Hey there, everybody. Welcome out to another
episode of Redeemed Through His Blood. Scott
Durfee here, joined as always by the beautiful
Deborah Durfee. What's up, babe? Hi, friends.
How are you? Great. Good. Happy. Yeah. If you
had a good week since we last recorded. Oh, absolutely.
I'm asking for them because I already know. Absolutely.
Yeah. I I tell everyone summer is my favorite
holiday. Favorite holiday. Yeah, we're dead in
the dead of summer. And Deb is happy when we're
so happy. I love the heat. Loves summer. I love
it, too. I love summertime. I love all this all
of the seasons, but I do have a pretty deep affinity
for summer myself. It's a great time. Yeah. Great
time. A lot of great things happening. A lot
of fun things happening. A lot of concerts. Concerts.
Yeah, we went to one up at Deer Valley just recently.
That was a lot of fun. And then we went to a
play at Sundance Outdoor Theater. Went and saw
The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz. Spectacular.
Great messages in that play. And then we went
to the Days of 47. No, we didn't. We went to
the Fiesta Days rodeo in Spanish Fork, Utah.
Yeah. The most important of all of those activities.
It was nice and hot. We got all sweaty. It was
lovely. We got horse stuff thrown on us. We were
sitting close to the chutes. It was great. Yeah.
Made us feel at home, didn't it? Yep. And we
were with loved ones. We had a couple of our
kids with us. Dakota and his wife and Jessica
were with us and Craig and Carmen and we had
Evan and back your brother and and his sweet
wife who sister -in -love Sister -in -love you're
kind of your best one of your best friends I
know that to be a fact and then for that reason
I have a super deep love for those guys as well
Anyway, what a great time of year. What a great
time to be alive. I've had a lot of gratitude
this week myself, you know, I've had this injury
this this not injury, but this surgery that I've
been recovering from and Man, that's been difficult
for me. It's it's really been like nailing my
foot to the floor. You know, yesterday I'm out
to notice a couple of big bad weeds in the yard
that need to be gone. And so I bend over with
my left hand and I'm pulling them out and I can't
quite get the other one to go. There is one that
was pretty stubborn. So I reached down with both
hands and pulled and I've been kind of paying
for that. Whoopsie. Yeah. I didn't know that.
That was just a confession. Yeah. I figured I'd
do it here because by the time we're done recording
you won't have time to reprimand me for that.
I won't reprimand you. That was kind of planned.
You're recovering pretty quickly actually. I
am and I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful for
the atonement of Jesus Christ. Remember a few
weeks ago that we talked about how this is one
of the unconditional effects of Christ's atonement
is healing. I mean there's certain things that
we have to put into it right to to help to help
move it along like I have to I have to align
with the laws around healing, right? And that
definitely helps me along. However, the real
thing that I've been super touched by and impressed
by and moved by and hopefully converted and changed
by this week was my experience that I had Sunday
in church. I don't always love church. I know
that about you. I've got to be honest. I really
don't. I love Heavenly Father. I love Jesus.
I love most of the people that I'm around. But
I'm a fallen dude. I'm a fallen guy. And along
with that fallen -ness, I think I talked about
this. This isn't something I'm proud of, but
there's just a rebel streak inside of me. that
just requires constant alignment with Christ's
atonement just to keep it kind of settled down
even. Anyway, Sunday at church. I come to church.
I don't know that this is happening, but there's
nobody sitting on the stand. We have a member
of the state presidency there. I turned to you
and I said, are we getting a new bishop? And
you said, no, hasn't been long enough. And it
hasn't. It's only been what, three, four years?
I don't know. It's been about four years. And
so we're both kind of like, I'm not sure what's
happening. And then Brother Gardner goes up and
sits on the stand. And I'm like, oh, yeah, we
get to hear Tanner talk. I couldn't. I was so
excited to hear that. And then I forgot that
he had just recently been called to be a member
of the high council. And he was just there to
do some state business. Yeah. Which was great.
It was fine. But then when it was announced what
was going to be happening in sacrament meeting
Sunday, man, that was touching for me. So what
what what ended up happening is we did a well,
why don't you describe it? You do a better job
describing. Well, I want to push pause first,
because even before we went into the program.
Yeah. Clint Eager, I love the man. He's such
a great. member of our bishopric and such a great
asset to our ward. Such a good friend. Yes. He
got up before the sacrament and he even said,
let's put down your devices and let's focus on
the savior and what he's done for us. And I thought,
what a wonderful reminder to all of us. Right.
And I loved that, which made, you know, even
the sacrament, that sacred ordinance more sacred.
And, you know, as we sing the hymns, we're always
moved and touched by those. And then after that
10, 15 minutes, 10 minutes, probably, I'm going
to time it because I had that discussion. I know,
I know, and I still haven't timed it, but I just
want it to last so long. Anyways, after that,
he got up and said, for today's program. our
sacrament program, we're going to do something
a little different. And this is basically a hymimony.
