Hey there everybody welcome back to another episode of Redeem Through His Blood.
Scott Durfey here, Dave Durfey here too.
How are you David?
Hey hope everybody's having a happy new year and you survived the holiday season and we're
probably back into the stuff.
To the stuff.
The stuff that we do.
I think it's nice to have this break that we've had over the holiday season but there's
just something to be said about getting stuff back going.
Yeah.
Getting stuff going.
Getting back in the saddle.
Yeah getting back in the saddle.
Getting it.
It's kind of cowboy that you are.
Getting cowboy back up I guess I don't know but just getting back in a routine.
I think that I don't know some of us don't do well when life's not structured and a little
more routine for us.
Yeah I love the change.
You know it's good to have a break.
Yeah for sure.
And you know read a couple books.
For sure.
Through your break.
Have you done that?
Yeah.
I have.
I've loved it.
That's fantastic.
I'm loving a book that I'm reading called Wilford Woodruff and the Doctrine of the Temple.
Oh very cool.
Yeah.
And how the ordinances of the temple kind of line upon line precept were developed.
I've always loved Wilford Woodruff.
I think he's always been maybe one of my favorite prophets when I was teaching this to class
years and years ago.
Yeah.
The lives of the presence of the church.
And I love teaching that class.
And I really I really loved Wilford Woodruff and Joseph F. Smith.
I love.
Anyway.
They they their lives and Wilford Woodruff was just miraculously saved so many times
in his life and maybe one you know I'm not a great fisherman but he kind of invented
fly fishing.
Wilford Woodruff.
Yeah.
Did you know that?
Go on.
Yeah.
He coming across the plains Wyoming.
He kind of invented fly fishing.
I had no idea.
Yeah.
That's interesting.
I know.
That's cool.
I guess right.
And and he was just a rough tough loving just I just love his story is live his way.
His romance with his wife Phoebe and his mission to the Fox Islands in Maine which by the way
when I was there.
You were just there.
I looked up the Fox Islands.
It's a whole series of islands and he had a lot of family members that lived on the
Fox Islands and he went on a mission there and I man I've always loved him.
I've I've felt close to him when I was in Maine and anyway I'm loving this book.
Yeah.
And what we do in the temple today is because the revelations received by Wilford Wilford
Woodruff and fact that St. George temple you know that they just finishing the open house
and soon dedicate is where he he actually was the first president of the St. George
temple before he was president of the church.
Bring him young set him apart as in a he was an apostle and he was also temple president
St. George and he had that vision of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence
and Jonah Vark and others who appeared to him and that he did their work for them and
I found out that he has he in his lifetime he would keep a record of all the ordinances
that he would do for his family members and he did all of the ordinances baptism confirmation
you know the washed anointed endowed sealed he did all of those ordinances for over three
thousand of his ancestors.
He did him individually for those.
Wow.
Anyway I don't know if he did them individually.
But he saw him through but he saw him through but he did a good number of them.
Yeah.
Yeah of course.
He did a good number of them.
Yeah.
And anyway I thought wow I gotta I gotta pick up my my game a little bit.
Yeah.
Yeah me too me too.
For those of you who don't know which is probably most of you don't know that Dave's
quite the historian.
He has his master's degree actually I think in American history right.
Yeah.
I got the master's in history.
I love history.
And he you know when we we've gone on a just a couple years ago we did a little Nauvoo
trip with friends and family and Dave's done this for years.
Nauvoo sacred grove.
I mean we yeah we went all the way back sacred.
Yeah we've done it all.
We did the whole thing.
Pretty much the whole thing.
You know Dave and Dave's been doing this since about when I was about the time I graduated
from high school I think he started doing that on a pretty regular basis.
And I think I may have one more of those in me Scott.
I hope you have more than one.
If if any you know we might we may go on a mission you know next year.
Oh that's right.
Yeah.
But I've got enough people asking me to do it that I may do one more.
So if any of our listeners friends and family want to go on a church history tour and maybe
email us and let us know because I may I may do one in June.
Yeah do that.
In June.
In fact that'd be really fun to do and we could even incorporate a lot of what we do
here in the podcast if we did it David.
Yeah.
Anyway well send those emails to he redeems us at gmail.com.
I love the book.
I'm reading a book as well.
I'll just talk about it briefly and then we'll get into the topic today.
