different, we all have different lessons to learn.  For me, pride is my biggest stumbling block. Throughout my life, when I have struggled with a sin or weakness, I would be ashamed, resolve to stop doing what I am not supposed to be doing or start doing what I should be doing, and then going to the Lord, almost as an afterthought, acknowledging that I messed up, but I got it, and it won’t happen again.

But as you can guess, it happens again. Not learning anything form my previous attempt, I do the same thing again, and again and again.  It has taken me a long time to realize that the weaknesses I struggle with are to teach me that I have to accept the Lord’s help in my life. I need to have His spirt sitting next to me throughout my day. My first call should always be to the Lord. He already knows I messed up. Rather than telling him what I am going to do to fix the problem, I need to ask Him how I should fix the problem. Confess to Him that I cannot do it do it without His help and strength. 

Isn’t that what a little child does. I remember when my kids were little coming to me with every problem. When they had a question, they asked me or their mother. When they needed help, or were hungry,or couldn’t find something, when they got hurt, or were afraid or sad, mom and dad was their first stop.

And then they became teenagers. They still came to us when they needed something that cost money or were hungry, but for everything else, they depended on their own knowledge and wisdom or that of their friends. Which, of course, was vastly superior to that of their parents, who didn’t understand what they were really going through.

I think we are often guilty of being the Lord’s teenagers. When we need to borrow the car or want cash for this or that, we may go to Him and ask for a handout, but when we are in trouble or confused we depend on ourselves or the wisdom of the world. Having a broken heart and a contrite spirit is hard. It would be much easier to slaughter a lamb and put the blood on my doorposts.  But the new law, the new covenant, expects more of us, It requires us to surrender our free will to the Lord, trusting in his ability to see us through our problems. Often, we need to be compelled to that level of humility. 

As I think about the Nephites and Lamanites who had heard his voice out of the darkness. Great destruction and death was all around them and then total darkness. Certainly, those who had survived were feeling vulnerable, alone and afraid.  I am guessing there weren’t a lot of people feeling prideful at that moment. I think it is safe to say that the Lord compelled some humility. 

I also think it is safe to assume that they did exercise their faith and look to their Savior with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And as they did, Jesus Christ did manifest Himself to them. They were able see and go and feel the tokens of His atonement and bear witness of Him.

I believe the same blessing is available to each of us as we quietly go before the Lord with humility, realizing in our hearts we depend on him for everything we are, for our very lives.  Knowing that the only gift we have that we can offer Him is the only thing that is truly ours to sacrifice, our will.  As we sacrifice our will, committing to follow him no matter the sacrifice, He will manifest himself to us in a way so that we can know as assuredly as the Nephites, who saw and felt with their eyes and hands, the tokens of his atonement.  

There are other covenants we make as we are endowed and sealed

• to live the gospel
• to live the law of chastity
• to consecrate everything we have to the Lord’s service.

To be able to do each Joyfully requires us to sacrifice our will to our Savior—to be broken hearted and contrite. 

Jesus Christ was our great exemplar.  He willingly condescended to live in mortality, experiencing the things we all must go through, and in the process, sacrificed His own will to the Father and set an example of how we should live our lives.  Following this example is our lifetime struggle. As we fight to put off pride, envy, hatred, unclean and improper thoughts, harsh words, unkind acts, the example we need to look to is our Savior. 

Can we everyday try to just be a little bit better? I think we can. Especially as we humble ourselves daily, seeking His spirit and His love. 

The principal of sacrifice is essential to us living the gospel. 

I would hope that each of us have a habit of self-reflection where we regularly evaluate how we are using the precious gift of life we have been given. 

• Are we being intentional in our commitment to the covenants we have made?
• Do we regularly ask ourselves, am I doing everything I can to consecrate myself to the Lord?
• How do I spend my free time and extra money?
• Do I spend too much time seeking the things of the world?
• Who did I minister to today, this week, or this month? 
• What is my ministry?
• When was the last time I asked the Lord what he wants to be doing?

I hope that we are actively seeking to live as Children of Christ by earnestly seeking to keep the sacred covenants we have made with Him.