Hey there everybody, welcome to Redeemed Through His Blood.
In this podcast we discuss hope, healing and redemption through the Atonement of Jesus
Christ.
My name's Scott Durfee and I want to be the first to welcome you out today.
And as always, it's my honor to welcome my partner in this project, our amazing teacher
and friend, Brother David Durfee.
Good to be here.
Thank you.
I'm grateful for the blessing it is to review these important points of doctrine and to
celebrate the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our life.
Thank you, Scott.
Yeah, it's good to be here.
As always, I've really cherished and loved the opportunity to be with Dave, with you,
Dave, as we've gone through these things.
I just don't know that I know of anybody and I would be, I think we'd be hard pressed
to find anybody that could help us have a more clear understanding of this such important
doctrine, not just in the church, but just this doctrine period.
And I'm grateful for that.
It's good to have you with us, Dave.
And gang, we want to thank you all for your emails.
Remember our email address is he redeems us at gmail.com.
That is, he redeems us at gmail.com.
We again, thank you so much for your emails, your comments, your questions.
We appreciate them very much and encourage you to just keep sending those to us.
And when it's appropriate and where we can, we'll do what we can to include those questions
for our listeners and for everybody's benefit.
So last week we talked about the, began to talk about the effects of the Atonement of
Jesus Christ.
We got into the unconditional, we spent most of our time talking about the unconditional,
the unconditional aspects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
I think we'll have some more to say about that today.
I also think that today we'll be moving into somewhat around the conditional effects of
the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
So as we do that, you'll remember last week we talked about, Dave shared with us a great
story about a, a inmate at the Utah State Prison that had been adopted, so to speak,
by his family and had felt the, and the, the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ had
many experiences.
He also shared with us a story of his son, my cousin, Isaac, who has had similar challenges
in his life and how those things are covered through the Atonement of Jesus Christ because
of the unconditional component of it.
So as we start moving now into more of the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ,
we're going to be looking at again, the unconditional and the conditional parts of it.
We're going to talk about again, more who's covered by it.
We're going to probably get into the three powers of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and,
and how they affect and their, their role in our learning and our experiencing it.
So with that, let's get things rolling, Dave.
Where do you want to start today?
Well, I think near the, near the end of last episode, I had read this, this quote, which
I want to read again, all that is unfair about life can be, and I believe in some situations
unconditionally will be, made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
That's from Preach My Gospel, page 52.
And we've, we've said this earlier in our podcasts about the fall, Scott, that all the
negatives of the fall, which we did not choose are unconditionally covered by the infinite
and intimate Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Think about that.
It doesn't matter where you're born.
It doesn't matter what your faith, your religion is.
It doesn't matter anything, any negative that has been forced upon you or that came about
as a result of, of genetics or imbalance or all of the, all the negatives of the fall
that we didn't choose.
And I believe that the outcomes of those negatives, even maybe the behavioral outcomes of those
negatives that we didn't choose, all of that is covered by the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
We'll talk about more about that.
Senator Renland recently, just a few years ago, said, remember joyfully and reverently
that the Savior loves to restore what you cannot restore.
He loves to heal wounds.
You cannot heal.
He loves to fix what has been irreparably broken, irreparably broken.
That amazing statement, he loves to fix what has been irreparably broken.
He compensates, this is Elder Renland, he compensates for any unfairness inflicted upon you and
he loves to permanently mend even shattered broken hearts.
I just think that's an amazing promise and a testimony of the power of Christ.
Yeah, I do too.
There's a couple things that kind of jump out at me, if I might, from Elder Renland's
quote there, you know, irreparable.
I don't think that word irreparable is in the vocabulary of our Savior.
Everything is repairable by him.
Everything.
So irreparable, he has no context there, right?
And then the other one is permanently fixed, permanently.
Permanently.
Permanently mend.
Permanently mend, that's the phrase.
Permanently mend.
My goodness, I would like to have something permanently mended that is flawed.
We just don't have, you know, because of the fall, we just don't.
When I think of permanently mended, right now I've got some problems with the thumb,
right?
It's just, and that's because of the fall.
I want it permanently mended.