But I'm reading Heart of the Matter by Russell M. Nelson.
His newest.
What a treat.
You know a hundred years of wisdom basically.
You know and not just wisdom but prophetic wisdom.
And I'm just absolutely loving it.
Deb and I have enjoyed a couple of the chapters together and what a just a gift.
I hope that you know personally I see President Nelson and I'm beginning to see well I've
seen for a long time as well the other brethren as and also gifts to us you know to be able
to have restored what's been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and then you know
passed on by way of ordination and that type of thing to those powers and and and abilities
those ordinances.
I don't know the better word to use but but to have that available to us today.
What a gift and I'm grateful for that.
Yeah for sure Scott.
We're blessed.
Hope all you feel blessed going into the new year and that you have some New Year's resolutions
and that those include strengthening your understanding of and relationship with Jesus
Christ and hopefully this podcast will will help you do that.
We're going to go into some depth beginning in this podcast into the atonement of Jesus
Christ and we talked about last podcast about why he needed to suffer to fulfill the the
laws and the law and the demands of justice and to make mercy available to us so which
fulfills the law of justice.
So we want to begin now to talk about the events of the atonement.
We'll spend a couple of podcasts going into some depth on the events of the atonement.
I've learned Scott that in order to really understand the events you have to read some
scripture.
I once was trying to teach the atonement of Jesus the events of the atonement of Jesus
Christ to a class and I went back to my office after doing that and just felt so disappointed.
I just didn't feel like I had done justice to the events of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
I felt like I had missed the mark.
I had not really helped the students to understand or fill to the depth at least I wanted them
to understand and fill the atonement of the events surrounding the atonement that make
up the atonement of Jesus Christ and I went back to my office and I wept that I nailed
that and I prayed and I had this clear impression.
Well you didn't read any scripture.
I was teaching them about but I learned Scott you cannot just teach about the events of
the atonement.
You have to read it.
You have to study it.
You have to hear the words that prophets and witnesses use to describe it that I you and
I know mortal has has the ability to really use words to teach it.
It can it is best taught by reading what the prophets have said about it.
So just a heads up and I know we can't read all the scriptures.
We don't have time to do that but I hope our listeners will.
We'll go to some of the references and read them as we describe some of these events.
But you have to use scripture to really understand the events and the Bible does a pretty good
job of doing that.
One reason we should be most grateful for the Bible is because it tells us what Jesus
did.
And yet it doesn't tell us in the same depth for example it doesn't tell us that he bled
from every poor.
We have to learn that in the Book of Mormon.
So there's there's some verses like that that through restoration scripture we have a deeper
understanding and should have a greater appreciation for the atonement of Jesus Christ.
But the Bible so grateful for what's been preserved and then what's what the Bible teaches
us about the events of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
I brother Matthew used to always say the Bible teaches us what Jesus did and the Book of Mormon
best describes why he did it.
So I believe that's true and we'll kind of refer to all the standard works today and
teaching about some of the events of the atonement.
Next week or in a couple weeks because I think this will take probably two podcasts talk about
the events and then in a few more weeks we'll talk about the effects of the atonement of
Jesus Christ and how it overcomes the the the fall of not only Adam and Eve but the fall
of you and me and all of the not just in iniquities of the world but also all of the in equities
of the world we'll we'll go into some depth on that and that's where we'll probably get
more into the Book of Mormon scriptures.
Why don't we just spend all the time on the effects.
Why are the events important for us to understand Dave.
Well great question because when you when you understand the events when you understand
I know we can't comprehend what Jesus did but when you get a glimpse or you the closer
you come to understanding what he did then the more humble you are and you you can't
have a broken heart and contract spirit without going to get Femini and getting a witness
of what he did get Femini or going to the cross and and standing there at the cross
and witness him and hear his voice as he cries out you know my God my God why has self forsaken
me these events understanding the events is what not only increases our gratitude but
it brings about a broken heart and contract spirit so to increase our gratitude which
increases our desire gratitude is the beginning of desire Scott understanding the atonement
over Scott taught brings about immense gratitude which gives us the motivation to live the
gospel so it increases our gratitude understanding the events and then it's it's really really
humbling yeah to understand what our sins cost to God there you go I think it's important
because you know when when we when we hear the invitation and it's before us every week
those of us in the church you know come on to me you know come follow me come on to me
and so the question is you know obviously that's the answer the answer to a lot of our problems
is come on to me the answer to a lot of our problems is you know come where I am come
follow me and the question is and we ask it and the prophets and apostles have answered
it but where is he when he invites us to come unto him well he's there he's in the events
he's in the events of the atonement right he's in he's in the he's in Gethsemane he's
on the cross he's participating in the resurrection and so when I'm invited to come there I have
a deeper love a deeper appreciation in fact it's ineffable there's just no words that
can describe the cleansing that I feel or the hope that I feel or the joy that I feel
or the happiness or or any of that that comes to me there's just no possible way for me
to feel that if I don't in my mind in my heart through scripture through other ways of study
go there and be with him there.
