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Hey there everybody and welcome back to another episode of Redeemed Through His Blood.
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I'm Scott Durfey, joined as always by good friend and my uncle actually.
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Yeah, your old uncle.
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Yeah, not really that old.
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Dave's just a few years older than me.
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Yes, only in LDS families.
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Exactly.
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Do you go to a wedding and the mother or the mother-in-law of the bride or groom is expecting
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a baby, right?
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Yeah, that's right.
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So it's possible to have a niece or nephew who's actually older than the uncle or the
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aunt.
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And it's kind of cool for me because I don't have any older brothers.
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You don't have any younger brothers.
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Yeah, so there you go.
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My dad's the oldest of your siblings.
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You're the youngest of your siblings.
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So I think it's kind of a sweet tender mercy.
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It kind of is, yeah.
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Maybe less uncle nephew than big brother or little brother.
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I know I have a couple of cousins that are about my same age and they probably all feel
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the same way.
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I definitely look to you more in that regard.
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Anyway, it's been a great week.
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The leaves are changing here on the Wasatch Front.
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We're getting some yellow and some red on the mountains.
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I'm looking out my window right now and you can see Mount Tempanogos from where we're
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sitting and you can see a lot of the changes.
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You know, with change, it reminds me, Dave, repentance is about change.
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Yeah, totally.
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And Dave, we've got a lot to talk about in that regard again today, as we always do.
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You know, gang, we appreciate your emails.
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We've received several.
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You can email us at heredeemsusatgmail.com.
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Again, that's heredeemsusatgmail.com.
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We received an email from a person that just had a great question and a lot of times we're
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going to ask, if it's okay and if it's not okay, please be explicit and ask us not to
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share.
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But we're going to make an assumption on this one.
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We'll change names, et cetera, so that, you know, to protect identity and things of that
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nature.
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But we got an email.
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I'm not going to read the whole email.
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I'm going to read an important part of it.
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But this email comes to us.
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We're going to save from a person by the name of Nate.
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So we want to answer Nate's question, which I really love is the sincerity of his question
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and his concern to be better, to overcome his weakness or sin.
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And Scott, after we do that today, I want to do a follow up on last week's podcast,
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because last week we talked about the character of God, that being one of the requirements
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to know the character of God, to have the faith that we need, to have the faith of power
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or the faith of salvation.
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But I also want to talk about the attribute of God as being a God of justice or a God
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of laws, that God is not just a God of love, but he is also a God of laws.
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So today, after we answer Nate's question and spend some time on this, which I know
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is relevant to all of us that we can all relate to.
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But I want to talk about the attribute of God.
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Sounds great.
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Let's do it.
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Yep.
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So, Nate, here's your question, Aalias Nate.
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Here's the question to David Scott.
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How can I sincerely repent of a sin?
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Before example, being critical or getting angry at my spouse.
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If I know I'm going to be critical and get angry at my spouse again in the future, you
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know, as defined by Elder Anderson, forsaking sin means we will never repeat it, never
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return to it, not in action or in word or even in our mind.
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That's almost a quote right out of the book, I think.
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And then he goes on to say, I know that I'm going to return to certain sins simply because
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from a character development standpoint, I'm just not at the point where I've achieved
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mastery in those areas.
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Thank you.
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Well, I think a lot of people can relate to that, Scott, including myself.
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Yeah, me too.
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Including you.
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And none of us, none of us are sinless.
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We've all had our challenges.
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We all have weakness, right?
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God, if and if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness.
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Well, and the closer you get to the Lord, actually, the more weakness you see in the
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law and the larger your weakness appears, at least the closer you get to the Lord, I
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think that's an important fact to keep in mind.
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But I was talking to my sweetheart about this, this email and this question.
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And she reminded me of when she was a young mother, and I think all young mothers can
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relate to this, maybe young fathers too.
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She she just, it was hard.
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I mean, we had a lot of children in a bunch, and I think we had four children under the
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age of six or seven, and it was really hard for her to not to become short tempered or
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it's hard to show the patients that was really, I think she felt that they deserved or that
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she wanted to display.
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And as a result of a lack of patience, she would get angry.
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She would yell at the children and she would repent and she would tell them that she was
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sought that she was sorry.
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She would even sometimes even cry when she said she was sorry to each to our children.
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So I thought that was really such a, I saw her do that many times.
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I thought that was one of her greatest attributes is her humility and in tears sometimes to
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go to her children and say I'm so sorry.
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You know, mommy shouldn't have said that or mommy shouldn't have and and her and her
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children would pat her back.
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I remember one incident, you know, they would pat her back and they'd say, it's okay, mommy,
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we know you're not perfect and you know, they would be so quick to forgive.
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So I think young mothers can relate to this question about losing our temper or being
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critical.
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Again we can all relate to this.
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I have a situation right now that's close to me where someone lost their temper and
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acted out in kind of a road rage incident and people, parents or spouses who may be
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in a temper, swear at each other or they swear at their children or they put their children
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down or whatever.
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And Scott, it's a, there's just too much contention and conflict in our relationships
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and President Nelson keeps talking about that with us, but in regards to the question about
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why should I repent if I just know I'm going to repeat the behavior over and over again
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and he brings up the point because he's not where he needs to be in character development.
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Right.
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But that's not the problem.
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You know, he talked, I gotta keep repenting, I gotta keep repenting, I gotta keep repenting
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and then he uses the word in my character development, I'm just not there yet.
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And I think that's really the key, Dave.
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Yeah, I think it's not our character development, but it's not about a change of behavior.
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He's Nate blesses heart like many of us.
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And I think we've all done this.
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I've done this for sure.
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Sometimes I still catch myself doing it where we focus too much on our behavior and not
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upon the condition of our heart.
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Repentance is not a change of behavior.