Well, today it's not going to be permanently mended and I'm probably going to have to deal
with this situation for much or most of my life, but that's not permanent, right?
Yeah, and worse is worse than the physical is the emotional.
Much worse.
Mental, spiritual flaws and inadequacies that we struggle with.
So I just, the depths and breadth and the comprehension of the Atonement of Jesus Christ
God, if we could just begin to get a glimpse of what is covered by the Atonement of Jesus
Christ and who's covered by Christ in all the world, it would just, there's so many
people who are upset, anxious about the, I understand, I am too.
I think all of us being mortal can't live in this world without having all the negatives
of the world affect us, but it makes such a difference with me to understand just a
little bit, a glimpse of what the Atonement of Christ covers.
And that gives me so much hope, it gives me so, it's so much easier for me to forgive,
to extend mercy and grace.
Here's a quote by Elder Cook, Elder Quintenelle Cook.
Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer whose Atonement not only provides for salvation
and exaltation, but also will compensate for all the unfairness of life.
That's an amazing statement, Scott.
Yeah, that is.
And so when our kids come to us and say, dad, life's not fair, we can say, yeah, life's
not fair.
But life has been compensated for, those unfairnesses have been compensated for through the Atonement
of our Lord and Savior.
Yeah.
And I just really rejoice in that.
And I think thinking about it, I think I think about it every day.
And it really, really affects my life every day.
I had another experience several years ago on an Indian reservation, a Crow Indian reservation
up in Hardin, Montana, just south of Billings.
And I had been invited to be there because I was the area director of seminaries and
institutes in the central area, in North America central area.
And I had been invited to come with several other priesthood leaders to talk about how
we can increase our outreach to these Native American members of the church.
And I don't think people really understand how many Native American reservations there
are in this country.
If you live in the Midwest, oh man, they're in every state in the Midwest multiple.
There's so many tribal nations and so many different reservations.
And I learned that.
And I loved going to visit some members of the church and on those reservations.
There's actually lots of members of the church that live there.
The activity rate is quite low.
People might remember back in the 60s and 70s, there were lots of baptisms that were
performed on chapels that were built.
And anyway, I experienced that living in the Midwest for 13 years.
And so we were invited to go to Hardin, Montana, Crow Reservation.
Actually we were only a few miles from where Custer met his demise in Montana.
And I actually met the family that owns that property, even though the government leases
it from them.
And there's a national monument there.
I was able to go on the property and kind of get an own personal tour from the family
that owns that property.
But Elder Hugh Pinnock was the president of the 70 who was presiding at this meeting.
And at the time was the president of the North America Central Area.
And in this meeting with about 40 priesthood leaders, Elder Pinnock said something like
this.
He said, I believe what Alma says that there are different degrees of sin.
And I believe, as Alma says, that the worst sin is to deny the Holy Ghost unpardonable,
unforgivable.
And I believe the second worst sin is murder.
But I see it a little bit differently.
I don't necessarily completely agree with Alma that the third worst sin is adultery.
He said, I think there's a sin worse than adultery.
It's the sin of giving up on people.
And he said, the minute you give up on someone, the minute you write them off, you are committing
a form of murder.
And he said to us, some of you have written off these people.
Some of you have given up because of their inactivity.
And he really chastised all of us in the room.
He really let us have it that we shouldn't write off anybody.
And he said to us, if you had to walk in their moccasins, some of you would not do as well
as they've done.
And then he said he wanted to read a scripture to us.
And he turned to this scripture in Doctrine and Covenants section 46 verse 15, which has
been just life changing for me.
So this is Doctrine and Covenants section 46 verse 15, Elder Pinnock read.
And again, to some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the differences of administration
as it will be pleasing unto the same Lord, according as the Lord will.
Then this is the part he emphasized, suiting his mercies according to the conditions of
the children of men.
Then he gave us this interpretation of the verse, the application of the verse.
And he said, some of you have given up on these people, and he said, the Lord suits
his mercies or suits us, Taylor covers us, right?
Taylor made the mercies in grace of the Atonement of Jesus Christ according to our conditions.
And he reminds us, if you were born in these Elder Pinnock reminded us, if you were born
in their conditions, some of you wouldn't do as well as they've done.
