1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:20,300 Welcome out to another episode of Redeemed Through His Blood. 2 00:00:20,300 --> 00:00:22,740 Scott Durfey here joined us always by David Durfey. 3 00:00:22,740 --> 00:00:23,740 How are you David? 4 00:00:23,740 --> 00:00:28,100 Good morning everybody and I hope you all had a great Easter. 5 00:00:28,100 --> 00:00:29,820 Yeah me too. 6 00:00:29,820 --> 00:00:32,680 Here's my favorite holiday. 7 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:33,680 It just is. 8 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:39,320 It's one where we celebrate the one needful thing. 9 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:40,880 Certainly the most important holiday. 10 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:41,880 Yeah certainly. 11 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:42,880 Certainly. 12 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:48,600 While we finished up the week before Easter we were starting to get into the repentance 13 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:54,280 process or the repentance portion of the podcast, Dave. 14 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:59,280 We got into what repentance is not and we finished up. 15 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:03,160 We pretty much covered one topic of what repentance is not. 16 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,160 But in my estimation maybe one of the more important. 17 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:07,160 Yeah right. 18 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:08,160 Right. 19 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:09,160 So anyway. 20 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:13,640 Yeah let's just review it for a minute Scott before we get into the other detours. 21 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:19,400 That's what Elder Anderson chose to call them in his book The Divine Gift of Forgiveness. 22 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:20,720 He calls them detours. 23 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:28,360 I had kind of talked about them being myths when we had our discussion about those. 24 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:34,800 But anyway whether you want to consider myths of repentance or the detours on the road to 25 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:35,800 repentance. 26 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:45,920 So last time we talked about repentance is not absolutely not the payment punishment 27 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,880 or penalty for sin. 28 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:58,600 So you know I think we read Dr. and Covenants 19-4 actually repentance and suffering are 29 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,160 exactly opposite. 30 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:07,500 Now I know that President Kimball said that if you haven't suffered you haven't repented. 31 00:02:07,500 --> 00:02:10,560 But he's not saying that repentance is suffering. 32 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:16,800 I know that I know what suffering is and I've suffered in repentance. 33 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:24,360 I mean it's not comfortable having a broken heart and contrite spirit. 34 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:30,600 That can be somewhat painful but that's not a payment. 35 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:38,480 No suffering in this world can make any payment for sin. 36 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:44,960 Jesus suffered for all the sins of all the world. 37 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:52,760 I just think it's so critical that you start there and you understand that absolute fact 38 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:54,360 and truth. 39 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:56,840 Now it's true Scott. 40 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:03,240 President Oakes recently has talked about that if you don't repent in this world you 41 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:08,760 will suffer and he uses the word for your sins. 42 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:17,800 And I know that if you absolutely reject Jesus in this life and the next, if you absolutely 43 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:23,840 refuse to accept the gift that he's offered, well somebody's going to have to pay for it. 44 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:30,360 And if you don't accept him paying for it, then I guess it's possible that in the next 45 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:34,680 life an individual will have to pay the demands of justice for themselves. 46 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:42,360 And there may be some suffering and payment in the next life if they completely, hard 47 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:48,920 for me to imagine somebody just completely rejecting the payment that Jesus Christ made 48 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:55,800 so willingly that he tells us that we can partake of freely without price. 49 00:03:55,800 --> 00:04:01,840 But anyway, I'm sure there are probably some individuals that will spit in his face even 50 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:08,120 in the next life when they look into his face and if they do then there are probably going 51 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,440 to be some severe suffering for their sins. 52 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:19,840 But I, when Elder Anderson and I had this discussion about payment, penalty, you know, 53 00:04:19,840 --> 00:04:25,640 and punishment for sin, this is just kind of simple reasoning, right? 54 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,360 Did Jesus pay for all the sins of all the world? 55 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:29,360 Yes. 56 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:30,360 All of them. 57 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:31,360 Yes. 58 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:32,360 All of them. 59 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:33,360 All of them. 60 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:34,360 Yes. 61 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:36,040 He suffered for all of them. 62 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:37,040 All the sins. 63 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:42,680 All of the, not only the sins of the world, but the suffering as a result of the sins 64 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:46,640 of the world, not only for all the sins, but all the sicknesses. 65 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:51,680 I mean, he paid for every negative of the fall. 66 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:57,680 Every sin, every suffering, every sickness, every disease, every pain. 67 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:00,080 Jesus suffered it. 68 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:02,120 I can't comprehend that. 69 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:03,800 No one can. 70 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:09,800 But there are divine blessings that flow into our life because of it. 71 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:16,680 And if he did, in fact, suffer for all the sins of all the world, if there is a ticket 72 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:24,680 for everyone by just accepting Jesus Christ, confessing him, having faith in him and participating 73 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:33,040 in the doctrine of Christ and receiving the ordinances and repenting of their sins, Jesus 74 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:34,040 covers it. 75 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:42,120 But if they refuse what he paid for, if they refuse it, then I suppose that they'll have 76 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:44,360 to suffer for it. 77 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:47,680 But this is what I know back to our discussion with Elder Anderson. 78 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:53,840 If Jesus paid for all the sins of all the world, do we believe that God would demand 79 00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:56,080 a double payment? 