I used to ask my students that question Scott you know when Jesus invites us to come unto
me to come unto me to come unto me it's over and over 20 something times in the scriptures
and he invites us to come unto him I would ask my students so so where is he and I think
most of their answers would be he's in the temple right so that's that's what many of
them would say and I love that I do too because there he is there.
Absolutely that's that's a great answer and others would say other things like he's on
a mountain or he's you know he's with the poor he's with the needy and all all the answers
were great they were all great but then I I would say well I love your answers but when
he invites us to come unto him unto him it's not always going to be comfortable or easy
and it's going to maybe cause you a little pain if you see him in Gethsemane and I believe
that when he invites us to come unto me he's inviting us to feel the effects of the the
consequences of the events of the Atonement of Jesus Christ you know I my mind goes to
the Book of Mormon and when he appeared to the to the people at bountiful at the temple
and bountiful you know after all the destruction and and they fall down when he appears to
them as a resurrected being and they they fall down in in fear and awe and he he says
no no no no no no come unto me come unto me and feel the Prince of the nails in my hands
and thrust your hand into my side paraphrasing that's Scott that would be painful I just
think that would be really can you just even imagine thrusting your hand into his side
feeling the Prince of the nails in his hands and feet that's what it means to understand
the events of the Atonement I mean they had an experiential you know moment in understanding
the consequences of the events of the Atonement what their sins what their sins had cost a
God and evidence of his love I mean really understanding events of the Atonement is to
understand and witness the love of God for his children I'm not just talking Jesus Christ
I'm talking the Father that the Father would allow his son to go what he went through in
the depths of sorrow and spiritual death and physical suffering that God would allow his
son to go through that for not just the whole world but for you and me that's the importance
of understanding the events right and when you know that and you know he loved you first
then you love him a little more right let me just segue for just a second here you know
in recovery in the rooms of recovery my heart lies there I have a great work still there
on a pretty constant basis but we have steps you know steps one through 12 there's 12 steps
we were talking about this earlier this morning Dave you and I but step two is so important
step two is came to believe that a power greater than myself could restore me to sanity now
that's a pretty generic way of putting it you know we understand that to be much deeper than that
we understand that to be came to understand that through Jesus Christ I can be made whole I can
be redeemed I can be cured healed fixed whatever the case may be right and then step three is we
make a decision to turn our will in our life over to him you know which which is important we
have to make that as members of the church members of Christianity as members of anything we have
to make that same choice to turn our will in our life over to him and I would just hope that as we
go through the next few episodes here and we talk about the events and the effects of the
Atonement of Jesus Christ that we can in our own minds and in our own hearts reconcile that
challenge to turn our lives and our will over to him when we get into repentance we'll understand
the importance of that because all I'm really talking about is contract spirit here we know
broken heart contract spirit but if we can begin to posture ourselves in such a way now that as we
enter into these experiences of understanding the events and then later on the effects of the
Atonement of Jesus Christ we will begin to feel a peace immediately immediately without delay
even though we may feel unworthy of it even though we may have lived you know last episode we talked
about how heavenly father there's no qualification necessary in order for us to approach him lovingly
that was from Elder Christopherson I believe but but as we do that and as we begin to fill
this in our lives and and feel and understand the events and the effects later of the Atonement
of Jesus Christ then that hope can come to us too the Atonement we you know we use that term a lot
and and I want to say up front that when we use that it should always be associated with Jesus
Christ our Savior Redeemer that his name or his title should be right before that or right after
that and President Nelson has has taught that strongly since he's been president of the church
is that there is no power in the Atonement itself and that the Atonement doesn't stand alone
that the power that that comes is through Jesus Christ it's through this our Savior and Redeemer
so when we talk about the Atonement of Jesus Christ we are really talking about four events