Well I was just having an amazing experience sending their listening to this and my mind
was just enlightened and enlarged and we were eating lunch and I was sitting across the
table from Elder Pinnock and I said, Elder Pinnock, I'm so grateful for what you shared
with us this morning that the Lord suits his mercies according to the conditions of the
children of men.
But how do I reconcile that verse with Corinthians 10.13, so I sat across the table from Elder
Hugh Pinnock at lunch and I said to him, Elder Pinnock, I loved what you taught us today in
Dr. and Covenants 46.15 that the Lord suits his mercies according to the conditions.
But I said, how do I reconcile that in my mind with 1 Corinthians 10.13 which teaches
us that there hath no temptation taken us but such as is common to man.
But with the temptation that we experience, the Lord will make an escape that we may be
able to bear it.
So how do I reconcile those two things?
And he looked at me and he could tell I wasn't really getting it and he was, you know, he
was being kind but he said to me kind of in this tone, Brother Durfee, there's a difference
between conditions and temptations.
Wow, as soon as he said that, Scott, it was like a thousand lights went on in my mind
that there's a difference between temptations and conditions and that all of the negative
conditions of life that we experience are unconditionally covered by the atonement of
Jesus Christ and that includes, can include where you're born and who you're born to and
what you're born with or without.
And I just went through my mind, wow, the mercy, the mercy of God, the love of God,
it was just really affected me.
And I just, I don't look at life the same now knowing that all of the conditions of
life that are in any way negative that the Lord suits His mercies to cover those.
So I have an experience with this scripture and you may remember it, Dave.
I don't remember the year but you were living in Minnesota and I was struggling with something
pretty bad, badly with something, that's what I mean to say.
It was just difficult for me and that thing had to do with my kids and it had to do with
I had not lived my life or made a lot of great choices in my life while they were young and
impressionable that would definitely affect them and it has, it's definitely affected
them.
And when I was coming back to myself, when I was coming back to the fold so to speak
and embracing all of the things that I knew to be true and was even though the conditions
of my past, you know, they were now being, they were now being satisfied through the
Atonement of Jesus Christ but there was this one thing that was just eating me a lot.
I couldn't sleep.
Sometimes it was difficult for me to eat.
I couldn't stay focused on my work.
And what this thing was was, man, I really have not given my kids a very good chance
in this life.
I have not been able to put them or been able is absolutely the inaccurate way to say it
but I did not make the choices I needed to make to put them on the path that would lead
them to the eternal peace and happiness that I had hoped for.
One might be listening to this and thinking, well, way to go Scott, you know, great example.
And you know, touche, that's exactly right.
Great example.
That was me making that mistake.
That was me messing up for which I've paid and will continue.
But the compensatory part of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and you when I called you
because when I get in a spot where I need advice, there are certain people that I can
call that I know are going to have.
Well there's just certain people that I can call and trust and you've definitely been
one of those for me, David.
One day I remember where I was standing, I was at the mall in Sandy, Utah at the South
Town Mall in the parking lot.
I was working.
I was making calls between appointments and some of my customers were there.
This was eating me up so badly.
I just I prayed and for whatever reason I had the thought called David.
So I called you and you answered and I explained to you what was going on and we've had more
than one conversation about this.
You've helped me a great deal with this.
You gave me that Scripture, D&C 4615.
And I think it was shortly after that you had had the time that you had had this experience
and what a difference it made to me to have that understanding through your experience
that you know what the conditions under which we are all subjected and we are all subjected
to certain conditions.
We just are.
Right.
And when we're subjected to those conditions, if they take us away from living our most
perfect life and many of them will, most of them sometimes do to have this promise, to
have this comfort.
Right.
What a gift.
Well, that's that's great application, Scott.
None of us are perfect parents.
No.
Thanks for reminding me of that experience.
I I can't remember that, but I'm grateful that that I was able to be involved in that
experience with you because it's affected me so much.
And as a priesthood leader, it's I know it's blessed so many other individuals and families
to think about this application that because none of us are perfect parents that our children
sometimes act out because of our stupidity, our ignorance, our lack of this or our lack
of that.
And they didn't choose that.