80 00:05:56,080 --> 00:06:00,560 Well, that's not the God that I believe in. 81 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:09,640 I think that mercy and grace will be so available to individuals in the next life as well as 82 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:12,000 it is in this life. 83 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:18,840 So I just think people need to understand that they don't have to make payment for their 84 00:06:18,840 --> 00:06:19,840 sins. 85 00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:24,080 Sometimes this becomes a problem that we keep talking about, the scriptures, Scott, you're 86 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:26,520 saved by grace after all you can do. 87 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:31,880 And people like my wife, first 40 years of her life, thought she had to make a payment 88 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:36,120 before she could call upon Jesus Christ's atonement. 89 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:41,560 And she thought that she had to pay her percent before his atonement would kick in. 90 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:49,160 That is just such false evil, even mockery really of the atonement of Jesus Christ. 91 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,720 Jesus paid 100 percent. 92 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:59,040 No one, quoting Brother Matthews, can pay for one millionth of one percent of any sin 93 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:02,080 they commit. 94 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:03,080 You can do it. 95 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,080 And I don't think you can do it in this life or the next. 96 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:11,240 Now you may you may suffer for your sins, but I actually don't think you're making any 97 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:12,400 payment. 98 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:18,840 I think Jesus did 100 percent of all of that. 99 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:21,560 If you don't receive it, you're going to suffer. 100 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:25,280 But I see it more as not suffering for your sins. 101 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:29,800 I see it more like suffering because of your sins. 102 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:35,000 You know, it's like the analogy of the individual who has cancer, Scott. 103 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:42,360 If you have cancer and you have a sickness and you go to the doctor and the doctor gives 104 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:49,720 you a diagnosis and surgery is required and maybe even chemo and radiation as horrible 105 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:56,200 as that is and as much pain and suffering as there is in that process. 106 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:58,880 Well the doctor didn't cause it. 107 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:01,320 Who caused the suffering? 108 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:03,840 It wasn't God. 109 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:07,760 God doesn't cause the suffering for our sins. 110 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:14,680 It's the sin that causes the suffering, not the repentance. 111 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:17,560 That's just so important for people to see that. 112 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,000 There's no suffering. 113 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:26,480 There may be pain and some suffering, but it's not repentance. 114 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:29,120 That's not repentance. 115 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:30,120 That's consequence. 116 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:35,760 Well, you know, if we talk about and we have as we begin talking about the effects of the 117 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:36,760 fall of Adam and Eve. 118 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:43,040 You know, all of the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve causes separation and that separation 119 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:46,800 can also be called sin and there's so many other things, right, that are attached in 120 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:48,360 because of that. 121 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:54,680 Well if that's the case and you know we are because of the fall of Adam and Eve suffering 122 00:08:54,680 --> 00:09:01,760 in this world, the more that we misalign with Heavenly Father's will for us, the more suffering 123 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,560 we will just naturally experience. 124 00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:10,400 And that suffering, regardless of where it comes from, will never pay for the sin. 125 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:11,400 Correct. 126 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:13,080 That's how I see it. 127 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,040 Jesus paid for all of it. 128 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:16,040 Right. 129 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:18,040 100% not 99.9. 130 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:19,040 Right. 131 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:23,400 And just to be clear, you know, when you say there will be suffering maybe later, if we 132 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:29,240 don't accept the Savior's suffering for us, there will be suffering and we may have to 133 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:31,000 suffer because of that. 134 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,080 But that suffering still won't pay for it. 135 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:36,200 Yeah, I agree. 136 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:38,240 No one, no one can make a payment. 137 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:40,640 Because even then, God wouldn't demand a double payment. 138 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:45,280 I was going to say because even then it would become a double payment. 139 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:50,440 So anyway, Scott, we talked it probably enough about the first myth. 140 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:51,440 Yeah. 141 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:57,360 Which is the myth is that you think that you can make any payment or that you can be punished 142 00:09:57,360 --> 00:09:59,560 or penalized for your sins. 143 00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:00,560 It's true. 144 00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:08,240 It's not natural consequences, but Jesus Christ took upon himself all of the payment, all 145 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:16,920 of the punishment, all of the suffering, all of the sin from us and from the world if we 146 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:20,280 will just receive it through repentance. 147 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:26,800 If we don't receive it through repentance, then you're just going to keep suffering. 148 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:27,800 Right. 149 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:34,960 So anyway, you know, Scott, when I would teach this class, I would always begin when I would 150 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:41,280 get into this unit on repentance. 151 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:47,920 It was always so interesting to do this and almost every class, it was the same list. 152 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:52,160 I would ask them, so what are the roadblocks of repentance? 153 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:56,200 What keeps you or your friends from repenting? 154 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:58,560 Yeah. 155 00:10:58,560 --> 00:11:02,280 And sometimes I just have them write them down and hand them in. 156 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:05,040 So it was a little more confidential. 157 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:08,960 So they would be more free to express their real feelings. 158 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:14,040 Sometimes I would just write them on the board anyway, but I did that for, I don't know, 159 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:18,760 two or three years and I just got the same list every time. 160 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:24,000 So there's about 20 of them, 20 different reasons. 161 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:30,400 I'm not going to read all these, but I'll just read a few. 162 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:36,200 And a lot of these are expressed in Elder Anderson's book as well. 163 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:40,840 Something that keeps us from repentance or roadblock to repentance is that they are afraid 164 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:44,480 they'll lose important relationships. 