and the first one is a sinless life we'll describe that detail here in a few moments
second is Gethsemane the Garden of Gethsemane third is the cross and Golgotha the crucifixion
of Jesus Christ and fourth is his death and resurrection those are the four events when we
when we talk about the Atonement of Jesus Christ we're talking about those four events and if any
one of those would not have occurred I believe the Atonement of Jesus Christ may have been incomplete
and not finished it's I love the words you know the few last words of Jesus on the cross it is
finished and when he says that I think he's contemplating his sinless life Gethsemane cross
and then he dies right after speaking those words and three days later will be resurrected and so
let's let's get into those events but before we do I just want to talk about the central nature
of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our theology and in our personal lives and how we should kind of
couch it how we should see it as being the center of everything that we do and the Prophet
Joseph Smith taught this in the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith when he said
quote from teaching the Prophet Joseph Smith page 121 the fundamental principles of our religion
are the testimony of the apostles and prophets concerning Jesus Christ that he died was buried
and rose again the third day and ascended into heaven and all other things which pertain to our
religion are only appendages to that everything Scott is centered around these events of the
Atonement of Jesus Christ anything else is only an appendage present Boyd K Packer said it this way
that I believe he was thinking about what the Prophet Joseph Smith had taught what he what he taught
the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the very root of Christian doctrine you may know much about the
gospel as it branches out from there but if you only know the branches and those branches do not
touch that root if they have been cut free from that truth there will be no life nor substance
nor redemption in them I've used that so many times in my eclastic and educational life as an
institute teacher and eclastic a leader Scott honestly I've learned that it's that is so true
that if if we're doing things in the church if priesthood leaders or sister leaders in the church
are doing anything that does not center in on or focus on or is not touching the Atonement of Jesus
Christ it will die yeah if you focus on programs or even principles or or even doctrine that is
not focused on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the redemption of Christ I promise you it will die
there's no life in it I've learned that in life we put so much emphasis on doings on and on other
things but if those things you know and if we put emphasis on those things that's great as long as
we have the ability to tie that back to where that lies in the teachings of or the effects of
the Atonement of Jesus Christ if we don't do that then we are setting ourselves up for frustration
for confusion for for for anxiety I mean you know just a just a lack of understanding of the
Atonement of Jesus Christ and understanding these other things to the nth degree but not
understanding how they tie into the Atonement of Jesus Christ and where they spawn from the
Atonement of Jesus Christ that can really create a problem within us and I see it you see it I see
it it's among us all the time and everywhere right as we get into this now Scott I'm hoping that
all of our listeners will just be more aware really more grateful have deeper understanding
deeper gratitude but also be more mindful more aware of when you when you talk about the gospel
of Jesus Christ or when you're you're teaching your children or you're talking about you're
trying to help someone who's who's having difficulties or whose wayward or or whatever
that the focus will always go back to Jesus Christ and in his Atonement I just think that's so
critical you know President Howard W. Hunter used to always say that let me let me find the quote
here I have it right here President Howard W. Hunter please remember this one thing okay here's
the one thing one needful thing again if our lives and our faith are centered upon Jesus Christ
and his Atonement nothing can ever go permanently wrong love that nothing can nothing can ever
go permanently wrong on the other hand if our lives are not centered on the Savior no other
success can ever be permanently right oh amen to that I I that's kind of when I perform a
live ceiling in the temple that's kind of my thesis I guess I don't try to give any marital
counsel we're actually counseled not to give marital counsel when we perform a live ceiling
we should focus on the on the temple ordinances and for me everything in the temple is centered
in the Lord Jesus Christ in fact of the ceiling rooms of the temple Saratoga Springs temple where
where I where I serve I make the point and this is true for all the ceiling rooms in that temple
the altar is I promise not one inch off from being the center of the room
and I believe that the altar represents the suffering atonement of Jesus Christ the blood