Now, again, I know, I know that the Atonement allows us to act and not to be acted upon.
But the reality is, is that because of certain conditions that we're born into, it really,
it really does act upon us and it really does affect us in negative, in negative ways.
And as an imperfect parent, I am so thankful to know that in my failure that the Atonement
of Jesus Christ can make up the difference in my lack of doing things that I should have
done where others maybe could or should or would have been blessed that that I didn't
do, that the Atonement of Jesus Christ can compensate and make up the difference that
mercy is always extended according to the conditions of the children of men.
And I think it's important that we point out to that, you know, we can't look at this.
None of us can look at this scripture and say, well, because of my conditions, I don't
need to try.
That's not the point.
In fact, it's quite the opposite.
Amen.
In fact, it's quite the opposite because, you know, as we look at this and we realize
the great mercy and love and, you know, over the last 12 or 10 or however many podcasts
that we've been able to publish at this point.
So during that period of time, we have established a relationship and knowing him that enables
us to fill his love through the power of the Holy Spirit.
And as we fill his love through the Holy Spirit, it changes our behaviors as we've talked
about multiple times.
As those behaviors change, I mean, there's a balancing that comes into play here, a reconciliation
of sorts of our own that comes into play here.
One is, is yes, we understand God's great mercy towards us.
And it's undescribable.
In fact, it's unfathomable to some of us, the mercy, the amount of mercy that he's extended
to us through this because it just, and going back to that scripture, DNC 4615, because of
the conditions that we're subjected to, born into whatever the case may be.
But we all, as we live that life, as we have the spirit in our life, as we try harder to
have him there, then, then inevitably we do have a desire to be closer to him and to keep
his commandments.
We're still going to fall.
And that's where the reconciliation comes in.
That's where it's, at sometimes we need to be hard on ourselves.
Sometimes we need to cut ourselves a little bit of slack, but we need to do whichever
it is only as directed by the spirit.
If I'm too hard on myself and I'm not directed by the spirit to be hard on myself, then that's
not me participating in the atonement.
If I, and, and, and, you know, conversely, the opposite is also true.
Well, remember, we're talking about the unconditional aspects of the atonement of Jesus Christ here.
Here, in a, in a few minutes, short time, probably, on this podcast, we want to shift
that and talk about the conditional aspects of the atonement of Jesus Christ, which will
require our efforts, our best efforts to exercise faith unto repentance, will require our efforts
to receive the Holy Ghost and to be led by the spirit.
Those are all, those are all the conditional aspects and blessings of the atonement of Jesus
Christ, but we're, we're still on the unconditional and it's just universal.
It doesn't matter what your faith is.
Doesn't matter if you repent or you don't repent.
It doesn't matter whether you have the gospel or you don't or the opportunities or you don't.
The atonement of Jesus Christ affects every person that has been born into this world
and covers all of the negative conditions that people suffer in this world and makes
it so that they can receive mercy out of all of those negatives that they experience.
I, I know that we speak in the church so often of the redemptive powers of the atonement
of Jesus Christ, which requires, that's conditional, that requires faith unto repentance, that
requires effort on our part to receive the blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ
in our life.
I know we speak about the enabling powers of the atonement of Jesus Christ, which have
been well described by the brethren, which is the, the grace or the strengthening part
of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
And yet to kind of today and really last time as well, we're spending a lot of time talking
about the unconditional powers, the compensatory powers of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
And here's another, here's one of my favorite quotes from Elder Christopherson on this idea.
The atonement satisfies the debt justice owes to us by healing and compensating us for any
suffering we innocently endure.
Jesus Christ's atonement pays for any debt that is the result of anything that we suffer
innocently.
So I, I just think that we underestimate the mercy and grace that's available not only
to us, not only to our parents, our children, our families, but to our neighbors, to those
who have hurt us or offended us, to the world, both good and evil, righteous or wicked.
The atonement of Jesus Christ, Scott, is just so comprehensive and universal.
And last podcast, we, we talked about gratitude being the beginning of desire.
Well, when I think about the, the blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ and all who
are covered by it, then all of the answers that gives us to some of the really hard questions
and facts of life.