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That's one of the things that's not in fact in his email, he even mentions that he's grateful
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for the way that we've taught repentance in the podcast because we've used in kind of
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an inverse method of not just teaching what repentance is, but we began by teaching what
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it is not.
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Right.
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Well, I'm I want to remind Nate.
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Repentance is not a change of behavior.
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Repentance is a change of nature.
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Change of heart.
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It's a change of heart.
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So if you see repentance that way, then you have say, okay, so how can I how can I receive
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that blessing?
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And I think too many times gotten I haven't probably we haven't talked about this enough
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on our podcast.
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Too many people when they are repenting are focused on the behavior, not upon their nature.
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And in other words, they want mercy.
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They want to be forgiven of what they've done.
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Right.
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They want to be forgiven of a sin of commission.
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They want to be redeemed and forgiven, which is the attribute of mercy in in God.
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And that's what they're that's what they're trying to receive in the process of their
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repentance.
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But Scott, there's enough.
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There's a whole other aspect to repentance that we don't probably focus on enough.
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And Elder Benner has given several talks on this, which is repentance is not just for
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sinning, but repentance is also for strengthening, strengthening.
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So we should not just pray for mercy or forgiveness of sin, but we should pray for grace, which
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is the enabling power that comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ as administered
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into our lives through the Holy Ghost.
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And grace is defined in the Bible dictionary by Elder Bednar by Elder Oaks and and many
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others.
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We need to not just pray for forgiveness, but we need to pray for strength.
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We need not just we should not just pray for what we need to stop doing.
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We need to start praying and asking Heavenly Father to inspire us and strengthen us in
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what we should start doing.
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And Nate, for example, should focus more on not compliment or not criticizing his wife.
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He needs to pray for grace to begin complimenting his wife.
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He needs to take more proactive actions and be more proactive in his prayer or in the repentance
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process to start focusing on how he's going to replace that.
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And and how can he show a change of nature and a change of heart?
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So that's one aspect of that, Scott.
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Another aspect of it is that we need to understand really the difference between weakness and
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sin.
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It I don't I don't know Nate's situation.
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I haven't been in his presence and and if he's yelling or swearing in his wife and he's
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completely losing his temper and all of that, then absolutely he he is sinned and he needs
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to repent.
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And oh, man, Scott, I know some people who just verbally abuse members of their family
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and it is a sin of a grievous nature that may I think should be even confessed.
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And maybe there should even be some church action taken.
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I was I was in a state presidency when we when we excommunicated somebody because of
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his abuse towards his towards his wife and children.
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So I know that this can be a really grievous sin.
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I don't want to make light of it.
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I just don't know Nate's situation specifically enough.
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But I think we all have a nature because of weakness and because of the fall, the fall
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of nature in all of us, Scott, is to I think too often be critical and maybe too often
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lose our temper.
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That may at times be a sin.
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In other times, depending on the motive and the condition of our heart, it may just be
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a weakness because I think sometimes I define sin as rebellion.
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When you know that what you're doing is wrong.
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I know that if you're being critical and you're yelling at your wife or your children, you
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know you're doing something wrong.
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But sometimes you don't you it doesn't consciously you don't go through the act of really consciously
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identifying that you know that it's wrong and that that stops you.
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You just do it.
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You just you just act out of weakness.
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Well part of that out of rebellion.
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I think sometimes that is part that's part of our nature, you know, and our nature's
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developed over time.
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Falling nature through conditioning through the water or observing it in other ways.
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Others are our parents or we observe it and it becomes a part almost like a part of our
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DNA.
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Yeah.
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Well, that can be a weakness, not a sin.
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I think we're all guilty of that.
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Again, I'm not making light of it because it can really be grievous.
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I know it can really be damning.
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However, sin is an act of rebellion.
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Weakness on the other hand is something that we all display every day in our human nature.
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And I love the scripture.
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You all know it, ether 1227.
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And if men come unto me, so there's the key.
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And if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness.
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And I would add and he'll show unto us the difference between weakness and sin.
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And if they humble themselves before me, I will make weak things become strong unto
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them.
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Thank you, Scott.
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And he also says in that scripture, this is the most important part.
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My grace, my enabling power, my strengthening power, my grace is sufficient.
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Have you got the scripture?
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Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
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This is I'm just going to throw this out there too.
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This is one of Deb's favorite scriptures.
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She refers to this all the time.
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And there's another one in 2 Corinthians I'd like to talk about too as well.
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But here's ether 1227.
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And if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness.
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I give unto men weakness that they may be humble.
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And my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me.
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For if they humble themselves before me and have faith in me, then will I make weak things
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become strong unto them.
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If they have faith, humility and faith.
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And that's really the faith of power, Scott.
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The faith of power to receive the grace, the enabling power to not only help us to stop
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a behavior, but to change our nature.
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And again, I emphasize in that verse, my grace is sufficient.
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And again, grace is not just the forgiveness part of sin.
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Grace is the strengthening part of our of the repentance process.
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So that's that's the second point that I would make is there's a difference between weakness
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and sin and sin is rebellion.
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And I don't know Nate well enough.
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Again, I don't want to minimize anything here.
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But I don't know if Nate's really acting out of rebellion.
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It may be weakness, but through repentance, weakness can become a strength through the
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grace, the strengthening, enabling power of Christ and his atonement by receiving the
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Holy Ghost and having humility and faith.
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So I would I would ask anyone to when they repent to not just ask for forgiveness, but
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ask for strengthening power and and really try to seek some revelation from the Lord
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to know how they can replace.
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You know, sometimes God, it's not about just stopping it.
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It's about replacing it.
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And I think I think replacing it can help us to overcome it.
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So Nate and all of us should focus on how can we if I have an if I have the sin of being
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critical, how can I be more generous with my with my praise with complimenting with
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showing kindness acts of kindness and words of love?
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Anyway, that's that's another aspect of that.
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I mentioned another scripture in Second Corinthians.