of the lamb the the lamb of God and the chandelier that hangs above the altar I promise is not off
by one inch being the center of that ceiling and I believe that represents the light of the world
I believe that everything about the temple points us to Jesus Christ and in some way
represents this the Savior and His atoning sacrifice and love for us and so I kind of
I kind of talk about that that if if your marriage is not centered in the Lord Jesus Christ
it may not succeed but if it is it cannot fail
I I feel pretty strongly about that Scott so I hope our our listeners as we go through the
the next few podcasts actually probably three four or five of them will we'll kind of make that
adjustment be mindful is if what we're doing or what we're counseling others to do or what
we're teaching or even what we're thinking you know goes back to doctrine and covenant section
six six look unto me look unto me in every thought and I think is that even possible but I I know
it must be here he wouldn't ask us to do it look unto me in every thought doubt not fear not
behold the wounds which pierced my side and the prince of the nails in my hands and feet
so Scott we have been invited maybe I can even say commanded that we look unto him
and the atoning and his atoning sacrifice in every thought the wounds in his side and the prince
of the nails in his hands and feet that that should be our focus yeah there again I feel
like that's drawing us to the Garden of Gethsemane the cross and resurrection right so when he's
saying look unto me where does he want us to look I feel like that's where he wants us to see him
absolutely yeah it was a elder Holland who who taught years ago it is the suffering Christ
that we worship really I mean we don't I love Jesus Christ for his teachings I do
I think and I think it's they're critical for for me to progress and grow but ultimately Scott
my love for the Savior it has to be centered in what he did for me as he carried out the
atonement of Jesus Christ and that begins with him living a sinless life I think this is one of
the most underappreciated events of the atonement of Jesus Christ is that in order for him to vicariously
suffer for all of the sins of the world and by the way we're I think we're pretty unique on that
belief that we that I know it's it says sin of the world in the Bible John teaches that but several
times in the restoration scriptures it talks about Jesus Christ was crucified for the sins
of the world that he suffered that he died for the sins plural of all the world that's that's
several times in the in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants Scott and I think it's
really critical that we we understand that he didn't just do it for the good guys he did it for
everybody all the children of God Jesus suffered for all the sins of all the world
president Nelson the reiterated that in the devotional this last this christmas devotional last
month anyway I I think that one of the most underappreciated sacrifices that Jesus made and it wouldn't
it would maybe I mean I can't compare I can't even comprehend you know how difficult all of this
all of these events of the atonement would be but Scott really to live a sinless life that I
I can't comprehend that and you know he felt again all the effects of the fall his mother was Mary
he was sorely sorely tempted he suffered he suffered temptation you and I were speaking earlier
earlier it was just a little bit about this as we outlined our podcast for today and you're right
what did what did you say about that temptation is like suffering right when I when I face certain
temptations they're real to me right I'm a recovering alcoholic for heaven's sake and so
you know that that comes with it strong strong desire strong strong urge strong not now but
it has and you know and there's and there's other ancillary components to this that are just as
strong but what David when I'm tempted or when I have been tempted and still when I'm tempted
there's suffering attached to that because it's not easy it's not easy for me it's probably not
easy for any of us when we really face temptation it's it's a difficult place for me to be and now
because I've learned to turn to him turn and face him turn away you know when I when I'm when I'm
sinning and and sometimes when I'm tempted it's maybe because I have turned a bit away but when
I turn back to him that suffering seems to be alleviated right a lot you know I don't know if
I don't know if this is a good place to point this out but you know Paul talks about Christ's
ability the necessity of Christ to have he bruised lived a sinless life right Hebrews chapter 4
in verse 15 it says for for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities in other words we don't have somebody who's our high priest right
that doesn't get us right he gets us is what Paul's saying who doesn't who doesn't you know we can't
say well Jesus doesn't understand because he never sinned exactly we can't say that he lived a
sinless life how would he understand well there's suffering in that temptation and what kind of