When I think about Jesus suffering for everyone in the world, based on their conditions, that
he covers all of those who have ignorantly sinned as taught by King Benjamin in Mosiah
chapter three or as taught by Jacob in second Nephi chapter nine, who died without the law.
When I think about all of the individuals, billions and billions who have been blessed
by the atonement of Jesus Christ, my gratitude increases and my desires are increased and
influenced by that.
And it strengthens me in my faith and in my desire and ability to live the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
So I guess that's kind of, I think, the importance and the application of understanding these
things.
So maybe, maybe it's time for us to move into some of the conditional aspects.
Yeah, I think it is.
So let's just kind of recap real quickly.
Last week we talked about unconditionally, remember we talked about those who died unaccountable,
children, and how because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, they are unconditionally
saved in the highest degree of glory.
We talked about a young man, a man who had been just horrifically abused, beginning at
the almost birth, who David had an opportunity to spend a lot of time in getting to know
and loving, who spent time at the Utah State Penitentiary.
We also talked about Isaac, Dave's son, and some of the things that he's been subjected
to through no choice of his own.
And so, you know, this unconditional component, we, again, and I just want to reemphasize
this, we think of it as being applicable sometimes only to those who have gone through those
types of things.
We believe there might be something in each one of us that might have unconditional coverage
and application through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
And if you're struggling with that, if that's something in your life that you're trying
to figure out going back and forth, you know, my suggestion would be stop the blame game
and just enter into his rest by coming unto him.
And again, where do we come unto him?
We come unto him in the garden.
We come unto him at the cross.
We come unto him at the garden tomb.
And as we do these things, our love increases, our confusion dampens, and we get a brighter
recollection of who we are and whose we are.
And that kind of peace and harmony in our life is unmatched by anything else.
So even those of us who may or may not have lived a horrific life, there may be something
unconditionally covered through the atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives.
So as we move into the conditional parts, Dave, where do we?
Well, one thought Scott comes into my mind as you're describing that, which is so important.
None of us should use the events or conditions or negatives in our life as an excuse to do
any thing wrong.
And I know the reality of all that, but we should, as you put it, we shouldn't do that.
To be engaged in the blame game.
I saw something the other day that really struck me in regards to this.
We should strive to be an example, not to be the exception.
You know, I think that's really powerful that through the enabling, through the redeeming,
powers of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can strive to be an example of gospel living,
of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Striving to be an example is what we should focus on, not focused on, oh, I'm the exception.
Jesus covers me unconditionally.
I know there's aspects of that that are true, but to focus on being the exception or a victim
or blaming is, I think, really dangerous, can be really negative in a major setback.
I love the Scriptures, the verses that talk about us being blameless.
Be blameless.
That's a number of times in the Scriptures.
And when I read that, I think, okay, that means not only that he can't blame me, that
means I shouldn't blame anybody else.
I think that's an important attribute as a disciple of Jesus Christ, that we not blame
others for our problems, that we strive to be an example, and through the Holy Ghost
and the application of the atonement of Christ that we seek to be an example.
So often, most of us, the reason we blame is, well, there's a myriad of reasons.
But part of the reason we sometimes blame is that shifts the responsibility, right?
But as we, and I understand that, I think we've probably, at some level, most of us
have been that person to some degree, at some point in our lives.
But I think that, and this has been the case for me, as I have come to understand his love
for me, the important components of the atonement of Jesus Christ, if I've come to understand
that, I feel less victimized and more empowered.
And I think that's what the atonement of Jesus Christ does for us is it empowers us
to overcome, right?
I love that.
To overcome, we have been empowered through the atonement of Jesus Christ to overcome
even our victimizations.
There are no victims in God's world, David.
And I say that with some hesitancy, because I know, compared to what I've been through,
yeah, some of you have been victimized, and I get that.
But let's put it in perspective.
In God's world, are there really any victims?
Or are we all participating in life that allows us to come more fully to Him?
Well the truth is, because of the fall, because of the choice of Adam and Eve and the fall
of universal fall of mankind, we're all victims.
Well then I guess it's universal, one way or the other.
We're all victims, God.
Right, but very few of us are that unique.