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This is Paul chapter 12 verse nine, Second Corinthians chapter 12 verse nine.
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And this is Paul.
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He's in the third heaven here.
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And he says he's well, let me start with the for this thing, I be sought the Lord thrice
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that it might depart from me.
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In other words, he's talking about a problem, a weakness.
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Yeah, in the flesh that he has.
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What is it called a thorn in the flesh?
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Thorn in the flesh.
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That's exactly right.
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And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in
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weakness.
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Is in other words, his grace.
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Exactly.
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And gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ
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may rest upon me.
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Now that doesn't mean that we should go out and seek and look for our infirmities so that
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we could have the power of Christ resting upon us.
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But when we do that it can through repentance.
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Therefore, in verse 10, I take pleasure in infirmities and in reproaches in the necessities
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of the persecutions in the distress distresses for Christ's sake for when I am weak, then
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I am strong.
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Now that again, that's not a justification for our weaknesses, but that's a remedy how
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that through our weaknesses, we can feel the power of Jesus Christ and and that enabling
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power.
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Dave, I think you brought up something.
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And I think this is something that's been it was new for me.
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And as I began this study and as I began this approach, and I think it is for a lot of people
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will actually be talking about this tonight and the Institute class at Deben I will be
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teaching as part of Elder Anderson's book, The Divine Gift of Forgiveness.
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But this is on page 43 in the Divine Gift of Forgiveness.
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And this is a chapter that's titled repentance and idea now out of style and the heading
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in this section is in this essential part of God's plan.
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And I'm going towards the bottom of the page on page 43.
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He says, and I love this, listen to this first part of the sentence.
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I promise you, okay, that's a promise coming from an apostle from a prophet of God.
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We are receiving a promise.
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Okay.
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And I promise you that Elder Anderson does not use that term or word lightly.
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I promise you, as you seek repentance through your Heavenly Father and His divine Son,
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you will be given the strength to keep the commandments of God.
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You will be given a power that will lift and comfort you as you rejoice in your new life
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and trust in God.
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As the Lord servant, I affirm to you that repentance is true and is a true and essential
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part of His plan.
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I love how Elder Anderson shows in that book, you know, as we work on it together, he chose
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to always end the chapter with some personal testimony or promise.
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Those are some of my favorite parts of each of the chapters.
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So Scott, that's, thank you.
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Yeah, that's an apostolic promise that we can have the strength to be strengthened.
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Yeah, and I don't, again, let me just, I want to make sure the points clear here that not
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only does the Atonement of Jesus Christ provide us redemption powers, right?
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The powers of redemption not only does it supply for us compensatory powers, but part
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of the one of the other great blessings and one that sometimes I think from my own experience
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is a little bit misunderstood are the enabling powers.
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You know, these enabling powers through repentance, we gain more power to keep the commandments
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more precisely with more with more power even and and and it deepens our faith to that faith
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of power as as we've talked about before.
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Well as Elder Bednar said in a classic talk on this on this topic is that Jesus Christ
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and his Atonement not only has the power to make bad men good, but he has the power to
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make good men better.
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And it's not enough when we when we really truly are sincere about repenting.
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It's not enough Scott and I'm talking about sin here rebellion.
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Not just not just weakness, right?
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And it's important to differentiate between those.
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Weakness is not not sin.
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But if we're really repenting, we need to be more specific and more purposeful, more
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intentional about not just asking for forgiveness, but for pleading, crying out and pleading
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for help for strength to to overcome.
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I think I think another aspect of this email that I want to just touch on because I I believe
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this with all my heart is again that when we repent, we we should not just repent of
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our actions, but repentance also includes the conditions of our heart and our emotions.
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And our heart is the center of our emotions is my heart, right?
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If my heart's not right, then how can I get it right?
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That should be an important discussion we have with ourselves and with God in prayer
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to to learn how to control our emotions, and that may require Scott a change of personality
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and character.
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If we have to change our emotions and we should change our emotions, I testify that I know
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that God through the atonement of Jesus Christ has the power to even change our emotions
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and how we feel and how we see He has a power to change our perspective, how we see individuals.
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In this case, Nate's email of being less less critical, seeing things being more optimistic.
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Really through repentance, we can even see ourselves and others and the world differently.
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We can feel differently.
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Repentance is not just about changing behavior.
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And I think that more of us need to be intentional and serious about repenting of inappropriate
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emotions, inappropriate thoughts, inappropriate perspectives.
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And we need to be really serious about that, Scott.
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I'm just I've said this probably too many times, so I'm sorry.
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But even our feelings of fear, which again so many times are critical nature and contention
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is out of fear and insecurity.
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Sometimes it's out of pride, which I think is another form of insecurity.
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We need to repent of any feelings, inappropriate feelings of lust or jealousy or envy or any
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of that of comparing ourselves.
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I think I think comparing ourselves taken to an extreme is can go from being a weakness
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to a sin when when we become really critical or gel coveting in the scriptures is a sin.
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Yeah, one of the seven deadly sins.
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But you know what difference does it really make if it's a weakness or a sin and it still
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drives us from our Heavenly Father and the and the anecdote or the remedy to this is
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still the atonement of Jesus Christ.
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We now would kind of get into and I think it's important, you know, but there is there
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is a level of semantics here as well.
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You're right.
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Yeah, you're right.
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If it's holding us back from keeping the spirit of the Lord or hurting others.
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Yeah, then we should be serious about repenting of it.
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It is a sin.
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That is that is definitely one of the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve, which perpetuates
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the or necessitates, I should say, the need for this repentance process, this returning
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to him.
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And so anytime we are feeling those effects and they can show up as weakness, they can
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show up as transgression and they can show up as outright rebellion and sin.
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But either way, it's the remedy to this is out of necessity.
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The power that comes to us through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
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We talked about the enabling power.