165 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:48,800 Something else is that they lack faith in themselves and doubt their ability and their 166 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:52,200 sincerity to really repent. 167 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:55,800 Some lack the trust in others like Bishop, parents and etc. 168 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:59,560 They don't want to make confession or disclosure. 169 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:04,680 Some feel so worthless and unworthy that they can't pray, which would be a major roadblock 170 00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:06,320 to repentance. 171 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:10,320 Some think that repentance is too hard and it's too painful. 172 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:12,200 Some can't forgive themselves. 173 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:20,520 Some are fear of a church action or any sort of punishment from the church parents, family, 174 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:21,720 others. 175 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:26,000 Some are unsure that they are ready to really change or afraid they can't change. 176 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,960 We'll talk more about that in a little bit. 177 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:35,640 Some rationalize this in by thinking it's not that bad. 178 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:41,880 If I went through the entire list here, Scott, it comes down to two things really. 179 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:48,840 And it's really awesome when you see these and you can kind of study them on the board. 180 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:52,680 You can look at them and kind of see the pattern here. 181 00:12:52,680 --> 00:12:56,680 It's either because of fear or because of pride. 182 00:12:56,680 --> 00:13:00,720 And I think those are actually really closely related, fear and pride. 183 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:07,060 But because of fear and pride, those are the two major roadblocks that keep individuals 184 00:13:07,060 --> 00:13:08,060 from repenting. 185 00:13:08,060 --> 00:13:11,560 There's a whole chapter in Elder Anderson's book on that. 186 00:13:11,560 --> 00:13:19,240 And I think that if someone's really having a hard time with their repentance, they have 187 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:26,640 to kind of be aware of those two negatives that can hold us back. 188 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:34,480 So I just bring that up before, again, we jump into the rest of what repentance is not. 189 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:39,200 So we've talked about, I want to read a quote by Elder Christopherson on this idea again 190 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:44,400 of repentance and suffering. 191 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:50,800 Suffering for sin does not by itself change anything for the better. 192 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:56,040 Only repentance leads to the sunlit uplands of a better life. 193 00:13:56,040 --> 00:14:01,880 And of course, only through repentance do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus 194 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:05,320 Christ and salvation. 195 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:09,800 And Nelson has talked about, we should talk about repentance with a smile on our face, 196 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:19,160 that repentance is not Elder Maxwell, repentance is not a dour, dour, sour doctrine. 197 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:21,320 It hits the good news. 198 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:23,640 Repentance is the good news. 199 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:28,320 And I just, it's gotten such a bad rap over the years. 200 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:36,760 And I think that we just need to really change our perspective of what repentance is. 201 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:40,880 And to do that, you have to first understand what it's not. 202 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:44,080 So let's talk about a second thing that it's not, Scott. 203 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:48,560 It is not a series of steps. 204 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:52,480 It is not a checklist. 205 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,820 Repentance is not a checklist. 206 00:14:55,820 --> 00:15:04,120 So many who talk about repentance talk about it in terms of, okay, you have to recognize 207 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:05,120 it. 208 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:09,840 And they, they describe these, this checklist as the five hours or the six hours or the 209 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:14,360 seven hours or, you know, it's, you know, you got to recognize it. 210 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:21,480 You got to, you got to make restitution for it all, all the hours. 211 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,800 That's how it was taught to me when I was growing up. 212 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:32,360 But the R that never comes up in, in giving that checklist of repentance, a step by step 213 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:40,000 process of repentance, the R that never comes up is the redeemer. 214 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:48,400 That's, it's, it's repentance is all about the redeemer, about being redeemed. 215 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:54,920 So I hope that our listeners will not ever again teach repentance as being a list of 216 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:56,160 five hours. 217 00:15:56,160 --> 00:16:01,040 I think it's pretty amazing in Elder Anderson's book though, because some people work better 218 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:02,880 off checklist. 219 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:04,320 They like a checklist. 220 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:05,920 That's how they operate. 221 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:08,140 That's their operating system. 222 00:16:08,140 --> 00:16:14,960 And he's got a really awesome checklist in his book, but they're all centered in Christ. 223 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:25,440 So let me just, this is in, this is my favorite, probably chapters, chapter 13. 224 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:31,240 And he's got, recognize that what I have done wrong has offended Jesus Christ. 225 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:34,080 So make Christ the center of that. 226 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:36,640 Not me or not the church. 227 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:44,520 Second, feel remorse that my actions have offended God, cause Jesus Christ to suffer 228 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:48,040 and cause suffering to God's children. 229 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:52,040 Remorse, but it's centered in Christ. 230 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:58,480 I think it's so important Scott to know that Jesus Christ not only suffered for our sins, 231 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:04,200 but he suffered because of our sins. 232 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:11,120 Whenever I think of my sins, and I think of my mind turns to the Savior, and I know that 233 00:17:11,120 --> 00:17:18,920 he suffered for them, the second thought right behind that is, and he also suffered because 234 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:20,480 of them. 235 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:26,640 And I think about that's what causes me to have a broken heart, contrite spirit. 236 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:34,840 A third step is to resolve, to change my behavior, realizing that my own willpower is not enough 237 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:39,840 and without the help of Jesus Christ, I am powerless to repent. 238 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:45,000 So resolve, but Christ being the center of that resolve. 239 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:52,240 Reform, change, repent, appealing for the grace of Jesus Christ, is mercy in his power. 