So it's basically what you do is you get up and
you tell the congregation what your favorite
hymn is and why. And we sing one verse of that
song and our amazing chorister and organist.
Were phenomenal that's not an easy feat and they
nailed it. That's him You and I both play the
piano. I know and I just Elaine Sorensen is just
beyond amazing. I mean, there's just not enough
kudos for that woman She's she has been the organist
for over in our ward for over 20 years because
we she she's the only organist I know and I hope
that she remains for I know I love her dearly
anyways, so what what they would do is get up
and basically tell their favorite him and why
And as soon as he started with his, he talked
about his great -great -great -grandfather and
him they wrote and why, and it was awesome. And
then immediately, people just started going up.
Well, after about two or three or four people,
his wife got up and said, you know, Clint didn't
know how this would go, so I prepared, and even
his son went up, and I just thought, he had no
idea. But man, what an amazing... way to feel
the Spirit and you know that I get moved by music.
Yeah. And the words of music and the holiness
of music and what a sacred time to sing doctrine
and worship and and to even I mean the youth
that got up and would tell us their favorite
hymn and why. And when we would sing it, I would
just think of those words with that person that
got up and spoke and even everybody in the ward,
not just the youth, but I just, I remember, you
know, a few of them particularly specifically
that they would choose their hymn and I would
just weep. My eyes would just fill with tears
and I was just so overcome with the spirit and
it was just so tender and so sweet to hear this
sacred music sung by the congregation for that
one person whose favorite hymn it was. And it
was phenomenal. I remember a couple of those
hymns. I remember Little Annie. Lord, I would
follow thee. Who am I to judge another when I
walk imperfectly? And here's this little perfect,
perfect member of our youth in our ward. I remember
that. You know another one I remember? Sister
Ryds. What was hers? I Stand All Amazed. I Stand
All Amazed. I can't sing that song. I know. Yeah.
So sweet. I can't even talk after mentioning
the title of that song, right? It's just it was
a sweet, sweet. There was another one, though,
that particularly stood out to me, and that was
this very beautiful lady stood up towards the
end and shared hers. And hers was him one, two,
three. Yep. Which is what? Oh, may my soul commune
with thee. And that was you. Why is that hymn
so weighted for you, so important to you, so
great for you, babe? I think the words in it
just, again, penetrate my soul. And every time
the sacrament is passed, I go to that hymn. It's
my go -to. I don't even always open the hymn.
because I know the first few, you know, I know
the first few verses, but I asked if we could
sing verse two and three because I just, I just
feel like sometimes my worship is inadequate
and I just need help knowing how to worship so
that I'm more in tune with his will. Do you care
if I read the words? No, I think you should.
I love all four verses. It really is my go -to
during the sacrament because I want my soul to
commune with God's soul. And I want to be His.
I have always loved that song. I tell everyone
it's my step one, two, three, just to be willing
and know that He's there. And I have numerous
examples of how He has been there for my whole
life. You just said it's my steps one, two, three.
That's kind of code. So I guess you're going
to have to explain what that means now. They
all know because they don't actually. We have
new listeners. Step one, two, three is in the
12 step recovery, which is where we met. And
one is admitting that we're powerless to is.
Coming to believe coming to believe that a power
greater than us can restore us to sanity and
step three is. our willingness to let Him. To
turn it over. To turn it over. And that to me
is my step one, two, three in Him worship and
doctrine. Yeah. Yeah. I love it. You know, one
of the reasons I can't sing, I stand all amazed,
is the part where it says, and I probably can't
even speak it, to rescue a soul so rebellious
and proud as mine. That's me. You know, if you
look in the entire hymn book and you were to
look for a phrase that describes Scott Durfee
to rescue a soul so rebellious and proud, that's
me. Then that has been me. And if I'm not vigilant
and if I'm not constant and if I'm not disciplined
and I don't practice discipleship, it comes back,
you know, quickly. Well, you do a really good
job at that. In my life. You're a really great
example of that and you strive to be become aligned.
I do. I watch you. I get a front row seat to
that. And thank you. But, you know, this the
reason that this has been so important to me,
Deb, is so right after sacrament meeting, we
go into Sunday school and I teach gospel doctrine
and I have prepared a lesson on sections in the
doctrine and covenants that really aren't that
closely related to our experience. And I have
this, even at the end of sacrament meeting, I'm
thinking, what am I gonna do for Sunday school?
