Lesson on the Priesthood

Fifth Sunday Lesson - Dallin Oaks - Priesthood Talk

• Introduction - I have been asked to give the 5th Sunday lesson  Healing the Sick and Priesthood Power. Story when I was a deacon, 
• I may have been misinformed.
• And harboring misunderstandings about priesthood blessings
• Elder Oaks, clarifies common misperceptions throughout the his talk
• Q: Before we look at what Elder Oakes says in his talk, do any of you have questions about priesthood blessings that we might use Elder Oakes' talk to find the answer?
• Q: What are our fears about giving a blessings?
  
  •  a feeling of general unworthiness
  • we won't hear the promptings
  • no healing occurs
  • expectations of others present
• Before we begin, let me summarize on the board how Elder Oaks structures in discourse on Priesthood Blessings
• Different ways of healing
• Medical, Alternative Medicine, etc.
• Prayers of Faith
• Priesthood Blessings
• Priesthood Blessings
• Write: Five Parts to use priesthood authority to bless the sick (leave blank for now)
• __________ the annointing
• __________ the sealing of the Annointing
• __________ Faith
• __________ the words of the blessing
• __________ the will of the Lord
• Leave blank and say: E. O. says that one of these is not essential.  We will get back to this in a few minutes.
• Read: A [let's start with E.O.'s introduction to his talk:]
• In these times of worldwide turmoil, more and more persons of faith are turning to the Lord for blessings of comfort and healing. I wish to speak to this audience of priesthood holders about healing the sick—by medical science, by prayers of faith, and by priesthood blessings.
• 
  
• Section 1 - best available scientific knowledge and techniques
• Say: E.O. breaks down his talk into three sections (see board).  We will spend most of our time on part 3, healing blessings involving the power of the priesthood
• EO says:  Latter-day Saints believe in applying the best available scientific knowledge and techniques. We use nutrition, exercise, and other practices to preserve health, and we enlist the help of healing practitioners, such as physicians and surgeons, to restore health.
• Who has 'B'?
• The use of medical science is not at odds with our prayers of faith and our reliance on priesthood blessings. When a person requested a priesthood blessing, Brigham Young would ask, “Have you used any remedies?” To those who said no because “we wish the Elders to lay hands upon us, and we have faith that we shall be healed,” President Young replied: “That is very inconsistent according to my faith. If we are sick, and ask the Lord to heal us, and to do all for us that is necessary to be done, according to my understanding of the Gospel of salvation, I might as well ask the Lord to cause my wheat and corn to grow, without my plowing the ground and casting in the seed. It appears consistent to me to apply every remedy that comes within the range of my knowledge, and [then] to ask my Father in Heaven … to sanctify that application to the healing of my body.” ¹
• Q: Does it depend on the economic resources and the geographic location of the individual on the amount medical science each of us have at our disposal?
• Q: If a person had go into 10s of thousands or even 100s of thousands into debt, might that change the amount of access a person has to medical science?
• Section 2 - the prayer of faith [ask if there are any questions or comments as I have brought Part II in the opening exercise spiritual thought]
• Read this during lesson: "We know that the prayer of faith, uttered alone or in our homes or places of worship, can be effective to heal the sick. Many scriptures refer to the power of faith in the healing of an individual. 
• Tell a story about a brother in a previous ward, when a story was told of a christian believer having a miraculous experience because of his faith in Christ. 
• Tell about the experience 
• He was incredulous that this miracle could occur, thinking that only LDS could have miracles happen to them.
• Elder Dallin H. Oaks in a talk given in April 2010 said the following:
• Truly, as the Book of Mormon teaches, God “manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles … among the children of men according to their faith” (2 Nephi 26:13).
• Luke 9:49-50 says:  49 ¶And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. 50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is ^afor us.
• Section 3 - healing blessing involving the power of the priesthood
• Read: EO wanted to concentrate his remarks on healing blessings involving the power of the priesthood.
• Who can guess what five parts to use priesthood authority are?
• Read : Who has 'C'
• There are five parts to the use of priesthood authority to bless the sick: (1) the anointing, (2) the sealing of the anointing, (3) faith, (4) the words of the blessing, and (5) the will of the Lord.
• Write: each part on the BOARD.
• Say: Regarding 'the words of the blessing EO says this later in his talk':  Who had 'D'
• Another part of a priesthood blessing is the words of blessing spoken by the elder after he seals the anointing. These words can be very important, but their content is not essential and they are not recorded on the records of the Church. In some priesthood blessings—like a patriarchal blessing—the words spoken are the essence of the blessing. But in a healing blessing it is the other parts of the blessing—the anointing, the sealing, faith, and the will of the Lord—that are the essential elements.
• Q: How might this counsel help with some of our fears and concerns about giving a priesthood blessing?
• Let's go back to Part 1, the anointing
• Q: Why do anoint the sick with oil?
• Now, let's look at Part 2, the sealing of the anointing
• Who has 'E'
• When someone has been anointed by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the anointing is sealed by that same authority. To seal something means to affirm it, to make it binding for its intended purpose. When elders anoint a sick person and seal the anointing, they open the windows of heaven for the Lord to pour forth the blessing He wills for the person afflicted.
• Q: Why do we seal the anointing?
• Who has 'F'
• President Brigham Young taught: “When I lay hands on the sick, I expect the healing power and influence of God to pass through me to the patient, and the disease to give way. … When we are prepared, when we are holy vessels before the Lord, a stream of power from the Almighty can pass through the tabernacle of the administrator to the system of the patient, and the sick are made whole.” ⁹
• Ask Brother Cooper to comment on this idea of 'a stream of power'.
• Now let's talk about faith which is (Part 3) as a part of the Priesthood blessing
• Who has 'G'? In a notable talk on administering to the sick, President Spencer W. Kimball said: “The need of faith is often underestimated. The ill one and the family often seem to depend wholly on the power of the priesthood and the gift of healing that they hope the administering brethren may have, whereas the greater responsibility is with him who is blessed. … The major element is the faith of the individual when that person is conscious and accountable. ‘Thy faith hath made thee whole’ [Matthew 9:22] was repeated so often by the Master that it almost became a chorus.” 
• Q: Does this statement help answer any of our fears and concerns we have listed?
• Who has 'H'
• President Kimball even suggested that “too frequent administrations may be an indication of lack of faith or of the ill one trying to pass the responsibility for faith development to the elders rather than self.” He told about a faithful sister who received a priesthood blessing. When asked the next day if she wished to be administered to again, she replied: “No, I have been anointed and administered to. The ordinance has been performed. It is up to me now to claim my blessing through my faith. 
• Let's go back to the Part 4, the words of the blessings.  Who has I?
• Ideally, the elder who officiates will be so in tune with the Spirit of the Lord that he will know and declare the will of the Lord in the words of the blessing. Brigham Young taught priesthood holders, “It is your privilege and duty to live so that you know when the word of the Lord is spoken to you and when the mind of the Lord is revealed to you.” ¹³When that happens, the spoken blessing is fulfilled literally and miraculously. 
• 
  