But because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, this is your point, because of the atonement
of Jesus Christ, we don't have to see ourselves as victims.
Ever again.
The atonement of Jesus Christ overcame all of that.
And for those of us who have been heard or abused or bullied, you know, my son Isaac,
who's in prison, has been through such terrible bullying in his life.
And it's hurtful.
I know it's hurtful.
But the atonement of our Savior overcomes all of that.
And that's what we should focus on.
We need to focus on how He suffered for it, how He paid for it, how He paid for the outcomes
of it, how He, and as we do that, and our gratitude grows and our faith in the atonement
of Jesus Christ increases, and we receive the powers, the empowerment that you're talking
about as we receive that, we don't need to be the exception and we don't need to be the
victim.
And we don't need to go around blaming.
Blaming would certainly be evidence that we are not forgiving.
You know, not only that we're not being accountable, that we haven't yet forgiven.
And we'll spend a whole podcast on this another day.
But I think the key to forgiving others who have hurt us in sometimes some really significant
negative ways is to understand the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ unconditionally
overcomes any hurt, any abuse, overcomes anything that we suffer at the hands of others,
and that we can't judge our abuser or we can't judge the person who has hurt us because maybe
they are covered by the atonement of Jesus Christ as well.
Understanding the atonement helps me not only to be forgiven, but it gives me the power
and the understanding I need to forgive.
And if we understand and truly believe some of the stuff that we've talked about, we began
part of our discussions here many weeks ago when we started talking about the fall.
And we know that because of the fall, some of us are going to have conditions in our
life that are going to be unfavorable.
Regardless of to whom we're born, where we're born, under what circumstances, there are
still going to be those conditions that are unfair.
If we look in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 2 verse 2, now what we're learning here is
Nephi's talking to his son Jacob, right?
And so he's talking about all the afflictions and trials that Jacob's been through and he
says, nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness
of God, and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for gain, for thy gain.
And that's done only, only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
So the Atonement of Jesus Christ not only helps us to understand that because of the
conditions I'm born in, I'm going to be okay, but also, but also, but because of those conditions,
they can be consecrated for my gain.
Yeah.
And that's an interesting passage that's in 2 Nephi chapter 2.
And Lehi's telling Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, I'm sorry that your older
brothers abused you, I'm sorry that they bullied you, I'm sorry of the, and then he, and then
he tells it.
But quit feeling sorry for yourself.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself.
All thine afflictions shall be consecrated for thy gain.
Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
That is amazing, Scott.
Quit feeling sorry for yourself.
You know, I don't know if there's a tougher time in the history of the church than the
saints in Jackson County talking about being victimized and being abused and the unfairness
of life is, oh, the accounts of the hardship of the saints in Jackson County, Missouri
in 1831, 32 when they were the families, all the families who had gone there to help statuaries
Zion and then to be run out of the county and oh, it's the accounts of that are so,
so touching and so hard for me to read.
But the Lord speaks to them through the prophet Joseph Smith and he says to them, this is
in doctrine comes section 98.
Verse 3.
Well, and I even love verse 1.
Okay.
It's so interesting verse 1.
Here they've been through all this stuff, Scott.
And once you read verse 1, you're there.
You got it.
It says, Verily I say unto you, my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted, yea,
rejoice evermore in everything give thanks.
Thanks for what?
Yeah, right.
Thanks for what?
Yeah, exactly.
I've got my home's been burnt down.
My children have been abused.
My wife abused a man tarred and feathered, a man Edward Partridge and Charles Allen and
how the terrible things that happened in Jackson County.
And then he tells them what?
He first he calls them friends, then he tells them to fear not, be comforted and in everything
give thanks and rejoice evermore.
And rejoice evermore.
The only way I can explain that is, okay, I'd have to be given thanks for the Atonement
of Jesus Christ.
That's it.
I would just have to really be grateful for a Savior and Redeemer and to know that all
of these things will be consecrated for my gain.
I'd have to really hold on to that.
Well, he tells them to wait patiently on the Lord in verse two and then why don't you read
verse three?
All right.
So this is section 98 verse three.
Therefore, he giveth his promise unto you with an immutable covenant that they shall
be fulfilled.