I mean, we can't go out of here and then go into
Sunday school and have it like somebody sticking
a pin in the balloon and now the air just go.
out of our experience, right? And so all of a
sudden I'm feeling the weight of responsibility
and the weight of stewardship as I know that
it's my calling, I've been set apart, Heavenly
Father trusts me to lead His children. And I
don't know that we did it right, but. I do know
that when I got to Sunday school and was preparing
to, you know, setting up my computer and do all
that. And then I turned and I asked a friend,
Tim. I said, Tim, will you say the opening prayer?
He said, sure. And so he stands up and in his
prayer, he says, bless Brother Durfee that he
will have the ability to be flexible in his preparation
today. It was almost like he kind of knew too,
you know, and he probably did I mean he knows
me well enough We serve together for many years
and we've been close close friends from for even
longer And so he kind of probably knew where
I'd be with all that, you know, because I was
struggling. I'd spent several hours in preparation,
created this really cool, you know, PowerPoint
with things that fly and come back in and blah,
blah, blah, you know, and it took a lot of time
to prepare it. Well, that's gets to sit in the
file now unused until maybe next time, because
we're years. Yeah, maybe if I'm still teaching,
because maybe because this time, you know, we
talked about and this is a question I want to
ask you, Deb, why do you go to church? to partake
of the sacrament, to commune with God through
Jesus Christ. I wonder if we asked our listeners
that same question. In fact, I'm going to. So
listeners, ask yourself this question, why do
I go to church? And if you want to pause the
podcast right now and give it some thought, I
would encourage you to do that. But why do you
go to church? Why do you participate in the things
of our religion? I can tell you why I used to.
OK. Now we're getting somewhere, probably for
the same reason I did, but please. Well, it was
a checkbox thing for me. OK, what do you mean
by that? I was always raised that we just on
Sundays, we get up, we go to church. Nothing
wrong with that. And I remember when my kids
were young and I did not get one thing ever at
a church. I mean, I was wrestling kids. Most
of the time I took my kids by myself and I wrestled
three little children and they were not. reverent
children and they weren't still children. And
I remember taking them in and out and in and
out and trying to, you know, and I remember coming
home on a Sunday and calling my mom saying, crying,
saying, I have no idea why I even go to church.
This is insanity to me. And, and half the time
I'm so frustrated by the end. It's like, I don't
feel anything close to the spirit. Right. And
I'll never forget what she said. She said, you're
instilling a habit. And even though you may not
feel anything right now, the Lord is aware of
you and those children. And I just kept thinking,
okay, then I'm just going to do the to -do's.
Because it was very, very difficult for me. So
hard. And there were numerous Sundays that I
would still just get up and do my due diligence
and check the box. I literally just. Just suit
up and show up. I don't care, get up and go to
church, get up and go to church, get up and go
to church. Yeah, so I understand the check box
mentality. I understand the just do it because
we've always done it. Right, right, right, right.
Well, that's the question I asked in Sunday school.
I said, why do you go to church? And there were
a lot of really great answers, and they're all
good. There were answers like, I come to commune
with, or to... fellowship with others. I come
to learn from others. I come to be buoyed up
and strengthened by others. And these are all
great things, right? Very important, not only
great, but important. In fact, they were an important
part of the original church in Ephesians. Paul
talks about that, you know, for the fellowship
of the saints and much, much more. So, you know,
those kinds of things are important. For me,
though, that's a difficult thing because I don't
really that's where I fall. You know, I don't
really want to go fellowship and hang out and
all of that. At least I didn't. I haven't in
the past. And now I do. But here's the thing
for me, Deb, you and I both have sort of similar
pasts. For me, many, many, many years, I had
a void, a spiritual void in my life. It was just
gone. for the most part wasn't completely gone
it was there and it was frequently there but
for the most part it was gone today when I go
and I feel the spirit like I feel last felt last
week and I have felt several times since but
it not to that not to that magnitude. But when
I feel that to that magnitude, I remember that
what I've learned and what I've experienced and
what I've learned and experienced is, you know
what? I don't necessarily need church to make
my life better. Maybe that's the wrong way to
say it. Let me just say it this way. I need to
go to church to help strengthen and deepen my
relationship with my Heavenly Father and His
Son. and the Holy Ghost. And when I go there
and I felt the administration of Christ's Atonement
in my life like I did last Sunday, it impacts
me. And because it impacts me, I like to think
that it impacts those around me for the better.
Yeah, absolutely. You know, there's just so much
discouragement and so much out there. And I have
felt that, you know, this past week, I've had
some discouragement on top of all of this. Unfortunately,
a man that I've known for many years and have
been working with in AA. Made a decision not
to participate anymore and it's drinking again
And you know and all that involves with that
and it's just insane the insanity but for the
grace of God there go I we often say that right
And and I'm getting to experience that but contrast
that with the conversation That I had with our
son yesterday He's been struggling. I asked him
if it was okay if I if I shared a little bit
on the podcast He gave me permission to do so
But over the past several years He has really
struggled. I mean there's been sue suicide ideology
in his life An attempt a suicide attempt. I hate
to even say that makes me sick Divorce, you know,
and just rehabilitation. He's been to rehab.