• Who has 'J' On some choice occasions I have experienced that certainty of inspiration in a healing blessing and have known that what I was saying was the will of the Lord. However, like most who officiate in healing blessings, I have often struggled with uncertainty on the words I should say. For a variety of causes, every elder experiences increases and decreases in his level of sensitivity to the promptings of the Spirit. Every elder who gives a blessing is subject to influence by what he desires for the person afflicted. Each of these and other mortal imperfections can influence the words we speak.
• How does this statement help us with our fears and concerns about giving priesthood blessings?
• Who has 'K' :Fortunately, the words spoken in a healing blessing are not essential to its healing effect. If faith is sufficient and if the Lord wills it, the afflicted person will be healed or blessed whether the officiator speaks those words or not. Conversely, if the officiator yields to personal desire or inexperience and gives commands or words of blessing in excess of what the Lord chooses to bestow according to the faith of the individual, those words will not be fulfilled. Consequently, brethren, no elder should ever hesitate to participate in a healing blessing because of fear that he will not know what to say. The words spoken in a healing blessing can edify and energize the faith of those who hear them, but the effect of the blessing is dependent upon faith and the Lord’s will, not upon the words spoken by the elder who officiated.
• The final part of the Priesthood Blessing is the will of the Lord.
• Read: Young men and older men, please take special note of what I will say now. As we exercise the undoubted power of the priesthood of God and as we treasure His promise that He will hear and answer the prayer of faith, we must always remember that faith and the healing power of the priesthood cannot produce a result contrary to the will of Him whose priesthood it is. This principle is taught in the revelation directing that the elders of the Church shall lay their hands upon the sick. The Lord’s promise is that “he that hath faith in me to be healed,and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed” (D&C 42:48; emphasis added). Similarly, in another modern revelation the Lord declares that when one “asketh according to the will of God … it is done even as he asketh” (D&C 46:30).
• If there is time, ask for any comments.

Conclusion:  I learned a lot preparing this lessons.  Some of may fears and concerns have lessened.   I learned that we cannot force what we want to happen in blessing.  That teaches me to be more open to promptings and to say less in the words of the blessing part if no promptings come.  

Before I give a blessing, if there is time and perhaps we should make time. I pray and mediate, centering myself.  I, with real intent, cast off all my fears.  When I do this, the promptings of the 

Spirit come to mind and I am satisfied that the blessing is from God.

Amen.