240 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:58,160 And then another step, so I guess he has five hours here, make restitution to those who 241 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:05,280 I've hurt and offended, most importantly to the Savior who suffered the pains of all. 242 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:12,240 In this way I am repenting, and then he says in the last part of this section of chapter 243 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:18,040 13, there is one more hour that brings light to our perspective on how to see repentance. 244 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:23,360 Rely, rely on the Redeemer. 245 00:18:23,360 --> 00:18:27,600 The five hours come alive when they are centered in Jesus Christ. 246 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:35,120 So it's just wrong to think of repentance as a checklist, and Jesus not being a part 247 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:40,880 or the center of each one of those steps. 248 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:44,800 So repentance is not a checklist. 249 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:51,960 And to think of it that way will keep one from really going through the process. 250 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:55,080 I think it gets too burdensome. 251 00:18:55,080 --> 00:19:01,480 Another thing that repentance is not is, and this may surprise some, it's not a change 252 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,240 of behavior. 253 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:10,080 So I know that President Nelson has taught that repentance is change, and it is. 254 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:15,120 You know, it's kind of what the word means literally, is change or you turn around the 255 00:19:15,120 --> 00:19:20,680 Hebrew as you turn around, you move the other direction. 256 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:25,600 Repentance in the Greek is kind of related to metamorphosis and President Nelson has 257 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:27,120 talked about that. 258 00:19:27,120 --> 00:19:34,960 So I know repentance is change, but to see it as me changing my behavior. 259 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:40,040 That is not repentance because atheists can do that. 260 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:42,480 Agnostics can do that. 261 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:48,720 Anybody religion or no religion can change their behavior out of their willpower, and 262 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:51,600 there is nothing redeeming about it. 263 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:53,480 That's not repentance. 264 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:58,360 Just stopping a behavior is not repentance. 265 00:19:58,360 --> 00:19:59,720 You can't see that as repentance. 266 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:05,920 You can't just think, well, I can I'll just stop doing it and then God will forgive me. 267 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:07,320 That's not repentance. 268 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:13,000 I think that's a that's a huge myth in our church is all I'm just going to stop doing 269 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:16,760 it and then I'll be redeemed. 270 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:21,280 That's just again a mockery almost of the atonement thinking that I'm just going to 271 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:29,160 do it myself and and think that nothing else has happened and just forget about it. 272 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:32,440 So repentance has to include Jesus Christ. 273 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:36,800 It has to include his atonement and it has to include a lot of other things, which again 274 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:42,200 we'll talk more about what repentance is after we understand what it's not. 275 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:49,120 In this one, Dave, repentance is not a change of behavior, but repentance creates a change 276 00:20:49,120 --> 00:20:50,440 of behavior. 277 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:54,880 And so that I think because of that sometimes through Christ, it's a through Jesus Christ. 278 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:56,600 It's not just stopping it's God. 279 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:01,840 No, but it's if we're really engaged in the full process of repentance, right? 280 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:08,800 We rely on our Redeemer, then there will be a change in behavior potentially. 281 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:15,560 But the big change came in our heart when when when President Nelson gave that talk, 282 00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:21,160 any taught us about Montenegro, you know, and all that other Greek and Hebrew and about 283 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:24,560 change of metamorphosis and change direction and all that. 284 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:28,480 There will be change, but that change doesn't come from the brain. 285 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,120 That change comes from the heart, right? 286 00:21:31,120 --> 00:21:32,120 Yeah. 287 00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:33,840 And so it's easy for us. 288 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:41,520 In fact, it becomes a tool of the accuser, I believe, for us to focus on the behavior, 289 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:47,600 not the heart, because that can distract us from the most important change of all. 290 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:48,600 Perfect. 291 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:52,080 Yeah, it's a it's a change of a lot of things. 292 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:56,400 But just behavior is not repentance. 293 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,280 It's ultimately a change of heart. 294 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:00,280 You're right. 295 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:01,280 Change of mind. 296 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:03,080 It's a change of direction. 297 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:06,320 Yeah, and and it's not just that. 298 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:15,280 It's a sanctifying, refining spirit that comes over us, the Holy Ghost administering the 299 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:20,960 atonement of Jesus Christ in our life that not only gives us the redemptive power to 300 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:27,800 be forgiven, but also gives us the enabling power to be strengthened. 301 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:29,560 Repentance is not just becoming clean. 302 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:32,700 I mean, we could say that's something that repentance is not. 303 00:22:32,700 --> 00:22:35,120 It's not just becoming clean. 304 00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:38,520 It's being strengthened. 305 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:40,080 It's becoming a saint. 306 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:46,920 It's, you know, a president, president Oakes shares a story about, well, if you have a tree 307 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:54,760 and every time the wind blows, the, the slow, this low branch keeps getting the leaves keep 308 00:22:54,760 --> 00:23:00,480 getting dragged in the mud every time the wind blows and the rain comes and the rain 309 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:02,280 washes the leaves. 310 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:06,880 Okay, it's good for now, but what happens the next time the wind blows? 311 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:08,440 I guess dirty again. 312 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:09,640 So what are you going to do? 313 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:12,120 You're going to have to strengthen that branch. 314 00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:16,400 You're going to, you're going to have to do something to keep that branch strengthened. 315 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:22,240 So you know, it's not just, it's not just stopping or changing. 316 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:26,840 It's being strengthened in Christ. 317 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:28,520 That's what it includes. 318 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:35,800 So change of heart and all of that is centered in Christ. 319 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:43,080 So repentance is not just a change of behavior and repentance is not. 320 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:44,080 It's not salvation. 321 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:45,080 It's not what changed. 