He had some really difficult things several years
ago prior to his divorce. Getting sober from
heavy drugs, you know, those kinds of things.
But yesterday, he and I are outside and we're
just kind of... talking since he's staying here
with us. And I love that, you know, while he
gets his life together. He's got two years sober
and a lot of things that he's just needing to
get worked out before he's ready to get back
out on his own financially and a few things like
that. But we're standing outside. He's helping
me because of my handicap. He's helping me around
the house. And I just said, how's it going? And
you know what he told me? He says, Dad, you know,
he says, since I have decided to let God be in
charge of my life, I have peace. Things are so
much better. He said nothing's changed the circumstances
and situations in my life are basically the same
But I'm letting God run my life now Trevor's
not going to church not to our church. He's not
going to church You know, he's not participating
in he went on a mission and he did all those
things, but he's he's living a life like I did
But but he he he understands his relationship
with his Heavenly Father And he understands it
is only through that relationship through his
heavenly father and because of the atonement
of Jesus Christ that that's available, administrated
or administered to us through the Holy Ghost.
I love the three roles of the Godhead there.
But he understands that through that and because
of that he can have peace again in his life.
And he's really kind of basking in that lately.
I just love watching that. He's so awesome. um
it made me think of how I found actually not
necessarily God because I didn't have I didn't
have a misconception really of of who God was
I had a misconception of Jesus Christ in his
role and it wasn't until I got into recovery
that I started understanding and feeling the
tangible effects of the atonement of Jesus Christ
and I think You know, being raised in an organized
religion, no matter what religion it is, we think
that that's where we find God. And for me, I
had to redefine who my Heavenly Father was, because
I, for a long time, I thought he was like the
cop god that was making check marks. So every
time I said a bad word or any time I was doing
anything incorrectly or wrong or whatever, that
he was taken. notes about all my sins and well
we sing a song about the angels taking notes
about the I know and I don't love that song but
it's thank goodness we didn't sing that on Sunday
oh gosh you can edit that I'm leaving it anyway
um I just I just think it's important no matter
where we look no matter where we find him whether
we find God and Jesus Christ in AA whether we
find him in the mountains whether we find them
in our in our deepest challenges and fears and
discomfort. I was just talking to Bowen, our
youngest this morning, talking about there's
no growing in the comfort zone and no comfort
in the growing zone. So when we're uncomfortable,
just know something's happening. You know, that's
God's way of helping us to change our hearts,
to break open, literally have those broken hearts
to be open and movable. Let Him change us to
the person and to the being that we are meant
to be. be. And when we're uncomfortable, probably
does hurt. He's probably breaking our arms and
legs too, to just change us into and transform
us into who he wants us to be. And I know for
a fact, for a fact that he has a way better plan
than I ever did because my best thinking got
me in all kinds of disaster messes. So, I mean,
I've lived long enough to know that his plan
is way better than mine. Yeah, I agree. Prior
to Deb, me getting sober and me having a more,
a different type of conversion process than I
had had before in my life, you know, and that
was about the time that I got sober. Probably
several years after that, though I've been sober
26 years, it'll be 27 on October 26 night. So
on October 26 1998 was my first day of sobriety.
Prior to that I I had the same view now I hadn't
been taught that I want to be careful because
I don't want to cast dispersion on anybody in
my life who Nobody taught me said Scott. It's
a checkbox Situation here if you go do this if
you do that if you do that, you know, it wasn't
about that I wasn't taught that well, maybe in
maybe in part I was you know DNC 82 10 I the
Lord I'm bound if you do what I say And it's
true. Yeah It's true. If you do what you say,
if we do what the Lord says, then we do allow
him to bless us with the blessings that are attached
to those laws. My problem was though, it was
the experience. It was the relationship. I needed
to have the relationship. I needed to understand
that he knew me. I had a misperception of God
too. But my biggest misperception wasn't necessarily
of God. I thought I kind of signed that way,
same way, you know, as you did, as you explained,
just waiting for me to make a mistake so I could
be punished. But my biggest misperception was
me. You know, I didn't know me. I didn't know
who I was. That's why I think in the very beginning
of the podcast, we talk about that who we are
and whose we are. And I sure didn't know I was
his. I should have. I went on a mission. I did
all these other things and I but I didn't. didn't
think I was his unless I lived my life a certain
way, right? You had to be worthy to be his. Yeah,
not just worthy to go to the temple, not just
worthy to partake of the sacrament, but worthy
to be his. And I love, you know, I was I talked
to Nick today. A friend of ours, Nick, he was
on the podcast last year or the year before,
and he was talking about his relationship with
Jesus and Heavenly Father. And he said this,
he says, I thought that it was only through the
church that I could have that relationship. Well,
that's not true. It's through the church and
it's through the covenant process. And as we
put on the atonement of Jesus Christ, its completion
or its continuation here in this life includes
covenant relationship, right? We're gonna talk
about that. It includes covenant relationship.