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And then you said something along the lines of we should ask our question ourselves a
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question or something along those lines.
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How can I get this right?
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How can I get it right?
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How can I make it right?
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And the answer to that is pretty simple.
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Yeah, you know, we make it difficult that the answer to how can I make this right or
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how can I get this right in my life?
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The process may be difficult and maybe it require a ton of energy or some energy, at
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least on our part.
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But the answer to that is just through alignment, you know, through aligning our will with our
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Heavenly Father's will to getting back to the contrite spirit of the broken heart and
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contrite spirit of repentance.
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Right.
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And so as we put that contrite spirit and as we begin that alignment process and, you
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know, we can go back several episodes and we probably should, you know, in fact, I'll
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make that invitation to you go back and go back to the episodes where we talked about
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having the spirit of the Holy Ghost in our lives and that's how the alignment happens
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and that's how we can get it right.
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Yeah, that's that's really good, Scott.
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And I I think it's really comforting for all of us to know that as often as we repent,
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I mean, this is right.
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This is just Maronite Maronite chapter six verse eight as often as they repented and sought forgiveness with real intent.
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They were forgiven.
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So sometimes we don't focus enough on the word intent.
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Often as often as they repented with and sought forgiveness, Scott, and those are not necessarily
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always the same the same thing because repentance includes not just seeking forgiveness.
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Repentance includes praying for a change of nature and the enabling power of grace and
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strengthening power of the atonement in our life, not just the redempty power or forgiveness.
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So as often as they repented and sought for forgiveness with real intent, they were forgiven.
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I know when I when I brought this up with my sweetheart, we were having a discussion
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about it and she was talking about how she could relate to Nate's email because of being
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a mother who was often out of patience, short of patience and sometimes yelling or sometimes
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being hard on the children.
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She said I always knew I was repenting because by the end of the day, I had a broken heart
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contrite spirit and I was always asking for forgiveness, not just from God, but she was
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asking for forgiveness from those who she had hurt.
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So I think as long as we are sincere and intentional in our efforts to forgive and we continue
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not to just ask for forgiveness from God, but ask for forgiveness from those who we
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have offended or hurt.
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We're going to be repenting daily.
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And we've been encouraged to repent daily and I don't think we should feel bad about
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it.
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We should never trifle with it.
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Joseph Smith said do not trifle with daily repentance.
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So as long as we're sincere with real intent and as long as we're asking for forgiveness
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with a broken heart and contrite spirit, then we should have confidence knowing where we
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stand with God and not continually shame ourselves because of the natural man and the tendency
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that we all have in the flesh to Scott, we're never going to be free from sin in this life.
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That's just the fact and the prophets have stated it and the scriptures are clear about
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it.
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So Nate, you're in good company and hope and pray that that discussion will be helpful
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to you and to all of us.
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And that again, that we won't just focus on behaviors when we're repenting or that we
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won't just focus on change or character development.
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We're talking about focusing on Jesus Christ and receiving the enabling power from his
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atonement and to be able to have walk, live, drink, eat, sleep by the spirit of the Lord
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administering grace or the enabling power of God into our life.
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So thank you, Nate.
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Another thing we wanted to discuss today, Scott, moving on is that last time we talked
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about the love of God, spent most of the time on that.
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We shared some personal experiences with it.
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I'm thankful for those who have been willing to share theirs.
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That came from the character of God as described in the lectures on faith that faith again
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requires three things.
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The idea or belief that God exists.
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Second to know and understand the character, attributes and perfections of God.
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That's the second requirement to have faith of power.
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And third is to know that our will is aligned with God's or that what we are doing is pleasing
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to him.
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Those are the three elements that we all need to work on in order to develop the faith of
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power.
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So last time we were we were talking about the character of God and there are six given
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to us Scott in the lectures on faith.
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We dealt with just the last one, which was the love of God in our in our podcast last
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week.
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But I just want to read this list.
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This is the the character of God.
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First, he was a God before he before he was created.
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In other words, he's always been God, the same God that he was after it was created.
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Second, that he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in goodness, and that
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he was so from everlasting and will be to everlasting.
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Third, that he changes not.
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Here is there any variable in this with him.
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Fourth, that he is a God of truth and cannot lie.
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Fifth, that he is no respecter of persons.
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And sixth, that he is love.
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God is love.
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Those are the six characteristics of God given in the lectures on faith that we should really
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focus on.
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And we focus mostly on on love.
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I think all of those are really critical to understand who God is.
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I really love the one that he is no respecter of persons.
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But now sometimes we just like to focus on the character of God, and we don't like to
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really focus on his attributes.
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And sometimes we have a hard time, Scott, differentiating between the God of love and
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the God of laws.
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We like to think of God as a God of love.
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We're a little less inclined to focus on him being a God of laws.
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And we can't do that.
468
00:34:56,400 --> 00:35:04,640
He's as much a God of law and justice as he is a God of love and mercy.
469
00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:08,480
I think we'll find this as we go through this discussion.
470
00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:10,520
I'm going to submit it now.
471
00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:17,600
I think that as we go through and we talk about this attribute that God is a God of law,
472
00:35:17,600 --> 00:35:22,560
that we'll actually see that that that's actually necessary in order for us to experience
473
00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:23,560
God's love.
474
00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:27,400
Yeah, they're they're they're inextricably linked.
475
00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:28,400
They really are.
476
00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:31,600
Yeah, you can't have a God of love without a God of law.
477
00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:37,840
In fact, the law is an expression of the depth of God's love for us.
478
00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:45,000
That's in Elder Anderson's book as well, that without his laws, his love would be wasted.
479
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:46,000
That's right.
480
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:47,920
He could not reward us.
481
00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:49,960
He could not exalt us.
482
00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:54,400
If it were not for the laws of God, Scott, he could he couldn't even save us.
483
00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:55,640
You know, think about this.
