Lesson 6

The Endowment, Covenants & Ordinances

What is YOUR Endowment?

The capacity, power and ability to walk back into the presence of our Father in heaven, and there by inheriting ALL He has. 




Read the following excerpt:

" When Joseph Smith endowed the first people in Nauvoo in the 1840s, they became known as "the anointed quorum" or the "holy order." This holy order was full of faithful women, such as Emma Smith, Vilate Kimball, and Phoebe Woodruff, and men, including Orson Pratt, William Clayton, and W.W. Phelps, each of whom had been washed, anointed, instructed, and sealed in sacred ceremonies to becom high priestesses and priests. They were part pf a select group who had recieved "the communication of Keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood... setting forth the order pertaing to the Ancient of Days," as Joseph Smith explained, so that they could gain spiritual power and capacity, come into the presence of God, and recieve a fullness of His exhalted blessings."

"The Holy Covenants", Anthony Sweat, pg. 5

Read the following excerpt:

"When we participate in the temple endowment ceremony, we experience and reenact a symbolic, upward journey that takes each one of us, as a fallen person, to being taught about the great plan of redemtion, empowered by knowledge and covenants, and ultimately brought into the presence of God to become an heir of eternal life (what the celetial room represents). The ceremony suggests growth and progression from room to room, or glory to glory, as we increase in light and truth and make priesthood covenants to guide us in living a holy like. Following ancient patterns, the endowment presentation is a religios drama, or divine play, that reveals the hidden, sacred mysteries of God and His kingdom to the inimate covenant-initiated."  

"The Holy Covenants", Anthony Sweat, pg. 10-11

What is a covenant?

Definition: an agreement, contract. We make these in daily life all the time, whether it's a hanshake agreement with a co-worker, or a housing contract.

Religious Covenant definition: a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community

A covenant usually has three components:

A (1)ceremony/ordinance which outlines certain

(2)obligations, which results in a

(3)new relationship. 

 

Covenant = Ordinance + Obligation + New Relationship

5 covenants in the Endowment

You can find all this information, and more in the General Handbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. 

1. Live the law of obedience and strive to keep Heavenly Father’s commandments.

2. Obey the law of sacrifice, which means sacrificing to support the Lord’s work and repenting with a broken heart and contrite spirit.

3. Obey the law of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the higher law that He taught while He was on the earth.

4. Keep the law of chastity, which means having sexual relations only with those to whom they are legally and lawfully wedded according to God’s law.

5. Keep the law of consecration, which means dedicating their time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed them to building up Jesus Christ’s Church on the earth.

Let's break it down! 

 

The Law of Obedience

Bruce R. McConkie taught that:

“Obedience is the first law of heaven, the cornerstone upon which all righteousness and progression rest. It consists in compliance with divine law, in conformity to the mind and will of Deity, in complete subjection to God and his commands.”

Why are you obedient right now? Be honest.

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1. OBEDIENCE is the purpose of agency.

2. OBEDIENCE WILL lead to our happiness.

3. This law helps us BECOME more like Jesus Christ, who descended below all.

What voice did Jesus make in the Garden of Gethsemane?

It hurt Him. It was heavy. It brought Him to His knees. 

He still chose to obey, ultimately out of love for YOU.

Why is His obedience so meaningful to you?

The Law of Sacrifice

In the Old Testament, before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, they offered up the first-born of the folks as a sacrifice and as a "similitude of the Only Begotten". After His death, they stopped that practice.  

We covenant to offer Him our "broken heart and our contrite" spirit as our sacrifice to Him. 

 

Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught,

“Real, personal sacrifice never was placing an animal on the altar.

Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the altar and letting it be consumed!”

 

The Altar

Just like Adam and Eve "built an altar to offer sacrifices to the Lord" when they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, there is an Altar in the temples. (One at the front of each Endowment room, and one in the center of each Sealing room.)

A beautiful representation of our sacrifice to God, our Savior's ultimate sacrifice for us, and more. 

What are you willing to lay on the altar for God?

The Law of The Gospel

The 4th Article of Faith lays out the basic principle of the Law of the Gospel. 

We covenant to live the pattern of the Gospel, which can look like this: 

 

have faith in Jesus Christ,

repent frequently, daily if needed, 

be baptized and partake of the sacrament weekly, 

receive the Holy Ghost and listen and act on promptings.

 

This video explains the Law of The Gospel beautifully:

The Law of Chastity

The Law of Chastity means "having sexual relations only with those to whom they are legally and lawfully wedded according to God’s law.”


In the For Strength of Youth book, it says:

"Sexual feelings are an important part of God’s plan to create happy marriages and eternal families. These feelings are not sinful—they are sacred. Because sexual feelings are so sacred and so powerful, God has given you His law of chastity to prepare you to use these feelings as He intends. The law of chastity states that God approves of sexual activity only between a man and a woman who are married. Many in the world ignore or even mock God’s law, but the Lord invites us to be His disciples and live a standard higher than the world’s."

So why is a law like chastity included in our Endowment?

Why are the other 4 covenants we make, a little different than this very "physical" law and promise?

A few reasons the Lord needs us to covenant to keep the Law of Chastity:
  • We show LOAYALTY to Him and our spouse when we keep this covenant. 
  • We show that we will protect sacred things; the gift of procreation is absolutely sacred. 
  • We build incredible trust with the Lord and our spouse. 
  • There is many, many more reasons our Father in Heaven covenants with us, through this beautiful principle. I invite you to study and ASK Him. 

The Law of Consecration

What is the Law of Consecration?

“dedicating their time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed them to building up Jesus Christ’s Church on the earth.”




Reflection Question:

What do you spend most of your time doing?

How can you dedicate that time to the Lord?

 

 

Consecration

Your time.

Your talents. 

Your efforts.

Everything He has blessed you with. 

Give it all to Him. 

It's worth it. 

He is worth it.