But before I was ready to understand the covenant
relationship component in my life, I needed relief.
I needed relief from the bondage of self. You
know, I was just so in so much turmoil because
of the fall, because of things that had happened
to me, because of things that choices that I
had made. There were conditions. There were definitely
conditions in my life. We talked about conditions
last week and we referred to Doctrine and Covenants
4615 when we talked about those conditions, how
that God will adjust his judgments according
and make them suitable according to the conditions
of man. He's not going to judge us all the same,
our conditions. And I had conditions, but I also
had temptations and I was super weak in my temptations.
And I justified breaking the law of God because
I didn't understand. The law of God. I didn't
understand it the way that we need to talk about
it the way that we need to understand it. Yeah
It's been impactful learning that and understanding
that because I remember when I was 17 18 years
old and I'm trying to you know prayerfully find
a family for this baby that I you know that I
feel like Needs to be raised by a mom and a dad
not by a single 18 -year -old, 17 -year -old
girl. And I remember pleading and praying and
pleading and praying saying, I don't, there are
so many people in this world. How would I ever
find the perfect home for this baby? And I remember
the agency saying, you know, we have a prayer
circle. We're going to, we're going to pray and
I want you to pray. And they said, okay, here's
family A, B, C, D, E. And I chose, I'd have to
look at my journal, but I'm just for example
sake, I'm going to say, you know, I chose E.
And they said, we, we feel good about E as well.
They went and talked to the bishop of this family
and, you know, to make sure that they're in,
you know, ready for this baby. And there, and
the bishop said at the time, this was the message
I got that, um, the, the family had, had not,
you know, been paying tithing and hadn't been
going to church and hadn't been doing some things.
And it might not be a good time right now for
this family. And so, you know, the social worker
came to me and said, let's pray for another family.
And I remember thinking, holy cow, how many blessings
have I given up? because of obedience in this
conditional effects, you know what I mean? And
so again, I took it to the Lord and we chose
family B or something. And I just, I will never,
that was such a huge impactful lesson on that
young mind of mine to remember, you know, there
are conditional effects, there are. you know,
based on our obedience and based on how we live
our lives, we sometimes void and I don't think
that family will ever, ever know. And I won't
ever know the blessings that I have given up
because of choices I have made. But man, that
was impactful to a young mind and to a spirit
that penetrated my heart to the point that it
was like I said, I mean, that's been 40. years
ago, 450, I don't know. Anyways, I will just
never forget that whole process of, man, if I'm
not obedient, I could be given up, you know,
some of these blessings that the Lord wants to
give to me. And that's where we are today. You
know we've received so many blessings so many
so many blessings that have come I don't even
deserve well and that's that's exactly right
that have come by way of Christ's atonement and
these are the unconditional blessings that have
come Today we're gonna kind of move into, obviously
we've taken way more time than we probably planned,
so we're not gonna be able to cover this all
today, but we're getting into one or two of the
conditional effects of Christ's Atonement today
as we talk about these things. But, you know,
again, I just wanna re -emphasize, if I can,
that when we are ready, and maybe this is a good
time for me to share this part too. You know,
Deb, when I was ready, when I had hit a, what
I call a rock bottom, when I had made my choice
to come. back and to try and realign or try and
align maybe even for the first time really with
the will of my Heavenly Father. There were just
a lot of blessings came my way. There were the
strengthening and enabling blessings. I felt
the compensatory blessings from Christ's Atonement
already at work in my life compensating me, strengthening
me, giving me the things that I needed so that
I could make that alignment. And then the most
important one for me to remember I think during
those times was to to really believe that I had
been redeemed. To really believe that he had
purchased me, redeemed me. That's what redeemed
mean, right? Is he's purchased me, I'm his. And
the currency with which he purchased me was his
blood. That's why we call it that. That precious.
Redeemed through his blood. I am only redeemed.
through his blood. And when I say redeemed, that
means forgiven. That means my sins washed away.
That means made right. That means to be justified.
That means mercy overruling the laws of mercy,
overruling or overtaking the laws of justice.
That's what all that means. And the only way
that that could happen for me was in alignment
with him. I had the conversation just the day
before yesterday with somebody in recovery. And
we're talking about rock bottom. And how does
everybody, the question, in fact, David used
to always ask me, are you sure, does everybody
really have to reach a rock bottom in their lives
in order to get sober? And the answer is varying,
obviously. But I will say this, that it is a
choice. Rock bottom's a choice, not a place.
However, and this was the conversation that I
was having with somebody just the other day,
my rock bottom's not the one that matters. You
know, it can influence, it can have influence.