484
00:35:55,640 --> 00:36:00,480
You know, when we in our in our earthly experiences, even love isn't what we say.
485
00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:01,480
Love is what we do.
486
00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:03,360
I mean, we tell each other we love each other.
487
00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:07,320
But if we if we love each other, say, if I say, David, I love you.
488
00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:12,720
And then I act totally contrary to that or or I don't act in ways that are in alignment
489
00:36:12,720 --> 00:36:13,840
with that.
490
00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:14,840
That's not love.
491
00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:15,840
That's a word.
492
00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:19,880
Do you remember me telling the story about my Japanese friend?
493
00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:20,880
Yeah.
494
00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:25,040
When General Authority told all these Japanese brother in a leadership meeting in a church
495
00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:28,720
leadership meeting to go home and tell their wives that they that they love them.
496
00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:31,520
Oh, my my friend, he was a bishop at the time.
497
00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:33,240
He started sweating bullets.
498
00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:36,600
He thought, oh, no, I can't go home and tell her that I love her.
499
00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:37,600
Oh, no.
500
00:36:37,600 --> 00:36:45,520
And so anyway, he went home and took courage and and said, Toshiko, I love you.
501
00:36:45,520 --> 00:36:46,520
And she slapped him.
502
00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:49,360
She thought he had done something wrong.
503
00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:50,360
Yeah.
504
00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:51,800
She said, what have you done, Ted?
505
00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:54,000
What have you done?
506
00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:55,000
Nothing.
507
00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:59,000
I and she wanted to know, really, it really upset her.
508
00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:05,640
And, you know, when he was telling me that story, I looked at Toshiko and I said, how
509
00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:10,640
come, you know, we were at lunch together with our wives.
510
00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:15,600
And she said, in Japan, we don't have to say it.
511
00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:16,600
We show it.
512
00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:17,600
That's right.
513
00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:18,600
Yeah.
514
00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:26,320
But God being a God of love is not enough to exalt us.
515
00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:28,800
I know love is powerful.
516
00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:30,240
I know love.
517
00:37:30,240 --> 00:37:35,620
So many people think love is the bottom line and I'm I'm I'm there with you.
518
00:37:35,620 --> 00:37:41,680
But without his laws, there would never be enough power.
519
00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:48,960
There would be a never be enough to exalt us.
520
00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:55,120
And I would even challenge that without the laws, there's really no love.
521
00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:56,640
Without mercy, there's no justice.
522
00:37:56,640 --> 00:37:57,640
Right.
523
00:37:57,640 --> 00:37:58,960
Without justice, there's no mercy.
524
00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:03,120
I mean, one can't really rob the other here.
525
00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:10,120
So we focused last week on the character of God and his love, one of the six.
526
00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:15,920
Today I just want to read the list of the attributes of God that are listed in the lectures
527
00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:16,920
on faith.
528
00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:21,120
So here's the six, the six attributes.
529
00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:26,920
Knowledge number one knowledge that he he knows all things he knows beginning to the
530
00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:27,920
end.
531
00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:32,560
There is no pastor present with him.
532
00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:35,960
I'm sorry, there is no pastor future with him.
533
00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:37,640
Everything is present before him.
534
00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:42,640
He knows all things from the beginning to the end.
535
00:38:42,640 --> 00:38:46,680
Second faith or power and it's I love this in the lecture on faith where it says faith
536
00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:47,680
or power.
537
00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:50,720
In other words, they make faith synonymous with power.
538
00:38:50,720 --> 00:38:54,720
Well we know that there are different levels of faith and the highest level of faith is
539
00:38:54,720 --> 00:39:01,800
power and we know that God created the earth by faith or by the word of his power.
540
00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:09,440
We know that so but that's one of his attributes listed here is his power or his faith.
541
00:39:09,440 --> 00:39:19,360
Third is justice without without justice Scott, we would not be able to have faith in God.
542
00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:23,720
We need to understand that attribute his judgment.
543
00:39:23,720 --> 00:39:26,480
His judgment is an important part of his attribute.
544
00:39:26,480 --> 00:39:28,640
He judges us.
545
00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:36,280
Truth is his mercy and sixth is truth that he cannot lie.
546
00:39:36,280 --> 00:39:41,200
We believe in a God who cannot lie.
547
00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:49,880
Well those are his attributes and sometimes we would prefer to focus on his characteristics
548
00:39:49,880 --> 00:40:00,360
meaning love and less on his attributes, meaning his laws or his justice in carrying out those
549
00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:08,160
laws and I just think it's really important that we that we have a true understanding
550
00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:14,320
of both in order to have the level of faith that we need for us to be able to return and
551
00:40:14,320 --> 00:40:16,120
live with him in his presence.
552
00:40:16,120 --> 00:40:22,160
Well let's just talk about the attribute of justice for just a minute Scott.
553
00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:30,760
We read a scripture a long time ago about his mercy is atonement.
554
00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:37,960
This is from King Benjamin in Mosiah chapter three Scott.
555
00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:41,760
We start to read maybe like verse seven.
556
00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:47,720
Mosiah chapter three verse seven and let's just read three or four verses here.
557
00:40:47,720 --> 00:40:52,640
All right this is Mosiah chapter three starting in verse seven.
558
00:40:52,640 --> 00:41:00,200
And lo he shall suffer temptations and pain of body, hunger and thirst and fatigue even
559
00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:03,480
more than man can suffer except it be unto death.
560
00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:08,040
For behold blood cometh from every pore so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness
561
00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:10,480
and the abominations of his people.
562
00:41:10,480 --> 00:41:18,560
First place in all of holy writ and all of scriptures that's where we learn that Jesus
563
00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:23,520
bled from every pore because every pore is not a phrase that's in the Bible.
564
00:41:23,520 --> 00:41:31,780
Joseph Smith learned it here as he translated the Book of Mormon that Jesus Christ bled sweat
565
00:41:31,780 --> 00:41:35,520
blood from every pore.