322 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:47,320 It's not what saves us. 323 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:48,560 Scott. 324 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,520 So let me explain. 325 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:57,160 Too many people get hung up on repentance as the power that saves us. 326 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:07,520 There is no power in repentance and there is no power in the atonement. 327 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:10,240 That power comes from Jesus Christ. 328 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:12,760 That's it. 329 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:14,960 Repentance doesn't save us. 330 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,120 The atonement doesn't save us. 331 00:24:18,120 --> 00:24:25,840 Jesus Christ saves us through his atonement by our repentance. 332 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:31,800 According to our repentance through his atonement by the power of Christ. 333 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:34,160 Because of our relationship with him. 334 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:36,080 We are saved. 335 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:43,480 So I just, if Jesus Christ is not a part of repentance, if he's not the center of it, 336 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:45,080 well then it isn't repentance. 337 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:47,880 Anything that you do isn't repentance. 338 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:54,960 So I used to ask my students, so what else is, what else is repentance not? 339 00:24:54,960 --> 00:25:00,960 What have you thought of it as being, but you now know that it's not? 340 00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:07,480 And I think one of the first ones that would come up was, it is not confession. 341 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:08,480 Well that's true. 342 00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:09,480 It's not confession. 343 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:13,560 Now confession may be an important part of repentance if you have committed certain 344 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:19,840 serious sins when it comes to confessing to maybe a priesthood brother who has priesthood 345 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:26,560 keys over ordinances, and it's always part of repentance if you are confessing your sins 346 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:32,080 to God, which is part of the process with a broken heart and contrite spirit. 347 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:33,520 But repentance is not confession. 348 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:40,040 And there's so many people who think that like Elder Bednar tells the story about the 349 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:46,920 girl BYU Idaho, and he was up there and Bishop shared with him this story that a girl who 350 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:52,800 had committed fornication and went into his office and said, well, you're the last, you're 351 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:57,840 the last thing on my list, and I need to confess my sin. 352 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:01,400 And she didn't thought that she was done. 353 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:03,280 Thought that was repentance. 354 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:08,880 Was that she checked off the list and confessed her sins to her bishop and thought that that 355 00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:10,380 was it. 356 00:26:10,380 --> 00:26:15,120 There are so many people Scott, especially young adults I think, who do that and then 357 00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:19,600 they don't feel forgiven and they can't figure out why I've done everything. 358 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:22,720 I've gone through the list. 359 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:26,880 I've done everything and I still don't feel forgiven. 360 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:32,920 And again, I can without exception, I think I can tell you why you don't feel forgiven 361 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:38,040 or if you feel like you're not progressing or you feel like you're spinning your wheels. 362 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:47,840 And it's always because you lack sufficient faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his Atonement. 363 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:54,360 Another way of saying that is you have not made Jesus Christ the center of the process 364 00:26:54,360 --> 00:27:00,400 of repentance and you have not believed not just in him, but you, you haven't believed 365 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:07,520 him that he would forgive as often as you repent. 366 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:15,080 If people are not making the Savior and his Atonement, the center of their repentance 367 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:18,840 Scott, then it doesn't matter what they do. 368 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:20,560 It's not repentance. 369 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:27,840 Hugh Nibley, Hugh Nibley, I've always loved this definition of what, of what repentance 370 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:30,240 is. 371 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:33,400 Question who is righteous. 372 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:37,240 Answer anyone who is repenting. 373 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:42,720 No matter how bad he has been, if he is repenting, he is a righteous man. 374 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:44,760 There is hope for him. 375 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:51,720 And no matter how good he has been all his life, if he is not repenting, he is a wicked 376 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:53,000 man. 377 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:56,800 The difference is which way you are facing. 378 00:27:56,800 --> 00:28:02,280 The man on the top of the stairs facing down is much worse off than the man on the bottom 379 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:06,120 of the step who is looking up. 380 00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:10,400 And the direction we are facing is towards Jesus Christ. 381 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:12,200 That is repentance. 382 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:15,880 And that is what determines whether we are good or bad. 383 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:19,800 It's really Scott about that simple. 384 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:22,320 Who or what do you face? 385 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:23,480 You facing the world? 386 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:24,880 Are you more interested in the world? 387 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:27,840 You looking at the world? 388 00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:30,840 That's why I love, I always love the scriptures. 389 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:33,120 Look unto God and live. 390 00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:35,160 Look unto me and every thought. 391 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:41,600 I love that because at the center of that, what they are asking us to do is repentance. 392 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:42,600 Repent. 393 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:47,720 Every time Jesus says come unto me, repentance is really close by the word. 394 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:53,240 Almost every time when that comes up, the word usually is close by repent. 395 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:54,480 Because that's what it means. 396 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:57,480 Just look to me and move in my direction. 397 00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:01,720 Just come, just move, keep moving. 398 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:06,360 Some will go faster than others, but move in this direction. 399 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:11,400 As long as we are moving in that direction Scott, that is repentance. 400 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:19,040 So I just think that it's important to understand what it's not before you can really understand 401 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:20,680 what it is. 402 00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:25,680 Another thing that repentance is not Scott is it's not an institutional activity. 