But the rock bottom, Jesus in Alma chapter 7,
we read about Jesus' rock bottom. We read about
it in Luke 22. We read about it, you know, when
we went to Jerusalem, to Israel, to the Holy
Land and walked through the garden and, you know,
past Golgotha and down the Via Dolorosa, you
know, and all those things, you know, I can feel
that. I can feel that that was the rock bottom
of eternity that matters. That's the only one
that matters. Everything that he went through
compensates, pays for, blesses me with, strengthens
and redeems me from the fallen world and all.
that's included here. So let's talk about that.
All right, so let's go to Alma chapter 42 verses
23 through 24. Do you want to read them, babe?
I'm going to read 23, 24, and 25. Okay. And we
can stop and talk about this because this is
the reason we need the conditional effects of
the atonement of Jesus Christ in our life and
how they actually come about. Yeah. Okay. But
God ceaseth not to be God. and mercy claimeth
the penitent and mercy cometh because the atonement
and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection
of the dead and the resurrection of the dead
bringeth back men into the presence of God and
thus they are restored into his presence to be
judged according to their works according to
the law and justice for behold justice exerciseth
all his demands and also mercy claimeth all which
is her own and thus none but the truly penitent
are saved now 25 do ye suppose that mercy can
rob justice i say unto you nay not one wit if
so god would cease to be god And 26, and thus
God bringeth about his great and eternal purposes,
which are prepared from the foundation of the
world. And thus cometh about the salvation and
the redemption of men and also their destruction
and misery. So it's by the law that we get destruction
and misery or that we get salvation and redemption.
It's only by the law. Right? And so there are
laws. There are laws that we have to obey. It's
the law of God. I mean, no unclean thing can
enter into the kingdom of God, or no unclean
thing can dwell with God, all of that. But we
see here that we are brought back because of,
and after the resurrection, because of the laws
of mercy, we are brought back into the presence
of God to be judged. Now it talks about mercy
and justice, and it refers to Justice here exerciseth
his demands and also mercy claimeth all which
is her own and thus none but the truly penitent
are saved. What is the truly penitent? What do
you think that even means? I think those that
are willing to. Repent, let go, yeah, and let
God. I also thought earlier we talked about this,
but I thought it it just got my attention. In
24 when it says and also also mercy claimeth
all which is her own Yeah, I think that's super
interesting and I know you said there's no doctrine
behind it, but I'm studying that Because I like
the word her I can relate to that. Well and justice
claimeth his own. Yep, right Mercy claimeth her
own. Yeah, right. So yeah Just as exercises all
the demands and also mercy claimeth all which
is her own Where does this come from? Well, I
think it's just God's laws. Let's go to D &C
19 and we're going to read verse 16. So D &C
19 verse 16. I got it. For behold, I, God, have
suffered all these things for all that they might
not suffer if they repent. OK, I'm going to just
stop right there. We're going to go. We're going
to do the last one. Don't worry, y 'all, because
I know that that's important. But for behold,
I, God, have suffered these things for all, now
this is Jesus obviously talking, for all that
they might not suffer if they would repent. When
I think of suffering, this is where we really,
I think, when we feel and notice the suffering
in our own lives, and it can look like a whole
bunch of different things. It doesn't have to
look like a full blown alcoholic, you know, riding
off the rails or, you know, it doesn't have to
look like any of that. It can look like a faithful
member of the church who's struggling with a
relationship with a child. It can look like a
faithful member of the church or anybody who's
struggling with a point of doctrine. It can be,
you know, one of the things and we talked about
the compensatory blessing of Christ's atonement,
you know, I think oftentimes, Deb, of those who
may be, I'm not quite sure how to say this, and
I want to be sensitive in the way that I do,
because there's no flippancy in this at all,
but those who struggle potentially even with
gender confusion. I don't understand that. You
know, but but he does and he will suit his mercies
according to their conditions. Right. Absolutely.
And many, many, many other things. I mean, we
get so it's so easy for me and for us. And by
my observation as as people, it's just so easy
to see ourselves different from the rest of world.
And I know that we should be a peculiar people.
I know that. But I think that sometimes we cut
off some of the other people in the world because
we see them in a way that is unhealthy and maybe
in a way that Heavenly Father and Jesus doesn't
see them too. And I think that this is where
the law of mercy, her... Right? So I love that.
Yes. I love that. Mercy is this is where she
comes in and understands. I don't understand
that. But God does. And because he doesn't, because
Jesus performed and carried out the atonement
and on the cross said it is finished. I think
that I know that because of that. that those
mercies can be extended and those things that
so many of us struggle with. And I know that
that's not just the only one. I know there's
depression. I know there's chemical imbalances.