566
00:41:35,520 --> 00:41:36,880
Okay verse eight.
567
00:41:36,880 --> 00:41:39,120
And he shall be called Jesus Christ.
568
00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:45,240
The Son of God the Father of heaven and earth the Creator of all things from the beginning
569
00:41:45,240 --> 00:41:47,880
and his mother shall be called Mary.
570
00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:55,560
Okay King Benjamin knew that a hundred and some twenty four years before Jesus was ever
571
00:41:55,560 --> 00:41:58,800
born that his mother would be Mary.
572
00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:04,960
And then he talks about his scourging and his crucifixion and King Benjamin saw all
573
00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:08,880
of that over more than a hundred years before it happened.
574
00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:11,240
Now verse ten Scott.
575
00:42:11,240 --> 00:42:17,760
And he shall rise the third day from the dead and behold he standeth to judge the world
576
00:42:17,760 --> 00:42:23,560
and behold all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children
577
00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:24,880
of men.
578
00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:35,160
Judgment justice what is a righteous judgment why is it so important that he judge his people.
579
00:42:35,160 --> 00:42:39,640
First off I think it's important that Jesus Christ judges his people because Jesus Christ
580
00:42:39,640 --> 00:42:44,800
if we go to Alma chapter seven we know that you know that he suffered everything body
581
00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:49,760
and spirit every temptation every physical malady any possible problem.
582
00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:57,800
And so because of that I think that that qualifies him to judge us because he does understand
583
00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:05,360
because he has that that that experience in his being as well but even more importantly
584
00:43:05,360 --> 00:43:11,440
but because he's deity right because he's a son of God because he literally is also
585
00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:18,600
a God and has from that also the love that you know we talked about earlier that he can
586
00:43:18,600 --> 00:43:20,720
extend to us as well.
587
00:43:20,720 --> 00:43:28,200
If I've been hurt or I've offended or if someone has sinned against me Scott and they have
588
00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:35,400
not at all repented of that I'm grateful to know that there will be a judgment.
589
00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:39,880
I'm grateful to know there will be a judgment on me to hold me accountable.
590
00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:45,040
I think part of Satan's plan in the premortal distance was that he said there will be no
591
00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:47,440
judgment.
592
00:43:47,440 --> 00:43:50,920
There will be no judgment I will save you all.
593
00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:52,160
I'll save you all.
594
00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:58,880
Well that completely eliminates judgment that completely eliminates accountability.
595
00:43:58,880 --> 00:44:00,360
There is no accountability.
596
00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:06,400
I am so grateful to know that there will be a judgment and that that judgment will be
597
00:44:06,400 --> 00:44:13,400
done by a loving God who is going to enforce the laws.
598
00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:19,720
Not just for those who have hurt me but for me that I can progress.
599
00:44:19,720 --> 00:44:28,280
I cannot progress if I am not learning to live and obey the laws of God.
600
00:44:28,280 --> 00:44:32,200
That requires effort beyond my own.
601
00:44:32,200 --> 00:44:38,240
It causes me to be more dependent upon God knowing that I cannot keep all of his laws
602
00:44:38,240 --> 00:44:41,440
without his help and atoning sacrifice.
603
00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:47,880
So laws tie me to God and I'm grateful to know that he will honor my efforts and I'm
604
00:44:47,880 --> 00:44:53,320
also grateful to know that he will punish those who do not obey his laws.
605
00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:56,560
I'm glad to know that there is a reckoning.
606
00:44:56,560 --> 00:45:07,560
Now it's true that none of us want total complete justice.
607
00:45:07,560 --> 00:45:09,840
We would never make it.
608
00:45:09,840 --> 00:45:18,800
Thankfully through his atoning sacrifice judgment and justice are not only possible accountability
609
00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:21,520
but there is also mercy.
610
00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:24,600
But mercy cannot rob justice.
611
00:45:24,600 --> 00:45:33,200
I see them almost Scott as as two sides of the same coin because I think justice can
612
00:45:33,200 --> 00:45:36,880
also it's justice isn't just the bad guy.
613
00:45:36,880 --> 00:45:45,040
Justice can also those who have been somehow hurt abused or bad things come out of actions
614
00:45:45,040 --> 00:45:47,360
that were forced upon them.
615
00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:50,320
The truth is we're all acted upon.
616
00:45:50,320 --> 00:45:51,560
We're all victims.
617
00:45:51,560 --> 00:45:53,840
We have all been sinned against.
618
00:45:53,840 --> 00:46:00,720
And I'm grateful to know that justice includes that individuals who have not been fairly
619
00:46:00,720 --> 00:46:09,920
treated will also receive not just mercy not just grace but they'll also receive justice
620
00:46:09,920 --> 00:46:18,360
which means that life will be fair that that because of what he did that it will be just
621
00:46:18,360 --> 00:46:25,680
life will be just it will be fair it will be equitable there without justice there is
622
00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:29,520
no equity.
623
00:46:29,520 --> 00:46:36,120
There no we would not be equal if it were not for justice so I'm really thankful that
624
00:46:36,120 --> 00:46:41,520
justice is a part of who God is and it's one of his his attributes and this in this
625
00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:48,040
first we just read not only will there be judgment it will be a righteous judgment.
626
00:46:48,040 --> 00:46:54,960
When I used to ask my students what is a righteous judgment use one word to describe a righteous
627
00:46:54,960 --> 00:47:02,280
judgment and the one word that would be usually emphasize the most or shared the most was
628
00:47:02,280 --> 00:47:10,120
it will be fair a righteous judgment means it will be fair which works to our benefit
629
00:47:10,120 --> 00:47:17,600
it works that that works not not just against us when we sin but it works for us when we
630
00:47:17,600 --> 00:47:20,480
have been sinned against.