403 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:29,320 I think this really holds people back as well. 404 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:35,640 That's when they think that it's an institutional activity or event by, that it's through the 405 00:29:35,640 --> 00:29:44,920 church, that it's through the bishop, that they have to, we'll talk about confession. 406 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:46,800 We'll get into confession. 407 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:52,480 Confession plays a critical role in the repentance process. 408 00:29:52,480 --> 00:30:00,040 There are too many people and again, especially youth who think that that's what repentance 409 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:03,720 is and it's not, that's not what repentance is. 410 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:06,520 It's a part of repentance. 411 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:08,160 It's not through the church. 412 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:12,040 Repentance is not through the church. 413 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:14,880 Repentance you go directly to God. 414 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:18,200 It's through Jesus Christ and his Atonement. 415 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:24,280 It's through the Holy Ghost, the power, the gift of the Holy Ghost that administers the 416 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:28,160 Atonement of Jesus Christ in our life. 417 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:30,000 That's what repentance is. 418 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:35,200 It is not a church function or activity. 419 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:36,960 The church definitely helps us. 420 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:43,720 The church plays, I think, a really helpful role to help us understand what it is and 421 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:51,240 to help us participate in the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our life. 422 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:59,360 The church does so many things that help us to get to Jesus Christ, but repentance, there's 423 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:08,120 just, there's just too many people, I think, who depend too much upon the church for their 424 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:10,320 repentance and not enough on the Savior. 425 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:15,760 That goes back to your story from Elder Bednor and the bishop and the girl, right? 426 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:18,040 There was a note too found somewhere, right? 427 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:19,960 Or am I getting a couple of stories mixed up? 428 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:22,560 Well, yeah, that's when I was a seminary teacher. 429 00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:23,560 Why don't you share that? 430 00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:30,240 Oh, when I was a seminary teacher, I, it was in a difficult class. 431 00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:34,840 It was like the last class of the day, my fifth period. 432 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:40,400 And I went back to the, back to the class after the class was over and there was some 433 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:45,040 papers on the floor and I picked up this one paper and I looked at it and it was a note. 434 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:49,320 It was a communication between two girls in my class. 435 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:57,160 And this one girl was telling this other girl, confessing her sins, which is just so wrong 436 00:31:57,160 --> 00:32:04,000 and so prevalent that people confess their sins to people, which I think is evil, which 437 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:09,360 I think is almost like repeating the sin, at least in your mind as you repeat it in 438 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:11,160 words to others. 439 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:16,480 But anyway, she was confessing her sin to her friend and her friend said, are you going 440 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:18,080 to see your bishop? 441 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:19,360 And she said, I don't know. 442 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:20,360 I'm afraid. 443 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:26,880 I'm afraid to go see my bishop and she's going back and forth and this has been over a period 444 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:29,040 of days or weeks. 445 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:30,520 This piece of paper. 446 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:32,560 They were just passing it back. 447 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:33,560 Yeah. 448 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:38,280 Every seminary, they were writing notes and I had no idea. 449 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:44,120 And then she talks about how she finally went in to see her bishop and how difficult it 450 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:49,080 was, but how, how she felt better because she had talked to her bishop. 451 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:56,440 Anyway, I, I was so discouraged to thinking, well, I have done such a terrible job of teaching 452 00:32:56,440 --> 00:33:00,920 what repentance really is by not teaching what it's not. 453 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:07,280 Anyway, that was part of my lesson for me on how to, how to be a better teacher when 454 00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:08,280 it comes to repentance. 455 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:11,600 Well, and, and, you know, that experience and I think that that experience is pretty 456 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:18,440 prevalent as well, you know, it's like, okay, you leave the bishop's office after the steps. 457 00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:23,360 Then I have air quotes that I'm showing here after the steps that you've taken. 458 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:27,120 Now you go to the bishop and often the feeling is, wow, now that's over. 459 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:28,120 Yeah. 460 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:29,120 Thank goodness that's done. 461 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:30,120 Yeah. 462 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:31,120 I'm so complete. 463 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:32,120 Right. 464 00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:34,800 That's just so, I know I have felt that way. 465 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:39,640 I know that I've been to the bishop's office and when I, and what in many years ago and, 466 00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:44,720 and then upon leaving immediately just think, oh, I'm so glad that's done. 467 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:48,560 I, I'm sure there's a release by being able to share it with others. 468 00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:53,200 I think there's a psychological, mental. 469 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:54,200 There is. 470 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:58,160 And that, and that release can be damaging or dangerous. 471 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:00,280 If we fill that release, we may mistake. 472 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:01,280 Yes, I agree. 473 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:06,040 Scott, because, because then the, the, the bishop takes the place of the savior or the 474 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:12,560 place of even, even God by the, because how many people have confessed their sins to the 475 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:15,000 bishop, but have never confessed to Heavenly Father? 476 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:16,520 That's just it. 477 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:20,920 I had an experience fairly recently where a young man came up to me and he says, I just 478 00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:23,440 really need to go talk to the bishop about some stuff. 