temptation did Jesus deal with not only the temptation part of it Scott right even though
he didn't sin he felt all the negative consequences of all the sins of all the world well including
spiritual death yeah when he was on the cross the last three hours so he understands not only the
temptation of sin but just plain out sin even though he was sinless right I'll just start again
verse 15 in chapter 4 of Hebrews for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with
the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points all points all points tempted as we are
yet without sin I think about that and I'm like I now I know how how how I've been tempted you know
I have an idea of how maybe some other people have been tempted but I don't really know because I
haven't experienced what they experience I only have experienced what I've experienced you take
all of the souls that have ever lived or will ever live and Jesus felt all of that yeah you know
right turn back a page Scott to Hebrews 2 verse 18 for in that he himself has suffered being tempted
he is able to succor them that are tempted read that again read to 18 well okay so
he 218 Hebrews 218 for in that he himself has suffered suffered just pause for a minute yeah
in that he suffered well we got to finish that being tempted why did he suffer it because he was
tempted I just don't think we can really understand or appreciate how difficult it was yeah and how
much he suffered in order to live a sinless life which was all out about which was all driven by his
love for his father and his love for each of us he knew he couldn't sin right but he suffered
through all the temptations even more than any of us can suffer right so yeah there's
book of Mormon scriptures teaches as well Scott yeah right yeah Alma's I'm a seven Alma seven
Alma seven teaches it verse verse 11 verse 11 he shall go forth suffering pains and afflictions
and temptations of every kind and this that the word might be fulfilled would be fulfilled which
sayeth he will take upon him the pains and sicknesses of his people well temptation can I think
cause a lot of pains and sickness for sure yeah I agree among all of us king Benjamin taught it
in the moseye of three seven oh that's right just again we're going to read some scripture on this
to help us really appreciate the events of the atonement so in moseye three seven moseye three
seven king Benjamin said he says and lo he shall suffer temptations and pain of body hunger thirst
and fatigue even more than man can suffer except it be unto death that's pretty deep I know for
behold blood cometh from every poor so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and
abominations of his people we know that of course occurs in Gethsemane which we'll talk about next
but but the first part of that was he suffered temptations of every kind yeah um um uh
a benedict taught it the benedict taught it in the 15 five moseye of 15 five scott and
doctor and covenants 20 teaches it uh but but maybe we'll end up here yeah so here's a benedict
and thus the flesh becoming subject to the spirit or the son to the father being one god
suffereth temptation and yieldeth not to the temptation but suffereth himself to be mocked
and scourged and cast out and disowned by his what's the connection between mock being mocked
cast out by his people and temptation what's the temptation in that to separate himself
to be right right I mean I mean what's been your greatest temptation you would maybe say
it's it's alcoholism but I actually believe maybe the greatest temptation is rejection
that I might be rejected by my family by my friends by my whatever that I might be alone
I mean some of the greatest temptations are couched in our in our pride and in our fears
of of being rejected yeah that's a tough temptation and and and he didn't give
he did that yeah well think about it you know as humans our one of our deepest desires is connection
you know we we need to feel connected and we and obviously and naturally you know and I know that
though there are those that deal with extraordinary circumstances that make it difficult and sometimes
even impossible for it but for most of the human race our deepest desires deepest desires to feel
connection and when when you talk about that he will suffer temptation and yield not to temptation
but suffer with himself to be mocked and scourged and cast out there's not a greater antithesis
of connection than mocked and scourged and cast out and disowned by his own and all of those
things that alone themselves would cause great pain and suffering right but all of that was also a
temptation and he could have ended that at any moment the temptation to end it I know he was
tempted as Paul and all the prophets have taught really that he was tempted in every way temptations
of every kind I know that but I I think we don't understand or appreciate to the extent
of the temptation and I've always loved this insight by C. S. Lewis I just think this is really so
inspired it's so interesting to me how he came up on this thought but I believe it's true C. S.