631
00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:28,560
So I think it's really important Scott that having the faith the power or obtaining that
632
00:47:28,560 --> 00:47:34,680
faith as a gift all all levels of faith are a gift from God it's not something that we
633
00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:42,360
just merit on our own but to receive the level of faith to be able to change isn't in the
634
00:47:42,360 --> 00:47:48,960
case of Nate really and all of us to change our nature and to have that level of faith
635
00:47:48,960 --> 00:47:57,800
where in our repentance we can not just change but where we can be changed to have that level
636
00:47:57,800 --> 00:48:08,400
of faith we need to understand perfectly the character attributes and perfections of God
637
00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:14,040
at least as perfectly as it's possible in this life and I know we will never have perfect
638
00:48:14,040 --> 00:48:19,400
understanding in this life but we need to understand the character attributes and perfections
639
00:48:19,400 --> 00:48:20,880
of God.
640
00:48:20,880 --> 00:48:28,600
So God is not just a God of love as we discussed last week he is a God of laws he's not just
641
00:48:28,600 --> 00:48:36,600
a God of mercy he's also a God of justice and knowing that helps all of us to progress
642
00:48:36,600 --> 00:48:43,240
and to become like him and to look forward to being with him I think in hope I mean I
643
00:48:43,240 --> 00:48:50,440
look I I know I'm guilty I know that if I just receive nothing but justice that I'm
644
00:48:50,440 --> 00:48:56,480
not going to make it and that mercy will balance that out and that mercy can't rob it but
645
00:48:56,480 --> 00:49:04,600
I'm also glad to know that I that the judgment I receive will be fair that it will be just
646
00:49:04,600 --> 00:49:13,000
and that because of what Christ did for me that all things will work out for my good
647
00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:15,720
if I am repentant.
648
00:49:15,720 --> 00:49:23,840
So the importance of understanding a God who is not just a God of love but a God of
649
00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:25,200
laws.
650
00:49:25,200 --> 00:49:30,080
This is an important topic for us to wrestle with if that requires a wrestle on our part
651
00:49:30,080 --> 00:49:39,520
because I think it's easy for us to just to just think of laws as restrictive processes
652
00:49:39,520 --> 00:49:44,160
or restrictive things in our lives and because of laws I can't do this or because of law
653
00:49:44,160 --> 00:49:46,440
I can't do that etc.
654
00:49:46,440 --> 00:49:51,480
But if we really see them as they are meant to be because this is God's way of allowing
655
00:49:51,480 --> 00:49:56,960
us to become heirs joint heirs with him and Jesus Christ is through these laws.
656
00:49:56,960 --> 00:50:03,280
I mean if God is a God of laws which is an again an extension of his love because it's
657
00:50:03,280 --> 00:50:09,480
only through the laws and obedience to the laws and the atonement of Jesus Christ that
658
00:50:09,480 --> 00:50:13,560
allows us the enabling powers to keep the laws that we're currently now struggling with
659
00:50:13,560 --> 00:50:15,080
whatever that may be.
660
00:50:15,080 --> 00:50:19,560
You know we can see any kind of character attribute in our own lives as some of those
661
00:50:19,560 --> 00:50:25,560
as well as Nate did you know talked about in his letter but as we begin this or as we
662
00:50:25,560 --> 00:50:30,280
engage in I shouldn't say begin because it's a continual process but as we continue to
663
00:50:30,280 --> 00:50:38,760
engage in this repentance process that helps us to fill God's love through God's laws.
664
00:50:38,760 --> 00:50:42,600
And you know we talked about faith and the power of faith if we go back many many many
665
00:50:42,600 --> 00:50:47,400
many episodes when we talked about faith and we talk about faith as kind of being a helix
666
00:50:47,400 --> 00:50:52,480
the more faith we get the more it brings us to God and you know and we just continually
667
00:50:52,480 --> 00:50:55,960
move up and ascend.
668
00:50:55,960 --> 00:50:56,960
Ascend in our faith.
669
00:50:56,960 --> 00:50:57,960
Well we ascend.
670
00:50:57,960 --> 00:50:59,560
Faith, our hope, our love all of those.
671
00:50:59,560 --> 00:51:06,560
We actually also ascend in feeling God's love as we keep his laws and repent around
672
00:51:06,560 --> 00:51:10,800
the laws that we struggle to have effective in our lives.
673
00:51:10,800 --> 00:51:12,640
Yes.
674
00:51:12,640 --> 00:51:17,880
Elder Oaks has talked probably more about this topic than any others Scott about the
675
00:51:17,880 --> 00:51:22,400
God of love and the God of laws.
676
00:51:22,400 --> 00:51:25,360
And so these are the words of Elder Oaks.
677
00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:34,720
The love of God does not supersede his laws and his commandments and the effect of God's
678
00:51:34,720 --> 00:51:44,760
laws and commandments does not diminish the purpose and effect of his love.
679
00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:48,600
They are just two sides of the same coin Scott.
680
00:51:48,600 --> 00:51:59,000
So those who maybe want to read more about that can make a study of it and Google it,
681
00:51:59,000 --> 00:52:07,480
search it, Elder Oaks gave a talk called love and law and I think of it this way Scott.
682
00:52:07,480 --> 00:52:16,920
I kind of see it as a we hear this phrase truth circumscribed into one whole.
683
00:52:16,920 --> 00:52:25,000
So I see a whole piece of pie right and truth is circumscribed into one whole.
684
00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:33,600
I see a huge slice of that pie being love.
685
00:52:33,600 --> 00:52:38,360
Love is one of the characters attributes and perfections of God.
686
00:52:38,360 --> 00:52:40,640
It's the one that I love to dwell on.
687
00:52:40,640 --> 00:52:49,840
It's one that I really hold close to me that I have great faith in is the love of God.
688
00:52:49,840 --> 00:52:52,760
Mercy is a slice of that pie.