479 00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:26,160 I says, have you talked to Heavenly Father about it? 480 00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:27,160 That's good. 481 00:34:27,160 --> 00:34:31,200 You know, and I don't know what happened from there, but that's a question we should all 482 00:34:31,200 --> 00:34:36,120 be asking ourselves, you know, the bishop in that approach is important so that he can 483 00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:42,040 invoke priesthood keys on our behalf and, and help us with the enabling effects of the Atonement 484 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:44,760 of Jesus Christ, that strengthening effect. 485 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:47,000 But that's not where it is. 486 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:52,480 So many people have such a guilt complex and feel so much shame and it kind of, it kind 487 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:56,680 of drives them to, if they're not confessing their bishop, they're confessing to their 488 00:34:56,680 --> 00:34:59,760 neighbor, their neighbor, they're confessing to their friend. 489 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:03,760 They're, or worse yet, testimony meeting in front of the entire congregation. 490 00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:06,240 Oh man, that's the worst. 491 00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:07,760 And it was really a problem. 492 00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:09,760 I told Elder Anderson this. 493 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:15,480 I said, Elder Anderson, we have a major problem among young adults in the church. 494 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:20,960 They go on dates and they end up confessing their sins over and over again on every new 495 00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:23,480 date that they go on. 496 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:26,880 They say, you know, have you done this? 497 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:27,880 Have you done that? 498 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:33,800 You know, and they, they end up, it ends up becoming a confession when they go on these 499 00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:39,000 dates and I wish the brother would just come out and say, stop confessing your sins to 500 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:44,360 others and start confessing them to God. 501 00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:50,960 Now, I know it's not easy to confess to God and I think some reason that people don't 502 00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:55,440 confess to God is because they know that he knows. 503 00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:56,600 So what's the use? 504 00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:58,280 He already knows. 505 00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:01,440 So what's the use of me repenting? 506 00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:03,240 And what, what would you say? 507 00:36:03,240 --> 00:36:04,440 What would be your answer to that? 508 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:06,480 Yeah, of course he already knows. 509 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:12,720 And just like a parent who wants to give blessings to their kids who do the things that allow 510 00:36:12,720 --> 00:36:16,800 those blessings to be given to them, our heavenly fathers the same way. 511 00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:18,960 He can't step in front of justice. 512 00:36:18,960 --> 00:36:24,080 He can't step in front of our, the process of our repentance. 513 00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:28,720 And I think so often Dave, the reason that, you know, we struggle with this is because 514 00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:34,600 we fail to establish the relationship necessary with our heavenly father, with the Savior 515 00:36:34,600 --> 00:36:38,640 in order for us to have this experience be what it needs to be for us. 516 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:46,440 Well, for some reason, I don't know why it's so hard for people to do that because it's 517 00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:49,880 really just an act of humility and accountability. 518 00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:50,880 Right. 519 00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:56,280 If, if, if someone were humble enough and they believed in God enough and they knew the character 520 00:36:56,280 --> 00:37:06,200 of God and his love, his love, his fierce, perfect eternal love for that individual. 521 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:09,320 And he's already knows that he's done it. 522 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:12,560 That I've sinned or that you've sinned or anyone else is sin. 523 00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:15,080 He's not up there ringing his hands over it. 524 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:18,120 He's not up there turning their back on them. 525 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:19,600 He's not even mad at them. 526 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:26,160 The fact that they would kneel down and confess their sins to him is got to be, I think one 527 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:33,760 of his happiest moments is that that individual is humble enough, believes in me enough and 528 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:39,480 wants to be accountable enough to confess their sins to me. 529 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:45,720 Think of what that would do to, to any father, including Heavenly Father and including our 530 00:37:45,720 --> 00:37:49,520 Savior and to confess, I'm sorry. 531 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:57,920 And I've said this way more times than I can ever count and more times than I wished I 532 00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:01,320 would have because of all of my sins. 533 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:09,880 But over and over again, I have said and I am so sorry that I've caused Jesus any pain 534 00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:12,200 or suffering. 535 00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:17,880 And I just think it's so important to acknowledge that, Scott. 536 00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:22,120 That's part of what it means to have broken heart and contrite spirit. 537 00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:26,720 Going to the bishop is so hard for people to do and they think that's a broken heart 538 00:38:26,720 --> 00:38:30,480 and contrite spirit, but I think that's just a fear of man. 539 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:35,120 I don't think that's a broken heart, contrite spirit, and they may even cry about it. 540 00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:39,480 And I, I, everybody's different and I'm not judging, but so many people cry. 541 00:38:39,480 --> 00:38:48,800 I've been in many church membership actions where in individuals will cry and cry and 542 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:49,800 cry. 543 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:55,200 And I think it's because they've been caught or because of the consequences or because 544 00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:59,120 of what, what's others going to think or what's my family. 545 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:05,960 What's going to, you know, and sometimes you can just tell it's, it has nothing to do with 546 00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:12,960 them understanding the suffering that they've caused Jesus Christ, which is really the, 547 00:39:12,960 --> 00:39:16,680 what it means to have a broken heart, contrite spirit. 548 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:21,880 You were talking about how our heavenly father would receive us through our repentance, you 549 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:23,040 know, through that humility. 550 00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:25,040 We have a parable that teaches us that. 551 00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:26,040 Yeah. 552 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:27,040 Yeah. 553 00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:29,680 And then we have the parable of the prodigal son. 554 00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:33,480 And here we have Scott Durfee, the prodigal son and David Durfee, the prodigal son and 555 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:35,440 everybody else among us. 556 00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:37,520 We are all the prodigal. 557 00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:43,320 We're also all, all the other prodigal, the prodigal, seemingly prodigal's brother. 558 00:39:43,320 --> 00:39:44,880 We're all him too. 559 00:39:44,880 --> 00:39:47,720 However, not all of us are the father. 