I know there's so many other things that so many
of us, depressions and stuff like that, struggle
with that God suits his mercies according to
the conditions of men, like we talked about last
week. So how then does this become a conditional
effect? I mean, we talked last week that he's
going to be merciful to us. So how does this
become conditional then? Well, I think of this
saying that basically says, in the end, everything's
going to be all right. And if it's not all right,
it's not the end. It's like we've got to trust
the process. We need to trust our God. We need
to trust our Savior who redeemed us. All of us,
there was nobody left out. I don't care what
color, size, shape, gender, I don't care. That
he redeemed all his children. So that we know
then that he suffered all these things for all
that they might not suffer if they would repent.
or turn to him, we're gonna talk about repentance.
So we're right in the middle in the book in the
course of chapter eight, moving into chapter
nine in the book, The Divine Gift of Forgiveness,
right? Later down the road when we talk about
repentance, we're gonna be talking about when
it says, if they would repent, that really means
that they would come unto me. If they would just
come to me. And then he says, if they would not
repent, they must suffer even as I. And they're
gonna not pay, you know, we're gonna learn in
a few weeks that we don't pay for our sins Repentance
is not payment penalty or punishment for sin
in any way There is suffering. In fact, elder
Oaks made reference to something recently and
you said Scott I thought maybe you didn't say
it like this, but we don't suffer for our sins
But he talks about how our sins will be well,
we will pay it doesn't say pay It says we will
suffer because of our sins is what elder Oaks
says and we do suffer because of our sins our
stuff Our sins cause us great suffering, but
that's not payment. The payment was Jesus Christ.
We suffer because of our sins, not because we
are sinners. Let's go to Mosiah chapter three,
because this is where I think the kind of the
answer, it gives us the problem and the answer
all in the same verse. This is Mosiah chapter
three, verse 19. So here's the problem. For the
natural man is an enemy to God. That's the problem.
It always has been since the fall. Yeah, there's
a lot of natural man in all of us. We've talked
about that extensively throughout the podcast.
But the natural man is an enemy to God and has
been from the fall of Adam. So it began in the
very beginning and will be forever and ever unless.
OK, so here it's circled unless I have it so
highlighted. I can barely read the black under
the red. Ever and ever, unless he yields so it's
conditional, right? Here we begin the conditional
components or the conditional parts of Christ's
atonement blessings, the conditional blessings
of Christ's atonement in our life. So he will
be a natural man and an enemy to God and will
be forever and less. He yields to the enticings
of the Holy Spirit. Time out. yields to the enticings
of the Holy Spirit. So when I am in a worship
service on a Sabbath day like last week and I
feel the enticings of the Holy Spirit. the Holy
Spirit enticing me to do what? To live my life
in greater accordance with my Heavenly Father's
will. And when I do that and I have those experiences,
then the weeks and days that follow, the days
and weeks that follow are sometimes in greater
alignment with his will for me. And when that's
the case, I feel less of the natural man at work
in my life, right? So unless he yields to the
enticings of the Holy Spirit and putteth off
the natural man, and I might, say, and thereby
putteth off the natural man, as we fill the enticings
of the Holy Spirit, the natural man just kind
of sheds away, requires effort on our part, but
it's mostly enabled through the, again, the administration
of the Holy Spirit in our life, and putteth off
the natural man, and becomeeth a saint through
the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becomeeth
a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full
of love. willing to submit to all things which
the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even
as a child does submit to his father. I also
circled all. All what? Submit to all things.
Yeah. Because there's things I'm not really patient,
meek or humble about. But I have to be willing
to submit to all things, not just some of the
things. That's kind of where it begins, right?
Yeah. So, you know, we're getting close. We should
probably wrap up just on this one point. We'll
continue next week with talking about the other
points of the conditional effects of Christ's
Atonement. But I think that this is important.
Maybe even a good design to just think for this
week. In fact, here's our invitation. For this
week, among many of the other things that you
may have been impressed to do or accept as invitations
by way of the Spirit. Here's an invitation from
Scott and Deb. This week, as we're going through
our week, I would love it if we could understand
and see where we're feeling the redemptive blessings,
where we're feeling redeemed, where we're feeling
that it is because I'm aligning with Him that
I'm having a greater outpouring of the Spirit,
becoming a child, submissive, meek. humble, patient,
full of love, willing to submit to all things
with which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon
me. I know that I can have greater peace, greater
love, and I know that when that happens, dubbed
the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve, all
of them, the effects of the fall of Adam and
Eve are kind of offset, set aside in my life
and I have more joy and peace. So true. Just
even reflecting on the willingness and that's
all we have that he doesn't is our agency. That
is the thing he has given to us freely is our
agency and when we become willing I love in the
sacrament prayer that they may be willing. I
think that's such a powerful word and such an
invitation to because You know, I'm not always
willing. That's not something that comes natural
to me or probably anyone to the natural man,
but that they may be willing to take upon them
the name of thy son and always remember him and
keep his commandments which they have given,
which you have given them. I just, that sacrament
prayer is such a powerhouse for me. Such a powerhouse.