Lewis in mere Christianity wrote no man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good
a silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means well this is an obvious
lie only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it can be after all you find out the
strength of the German army by fighting against it not by giving in you know he's he's speaking as a
as a Brit here from going through World War two you know he makes reference to that you
you after all you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it not by giving
in you find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it not by lying down a man who
gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour
later that is why bad people in one sense know very little about madness they have lived a sheltered
life by always giving in we never fight we never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside
all of us until we try to fight it and Christ Jesus Christ because he was the only man who never
yielded to temptation is also the only man who knows to the full extent of what temptation means
and how difficult it can be he is the only complete realist I love that I really love that that idea
and thought that I mean we know that he you know when he began his mission Scott in Matthew chapter
four that he he went into wilderness according to the Joseph Smith translation to be with God
not to be tempted but he went there to be with God and yet trying to be with God sometime in that
40 day experience Satan appears to him and Satan directly directly attempts him in three major ways
with his physical appetite fasting to give in to his his lust for power his lust for pride I just
think there's none of us are probably going to experience to the extent that Jesus experienced
temptation not not only temptations that I think we may not experience but the depth the level
the the comprehensiveness of the temptations and it's got I temptations temptations of every kind
he felt temptations of of anger temptations of of lost temptations of pride temptations of
jealousy temptations of anyway and never doctrine covers section 20 and did not give heed
now I know he felt it I know he felt all of it and yet he never yielded or gave heed so I gave
into it I I just hope that we can maybe be more grateful even in our prayers for the sinless life
of Jesus Christ and understand the critical nature of this of his sinless life and the
the important part of this of this part of the atonement so the number one event in the atonement
of Jesus Christ is his sacrifice and his suffering in living a sinless life
Dr. Nacovnich chapter 20 or section 20 verse 22 he suffered temptations but he gave no
heed unto them I think there's a very short scripture but I think the power in that scripture
is just enormous you know you're talking about how each of us deals with temptation and how each
of us how you feel it how I feel it how those around us feel it but do you know what we will
never know I will never know how you feel temptation Dave yeah you'll never know how I feel temptation
I know how I feel temptation my temptation is the only temptation that I have any kind of association
to right I mean I can imagine because we're all human and I think there's there's some probably
some commonality there but Jesus understood it 100% all in fact Scott I believe I believe this
that in order for him to really understand us he had to understand all the temptations that every
individual in this world experiences in order to sucker us he had to experience it that's what
well he moves to 18 teaches right but not only experience it but experience it to its extreme
to its extreme more than more than man can suffer correct that's kind of my point that's what I
'm getting at you know is that it's easy for me to not easy but sometimes we say I understand what
you're going through and we try you know we try to empathize with each other and we do have
certain touchstones to certain touch points that allow us that empathy but we have no real
touch point not like Jesus does because he lived the sinless life yeah I'm thankful
that he was willing to make that make that sacrifice and and do that out of his love for me and his
love and obedience to towards his father but second to second event is his guest Semine
and maybe we should wait to get into that the final last week of his life
uh and talk about the last 24 hours of his life which you know starts in the upper room
of the where they have the sacrament and uh he he gives them some of his greatest teachings that
have been well preserved and recorded by John then they sing of him and after they sing of him
they go to the guest Semine he takes the 11 apostles because Judas has gone to do his
dirty deed of of betraying Jesus with 30 pieces of silver which was the price of a slave
in the Old Testament and so he takes the 11 to guest Semine and then he takes the three Peter
James and John uh in closer to him within a stone's cast Luke records and uh he yells down and we
don't have maybe the time to get into those events in this podcast so we'll wait and and do that in
some detail yeah in the meeting of all of that in the next one which is fine I think that we've uh
we've tackled enough today for us to really if we spent the entire week this week contemplating
the importance of Jesus Christ's sinless life why was that important and not only what why was it
important but how does that qualify him to be my savior how does that qualify him to be my suck
or uh as it's talked about in the scripture as well I think that we've got a lot to think about a
lot to contemplate and I and I pray and challenge us maybe this can be an invitation for each of us
that as we partake of the sacrament this next time that we have the opportunity to do it that we really
go there with worshipful attitudes and gratitude for what he did go through and and and I think
is so often that we don't contemplate or consider the sinless life its impact how difficult that
would have been and I and I challenge invite us rather I invite us all to as we partake of the
sacrament this week to contemplate those things as we take his name upon us and always strive to
remember him yeah thank you and I I don't know if uh maybe I said this maybe I didn't but I want to
make the point why the sinless life was so critical and the sinless life was uh required of him
because if he would have committed again one sin one sin of omission commission one sin
then his suffering would have all been for himself and it could have never been the vicarious
sacrifice that he was for ordained to carry out so I'm so grateful that he could take upon himself
my sins because he sacrificed to not sin that's I hope that's uh something that we can all thank
our heavenly father for and express to our heavenly father that he might thank Jesus
for his sinless life so we hope you're having a happy new year maybe part of a new year resolution
might be to uh make the atonement of Jesus Christ more the center of our lives to to actually kind
of experiment with what it means to look unto him and the wounds and the prints in his hands and feet
continually look unto me and every thought how do we kind of I I just invite all of us to maybe
experiment with that in the coming weeks and throughout the new year and as we experiment I
think that we should take notice of where our lives are being different where the effect is
taking place in our own lives I'm I'm grateful for that effect in my life I'm grateful that that
effect though it's not anywhere close to being finished is on a continual basis of drawing
closer to him and I think that's an opportunity for all of us hey thanks for being with us again
this week we look forward to being with you each and every week next week included until then have
a great week everybody