560 00:39:47,720 --> 00:39:49,200 And this is what it says about the father. 561 00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:50,520 So we know what happened, right? 562 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:53,640 The prodigal son goes, he's eating with pigs. 563 00:39:53,640 --> 00:39:59,160 He's just totally blown his entire inheritance, which he cashed in early, which created a 564 00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:02,680 lot of problems for the other brother, etc. 565 00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:06,200 Finally he just comes to himself and he says, my father has servants. 566 00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:11,280 I think I'll go and see if my father will, you know, just allow me to maybe be one of 567 00:40:11,280 --> 00:40:12,480 his servants. 568 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:15,040 And you know, we know how that worked out, right? 569 00:40:15,040 --> 00:40:20,040 But you know, I think part of my, maybe my favorite part of that is when the, the son, 570 00:40:20,040 --> 00:40:24,400 the other son, the other prodigal son comes to the father and he says, Hey, what's going 571 00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:25,400 on here? 572 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:26,400 He was angry. 573 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:29,480 He wouldn't come to the party, you know, and stuff like that. 574 00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:32,520 He says, Hey, my brother's been out with Harlitz yet. 575 00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:34,560 You've killed this fatted calf for him. 576 00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:37,520 You brought him back and he was a little bit upset. 577 00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:42,120 Maybe my favorite part is because this not just applies to this son, but to all sons. 578 00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:47,480 And he said unto him, son, thou art ever with me and all that I have is thine. 579 00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:53,040 It was meat that we should make Mary and be glad for this thy brother, for this thy brother 580 00:40:53,040 --> 00:40:56,360 was dead and is alive again and was lost and now was found. 581 00:40:56,360 --> 00:41:00,960 And you know, to me, Dave, that's really what repentance provides us is that opportunity 582 00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:03,640 to fill our heavenly father's love. 583 00:41:03,640 --> 00:41:08,920 When I have gone to him in my repentance process, I've had that experience where he has come 584 00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:16,520 running to me in ways that were really beautiful and in some ways a little bit surprising to 585 00:41:16,520 --> 00:41:19,960 me because I hadn't anticipated it to be that way. 586 00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:22,080 Yeah, that's that is sweet. 587 00:41:22,080 --> 00:41:27,440 Scott, you've shared a little bit of your story, which I think is amazing. 588 00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:34,440 Sometimes he runs to us with the help of other people like you did with your dear stake, 589 00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:42,560 President Glee, you know, and he may he may run to us through the voice or the arms of 590 00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:51,120 a parent or a prophet or whoever, maybe other individuals that we through others that we 591 00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:52,600 may feel his love. 592 00:41:52,600 --> 00:42:05,440 But the principle is Scott is really understanding God's infinite, eternal love for us that he 593 00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:10,080 loves his children and he's never going to give up on us and he's never going to turn 594 00:42:10,080 --> 00:42:12,720 his back on us. 595 00:42:12,720 --> 00:42:19,440 We turn our back on him, but he never turns his back on us. 596 00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:20,840 He always sees us. 597 00:42:20,840 --> 00:42:21,840 He knows us. 598 00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:23,880 He knows our our sins. 599 00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:33,120 He knows everything about us and he is so so anxious for us to make our way back into 600 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:40,320 his presence and to confess our our need for him and our love for him. 601 00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:46,600 So rip repentance is a lot of things which we're going to discuss in the next few weeks 602 00:42:46,600 --> 00:42:49,480 about what repentance is. 603 00:42:49,480 --> 00:42:57,840 We'll kind of lay out an outline and again not talk of it about it in terms of steps, 604 00:42:57,840 --> 00:43:04,720 not more in terms of it being a process, but it's important before we do that that we understand 605 00:43:04,720 --> 00:43:06,920 what it's not. 606 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:12,600 And I hope that I hope that our listeners have a little bit better idea of what it's 607 00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:14,600 not. 608 00:43:14,600 --> 00:43:19,280 It's it's directly to our Heavenly Father. 609 00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:24,000 Even if we confess our sins, if they're serious enough that we should confess our sins to 610 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:31,880 the church, still that does not bring forgiveness in our lives. 611 00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:35,440 Ultimately forgiveness does not come through the church. 612 00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:40,920 It comes through our Heavenly Father because of his son. 613 00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:49,480 And if if we do anything when it comes to repentance that is not have that does not have 614 00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:56,200 Jesus Christ as the center of what we do, it is not repentance. 615 00:43:56,200 --> 00:44:02,840 So I hope that in the next few weeks, we're going to we're going to talk and we're going 616 00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:04,800 to define what it is. 617 00:44:04,800 --> 00:44:11,520 And we'll go through that process and hope to help our listeners draw closer to their 618 00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:18,280 Heavenly Father strengthen their relationship with him and to depend more upon Jesus Christ 619 00:44:18,280 --> 00:44:25,480 who who has said over and over again that he is so willing to repent as are so willing 620 00:44:25,480 --> 00:44:29,400 to forgive us as often as we repent. 621 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:32,200 So that will be fun to do that the next few weeks. 622 00:44:32,200 --> 00:44:33,200 Scott, 623 00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:34,200 looking forward to that. 624 00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:41,440 This this part of the series curriculum course, whatever you want to call it, this part of 625 00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:48,880 that is the part where we really can become to feel free as we you know as we've gone 626 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:54,080 through the beginning part of the the course here this season season number three we've 627 00:44:54,080 --> 00:44:58,560 talked about the effects of the fall we've talked about the fall itself we've talked 628 00:44:58,560 --> 00:45:03,280 about the events of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the effects now we're getting into 629 00:45:03,280 --> 00:45:08,440 the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ how they offset all the effects of the fall. 630 00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:15,560 So where we begin now to really see repentance for what it is many of our views can change 631 00:45:15,560 --> 00:45:20,920 I'll invite that to be a possibility in your life but maybe a lot of the views that we 632 00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:26,080 have had towards repentance can and will change as we go through this process and it's a beautiful 633 00:45:26,080 --> 00:45:27,560 sweet experience. 634 00:45:27,560 --> 00:45:32,240 Our invitation is that this week as you take of the sacrament please consider the things 635 00:45:32,240 --> 00:45:38,440 that we've talked about here today continue to re to establish that deep and abiding relationship 636 00:45:38,440 --> 00:45:44,120 with deity with our Heavenly Father with the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost so that 637 00:45:44,120 --> 00:45:47,120 the Atonement can be administered into our lives. 638 00:45:47,120 --> 00:45:51,000 Thanks for being with us this week we look forward to being with you next week and always 639 00:45:51,000 --> 00:46:06,560 until then be well.