And all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good and to my
name's glory, saith the Lord.
An immutable covenant immutable means unchangeable forever and ever.
It can't be changed.
Nothing is going to change.
Nothing can silence it.
Nothing can make it go away.
It's an unconditional covenant, really, that all of the things whereby they've been afflicted,
wherewith they've been afflicted will work together for your good and to my name's glory.
Wow.
The only way that's possible is by understanding and receiving, you know, the blessings of
the Atonement of Jesus Christ through our faith.
And that's, I think I used that verse.
I think I read that verse more in my office as a bishop trying to help people who are
hurting and suffering more than any other.
I think this passage, Deans, Doctrine and Covenants 98 verses 1 through 3, I read more
than any other two individuals in my ward who were struggling.
And I'm really grateful that we have these scriptures of the Restoration, Book of Mormon,
Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, that gives us a deeper understanding of the
powers and blessings, gifts of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
You know, Scott, Robert J. Matthews, who wrote the Bible Dictionary, used to always say,
the Bible tells us what Jesus did.
And the Bible describes largely the events of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
But the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants tell us why he did it and the blessings that
came out of it, the powers and blessings that came out of it.
And then I'm just really thankful that we have this more complete understanding of the
mercy and grace of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
So many believe in the Christian world, believe in a quote, limited Atonement.
And yet we have this amazing phrase that's several times in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi
and in Alma 34, we have an infinite Atonement.
It covers all people.
It covers all negatives.
It covers all worlds.
It covers, you know, back to the Kfar, the Hebrew, the Atonement covers us.
Yeah.
Talk about that for just a second.
I think we talked about that in our last podcast, but Kfar, why don't you just...
Just this idea of when I think of it, of the Atonement and I guess I use the word covering,
how it covers us often.
And I think of the Hebrew Kfar meaning to cover us.
Not only covers up for any negatives in our life, but it literally like angels' wings
or like a warm blanket on a cold night.
It warms us.
It covers us.
It heals us.
It protects us, too.
It protects us from all the conditions and negative elements of our life.
That's the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
How grateful should we all be that we're covered?
We are covered, unconditionally covered from all the negatives of the fall and of a mortal
celestial world.
If we did nothing else this week, but contemplate that and set our intentional meditation and
prayer and communion with our Heavenly Father just on that, how would our lives be enriched?
How would that change your level of gratitude and your level of desire?
How would that change your terrible rotten, no good day?
How would that change your relationship with not only Jesus, but your relationship with
your family, your husband, your wife, your son, your daughter, others who may be struggling?
How would that change how you see them?
How would that change how you see the world?
It completely changes your perspective, Scott.
There's so many people who are struggling right now because of how they see the world
and all of the negatives of the world, and it can be so discouraging and depressing.
But if we would, as you invite us to do, if we would just focus on that this week, the
Atonement of Jesus Christ and who's covered?
Wow.
We might have a better week.
I got this text late last night.
Well, I got this text.
It was actually later yesterday afternoon from a young, just a beautiful man, just a young
beautiful man who is, he's had his struggles like we all do.
Nothing over the top or extraordinary by any means.
And he faces these kind of dilemmas himself.
He says, Scott, I feel a great desire to change and come closer to God, but I'm so overwhelmed
by what's happening in the world, and it may be too late for me to change.
There's not much time left for me, but I know repentance is a process and cannot be forced
or sped up.
You know, so to your point, Dave, we do believe that this is an over.
All you got to do is turn on the news.
Right.
Right?
Turn on the financial news.
I'm privy to that somewhat.
You know, we turn on the regular news.
You know, all you have to do is just take a look at our world around us, and we can find
reasons to fear.
Again.
Yeah, go to the gas station.
Exactly.
Take out a loan first.
But these are the things that these are the things in our lives that the Atonement is
there for.
I mean, we think of the Atonement and so often we think about, OK, I'm going to the bishop's
office and I'm going to I'm going to I'm going to put into action the Atonement because I'm
going to the bishop's office and I'm going to repent.
Well, that's part of it.
Sure.
But it's such a small part of it.
Well, you know, we'll get into repentance and how it's sometimes the myths of repentance
and how it's sometimes seen to be through the church and through the Lord.