689
00:52:52,760 --> 00:52:55,000
Grace is a slice of that pie.
690
00:52:55,000 --> 00:53:00,480
Justice and judgment and truth and knowing God.
691
00:53:00,480 --> 00:53:07,360
But one of those pieces of that pie is the laws of God.
692
00:53:07,360 --> 00:53:12,520
His willingness because he loves us to give us his commandments.
693
00:53:12,520 --> 00:53:19,600
You know, he Jesus Christ in the upper room last week said if you love me, you will keep
694
00:53:19,600 --> 00:53:21,720
my commandments.
695
00:53:21,720 --> 00:53:25,760
If you love me, keep my commandments and I believe if we really love God, we will keep
696
00:53:25,760 --> 00:53:29,000
his commandments.
697
00:53:29,000 --> 00:53:37,000
But I believe that those commandments are not just given to us to test us.
698
00:53:37,000 --> 00:53:42,920
Those commandments are given to us because he loved us first.
699
00:53:42,920 --> 00:53:49,760
The reason he gives us any commandment, the reason he offers us any covenant, the reason
700
00:53:49,760 --> 00:53:58,680
he does any he asks us to do anything as we talked about last time in our podcast was
701
00:53:58,680 --> 00:54:00,560
because he loves us.
702
00:54:00,560 --> 00:54:06,720
He's more concerned about building my kingdom than he is about me building his.
703
00:54:06,720 --> 00:54:13,920
If he gives me a commandment, it's because he loves me a kind parent, a loving parent.
704
00:54:13,920 --> 00:54:20,040
Anything that they ask their children to do will probably be for their own benefit, their
705
00:54:20,040 --> 00:54:24,640
protection for their own best good.
706
00:54:24,640 --> 00:54:30,160
And that's the relationship that we should all see ourselves as having with God, that
707
00:54:30,160 --> 00:54:37,560
he's not just a God of laws or of love, but that he is a God of laws because he loves
708
00:54:37,560 --> 00:54:43,040
us and because he loves us, he gives us laws.
709
00:54:43,040 --> 00:54:51,600
So I hope that our listeners can help others who they love to understand that God is more
710
00:54:51,600 --> 00:54:53,920
than just love.
711
00:54:53,920 --> 00:55:01,440
God also is law and that he's justice and he's judgment and that those are important
712
00:55:01,440 --> 00:55:10,040
attributes of God, which we all need to better understand if we're to have the faith of faith
713
00:55:10,040 --> 00:55:16,160
of power to be exalted and to return to his presence.
714
00:55:16,160 --> 00:55:23,480
I'm just grateful and I testify that I know heavenly Father loves us and I know that that's
715
00:55:23,480 --> 00:55:26,600
exhibited to us because of the laws that he gives us.
716
00:55:26,600 --> 00:55:33,080
The laws that he gives us are invitations to us to become more like him.
717
00:55:33,080 --> 00:55:35,440
They enable us to become more like him.
718
00:55:35,440 --> 00:55:39,640
And I know that through the enabling powers that come to us because of the Atonement of
719
00:55:39,640 --> 00:55:45,800
Jesus Christ, we can indeed overcome some of the things in our lives.
720
00:55:45,800 --> 00:55:50,320
And maybe our invitation again should be, let's take a look at where maybe there are
721
00:55:50,320 --> 00:55:55,720
some weaknesses in our own character, in our own attributes, in our own lives.
722
00:55:55,720 --> 00:56:01,320
And as we find those as we develop the ability to turn our will and our lives over to the
723
00:56:01,320 --> 00:56:09,200
care of our heavenly Father through the Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ, which is administered
724
00:56:09,200 --> 00:56:14,360
to us through His Spirit, the Holy Ghost, and as we partake of the sacrament each week
725
00:56:14,360 --> 00:56:20,480
and are reminded that we are covenant-ting or we are promising to take His name upon us,
726
00:56:20,480 --> 00:56:21,640
this is how we do that.
727
00:56:21,640 --> 00:56:27,080
And as we fill those enabling powers, those strengthening powers in our lives, helping
728
00:56:27,080 --> 00:56:32,000
us to not just change our behaviors, but to change our nature.
729
00:56:32,000 --> 00:56:37,520
And through changing our nature, observing the change in our own behaviors, that's the
730
00:56:37,520 --> 00:56:39,280
love of God through His laws.
731
00:56:39,280 --> 00:56:48,120
And that's what it means to live an intentional life and to repent with real intent, Scott.
732
00:56:48,120 --> 00:56:57,760
And as often as we do, Nate, you, me, my wife, your wife, all of us, He will forgive us.
733
00:56:57,760 --> 00:57:02,320
Which brings us strength, that forgiveness, again, let's remember that, brings us strength
734
00:57:02,320 --> 00:57:11,960
so that we can be more readily equipped to keep the laws of God.
735
00:57:11,960 --> 00:57:12,960
Thanks, Dave.
736
00:57:12,960 --> 00:57:13,960
Thank you, everybody.
737
00:57:13,960 --> 00:57:14,960
Look forward to...
738
00:57:14,960 --> 00:57:19,040
Yeah, it's been a great, great episode.
739
00:57:19,040 --> 00:57:22,040
We look forward to being with you again next week.
740
00:57:22,040 --> 00:57:25,440
Again, thanks so much, Nate, for your email.
741
00:57:25,440 --> 00:57:28,920
I encourage any others that may have questions.
742
00:57:28,920 --> 00:57:36,000
We try and either answer them via email, by a response to your email or here on the podcast.
743
00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:38,040
So thanks for being with us, everybody.
744
00:57:38,040 --> 00:57:40,160
Remember you have been redeemed through His blood.
745
00:57:40,160 --> 00:57:44,480
May God bless you with the ability to fill that and see that in your own lives.
746
00:57:44,480 --> 00:58:01,520
Take care, everybody.