And I thank Heavenly Father every Sunday during
the sacrament. Thank you for my agency so that
I can choose to be willing. I'm so grateful.
I'm so grateful for my willingness. I'm grateful
for my agency so that I can choose willingness.
I love that. This gives us a good kind of jumping
-off spot Deb for the next at least next week's
discussion as we talk more about the conditional
effects of Christ's atonement But this really
is where the main blessings the big blessings
the blessings that we strive for that we Desire
this is where they become available to us is
in our aligning with him Right, you said the
first three steps at the beginning of the podcast,
you know And we the first three steps of alcoholics
anonymous We kind of summarize them and and I've
said this before we kind of summarize them this
way. I can't Right. That's the fall in my life.
There's just no way I can I can try all I want
but I'm always gonna fall short and so I can't
He can This is where the relationship part is
so important to understand him, to know him,
to love him, to have a greater and deeper desire
to be like him. And then finally three is that
I'm going to let him, I'm going to turn my will
to him. My agency. It's the hardest thing for
me to give sometimes. We don't even own our breath.
No, you're right. We read about that actually.
We don't even own our own breath. Right. Like
the clothes on our back, the shelter over our
heads, the food we eat, everything. I mean, we
are so powerless and the nothingness that we
have. The only thing we have is our agency and
our will. And I think that's why step one, two,
three and hymn one, two, three is so powerful.
And I would encourage our listeners to go read
that, the all four verses of that hymn. It is
such a powerful message to me. O, may my soul
commune with thee and find thy holy peace, because
who on this planet does not want peace? I mean,
man, if it just takes the agency to turn my will
over, you know, I mean, we talk about the conditional,
the blessings of Christ's atonements are not
automatically applied, but are conditional upon
our faith. our obedience and our alignment with
his will. And that's exercising our agency. Did
you read the whole song? No. How about if we
end with, I just read the first four verses of
that, the first four. I read the second and third.
That is all the, yeah. Let me read all four verses
of that song. Oh, may my soul commune with thee.
Let me read. I have a memorize. I'm telling you.
Let me read all four verses. Oh, may my soul
commune with thee. And as I'm doing so, here's
another invitation. Just be thinking about that.
Think about your your soul and communing with
him and allowing him and not not so much worried
about earning his love and not so much worried
about earning his involvement in your life, but
just aligning with his will, just aligning with
his love. Well, and back to that question of
why we go to church to. Yeah. Okay. This is hymn
123 in the hymn book from the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter -day Saints. O may my soul commune
with thee and find thy holy peace from worldly
care and pain of fear. Please bring me sweet
release. O bless me when I worship thee to keep
my heart in tune that I may hear thy still I
love that. I love that we have a Heavenly Father
that loves us. I love that we have a God that
loves us so much that He was willing to give
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life. I'm so grateful that we have a Heavenly
Father that gave us His Son who said, come unto
me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest, for my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light. Love all that. I love that
we have a God who's bigger than any problem that
we have, who loves us through any misunderstanding,
who never is disappointed or uptight or anxious
or worried about us. He loves us perfectly. He's
given us the gift of His Son that allows us to
have our Heavenly Father's love and work in our
lives constantly. I still cannot imagine that
amount of love. Well, so as we kind of wrap things
up today Like we always do we just want to say
that it doesn't matter where you are How you're
feeling we just hope that you feel welcome here
We hope that you'll keep coming back and being
with us Jesus isn't waiting for you to clean
everything up before you come to him He meets
us right in the middle of our mess and our brokenness.
That's where his grace shines brightest. So come
as you are broken Hopeful questioning searching
you truly are not alone and you're not supposed
to do this alone Didn't mention this earlier,
but I'm gonna mention it now We'd love to stay
connected with you if you have any thoughts or
questions stories Question I already said questions
stories anything along those lines. Please just
send us an email You can do that at he redeems
us at gmail .com And if this episode or any other
episode touched your heart, we hope that you'll
share it with someone you love and care about,
a friend, a family member, anyone who could use
a little bit more hope right now. You know, next
week, we're going to continue this conversation
around the conditional effects of Christ's Atonement,
why they're so important, and how this is really
where we begin to feel the redemption at work
in our lives. And the beauty behind that redemption
is unfathomable. I testify of that with every
Part of my being it's unfathomable. We just can't
understand it and I'm grateful to know that today
He heals us. He lifts us. He transforms us. He
does it every day and he does it in our everyday
lives Even when we're not watching Thanks for
being with us and remember there's always hope
through him because you have been redeemed through
his blood Thanks for being with us. We'll see
you next time