3 Nephi 18: 12-13:
“And I give unto you a commandment that ye shall do these things. And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my rock. But whoso among you shall do more or less than these are not built upon my rock, but are built upon a sandy foundation; and when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall fall, and the gates of hell are ready open to receive them.”
The Lord again returns to the earlier sermon’s language and meaning. He reiterates how building upon the rock belonging to Him is done by observing the ordinances established by Him.
You should not do “more” than He has commanded.
You must not do “less” than He has instructed.
You must do as He has commanded, instructed, and shown. He does it to provide by His example, the way it is to be done.
If we err it is not because He failed to teach. He has made it plain to us that we may know the way to follow.
When we do more or less, we find ourselves in the sand, and no longer standing upon Him, the Rock of Heaven. (Moses 7: 53.)
Those finding themselves in the tempest of this life, tossed about by the turbulence of the sins and errors found at every turn, will fall if they are not built upon Him, the Rock of Heaven. They cannot withstand the storm because they are not anchored in Him who has the power to endure, to preserve and to save. They may cry out “Lord, Lord” but they did not do what He said. He will respond He never knew them. To be known by Him in that day will require the testimony before the Father to have been made. For the means by which He can recognize and protect them from the gates of hell is found in that testimony before the Father, given as a result of this ordinance.
The way is plain, simple, even easy. It is marked by Him at every turn. There is no great elusive mountain to climb. If we fail, it is because we are unwilling to look to Him and be saved. It is because we despise the simplicity of it all, and look for something more. We refuse to look upon Him who alone can save. (1 Nephi 17: 41.)
It is always amusing to see those who wrongly conclude that the Lord has abandoned His people because they fail to experience any power from Him. They do not do what the Lord commands, then they fail to receive the blessing He promised. When it is not received, they blame Him. When all along it was their own failure to do as He commanded that caused their problems. (D&C 58: 31-33.)
Those who claim to be His, calling out “Lord, Lord,” but who do not do what He has instructed cannot blame the Lord. They have only themselves to blame.