Right.
Listen to this quote by Elder Anderson, speaking of the world and the challenges of the world
and the promise that Elder Anderson gives us, which is possible through the Atonement of
Jesus Christ.
I just one of my favorite quotes and he gave it at BYU devotional, but it's in his book
The Divine Gift of Forgiveness, some page 43.
He he writes, as evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory spiritual power as
the world slides from its spiritual moorings.
The Lord prepares the way for those who seek Him, offering them greater assurance, greater
confirmation and greater confidence in the spiritual direction they are traveling.
I love this last sentence.
The gift of the Holy Ghost becomes a brighter light in the emerging twilight of the world.
So what a great promise.
Only only possible because of our savior and Redeemer as evil increases in the world.
Because of God's love for us and for the world and because of his son, our savior and Redeemer
as evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory spiritual power that is also
in the world for the righteous, for sure, for those who seek it and for those who seek
it and for some for some who ignorantly sin and who who don't have the law as well.
Right.
Well, my gosh, you know, we time just flies when we start talking about these important
things, especially because we have so much great love and just our lives are just so
enriched and so much better because we have an understanding of that, which is so real
in them.
Well, maybe I'll just end with one of my favorite quotes from Elder Holland on this topic, which
I'll never forget this.
I think it was a young adult, worldwide telecast, fireside several years ago, 2008.
And it was from Liberty Jail.
Oh, yeah.
It was about Liberty Jail.
And he reviewed the hardship that the prophet and others who were with him went through
in that cold winter, Missouri winter in Liberty, Missouri, in a in a jail.
And in writing about this and in talking about the blessings of a savior and Redeemer, Elder
Holland wrote, it ought to be a matter of great doctrinal consolation to us that Jesus
in the course of the atonement experienced all of the heartache and sorrow, all of the
disappointments and injustices that the entire family of man had experienced, not just members
of the church, Scott, but all the entire family of man had experienced and would experience
from Adam and Eve to the end of the world in order that we would not have to face them
so severely or so deeply.
However heavy our load might be, it would be a lot heavier if the savior had not gone
that way before us and carried that burden with us and for us.
End quote.
So I take great consolation and find great joy in what we understand to be the the compensatory
powers and blessings, the enabling strength and powers and the redemptive powers of the
atonement of Jesus Christ that can flow into our life if we will seek to come to know Him,
to follow Him, to learn of Him.
And the difference that can make in my life as a son, as a brother, as a dad, as a granddad,
as a neighbor, as a friend, how it can be life changing if we could just understand it and
focus on it more often.
I love that he loved us first.
I love that he has provided for us a way to get through those things which are so besetting
sometimes.
As we've talked about the atonement, the effects of the atonement of Jesus Christ over the
last couple of podcasts, we've talked about unconditional and conditional components to
it.
We've talked about and really tried to emphasize and I hope that this has been something I
take away for each of us is that there's really basically three powers of the atonement
of Jesus Christ that we've talked about today, the redemptive power, the enabling power, and
the compensating power that makes up for everything that's not our fault.
As we've talked about these things today, surely hopefully the Spirit has helped resonate
something within you.
And oftentimes, and it's always my invitation, I'm a guy of action and I just hope that as
we are feeling prompted to do that we will act on those promptings and whether that prompting
be to just develop deeper gratitude, whether that prompting to be to commune with him more
or whatever the case may be, please listen to the Spirit, take guidance from he who loves
us perfectly.
He died for us, he paid, he redeemed, he enables, he compensates, and for us to know that should
add direction and healing and hope and harmony and even in sometimes our struggles, even
peace in our lives.
And I'm just so grateful that we have this and that the gospel has been restored.
I'm grateful that we have the knowledge that we have and David, again, we're grateful for
you and for your teaching us and helping us to get a better grasp on these things.
Thank you so much.
Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, it's been great to be with you once again.
There's probably been a couple of things that you have thought to do, may God enable you
to do that.
May you find the courage and the strength and the wherewithal to make a difference in
your own life for surely he has to.
We love you.
We know God loves you.
We look forward to being with you again next week and until then God bless you and take
care.