Hey there everybody, welcome back another podcast.
My name's Scott Durfey joined by my good friend Uncle Dave.
It's good to have you here too.
It's going to be great.
We are here along the Wasatch Front in Utah are finally getting a chance to experience
some warm weather.
Yeah, I've been golfing the last two days, Scott.
Grateful for that.
I was just going to ask you.
Monday, Tuesday.
Okay, yeah.
Well, good.
That's good.
That's a sign of spring.
Probably should be out there right now.
No, you should be right here right now.
This is more fun and more important.
You are in the right place right now and we'll get you turned loose here in about an hour
and you can go back and golf then.
So gang, we'll get started here in just a brief second.
Before we do though, just first of all, I want to tell you thank you for those who have
been responding to our request for emails and maybe even plead one more time for another
response.
Again, if you are having experiences that are helping you in your life through the Atonement
of Jesus Christ through the things that we're talking about, whether they were propagated
here or on your own or what have you, if you wouldn't mind just dropping us a line in an
email, we'd appreciate it.
You can send those to he redeems us at gmail.com.
Also while you're doing that, you know, we've been at this now for just a little over a
year and we hope that we're providing everything that it is that you would like us to.
But we'd also invite, provide an invitation here for you to provide any feedback.
You can do that also through that email.
And so please take advantage of that.
Let us know how we're doing, what we're doing.
David, you know, one of the things as a professional public speaker every night when I speak, I
get a survey the next day.
And the survey the next day from the hundreds.
Well, you know, that's what you would think, but you really want that because, you know,
like here, we can't see our audience.
We don't get to see look in the eyes of those that we're talking to.
We don't get to see body languages, you know, and those types of things.
And so the connection is a little challenging.
And and that's what I love so much about those surveys is they can write in comments.
And you know, and oftentimes, even though I've been doing this for 20 years as a professional
public speaker, there are still times when I need some redirection and oftentimes I get
that from my students and so forth.
You know, as I'm doing that, they'll put and I'm so grateful for that.
And we're just kind of asking for the same thing here, gang, if you wouldn't mind just
letting us know how we're doing, what we could do to make this experience better for you,
what it would be, how it would could be better enough for you to invite your friends and family
to listen, etc.
So that's there.
And then another thing, and then we'll get right into it, Dave, but one other thing I
do want to announce, I've meant to make this announcement the last couple of times, but
we just get rocking and rolling and I forget all of our current and most of our past podcasts
now have transcription services.
You be able to if you go to the website for the podcast, in other words, the hosting website
for the podcast, you'll find that in the notes and you can also find that at any of the outlets
that you're listening to, whether that be Apple or Audible or whatever, there should
be a link to go to the host site, it's rss.com forward slash he redeemed through his blood.
And there you can find and print if you like transcripts.
That was a request that was sent out to us quite a while ago by actually an audiologist
in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Dave.
And you know, so I think that's kind of cool that we got that request and we've finally
been able to pull it off.
So just want to let you know that's there too.
And we're excited now to get talking.
Well, let's, let's thank you, Scott.
Let's jump in.
Let's do it.
I know we've been talking a lot about the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in
our life and we have tried hard to talk about the, the, the truth that we are redeemed.
Jesus has redeemed us.
He has saved us from death and hell.
That's the way Jacob in 2nd Nephi 9 puts it, Scott, that he redeemed us from death and
hell.
And then he describes that death is the grave and then later in a few more verses, he describes
that hell is spiritual death, right?
The separation from God or the separation from righteousness and, and spiritual death
comes upon us because of, of sin.
So it's really clear if you carefully read 2nd Nephi chapter 9, we are redeemed.
We are saved.
I just wish more Latter-day Saints could really, could really feel that.
Now, I didn't say that we're exalted.
I didn't say that we're all going to return back to the presence of God and become like
him.
That's, that's, that's different.
That's exaltation.
But Jesus has redeemed all of Father's children because all will be resurrected and all will
go back into the presence of God.
We left the presence of God and all will return to the presence of God to be judged.
You can, you can read that in the Bible dictionary under the, the title death.
If you look up the little caption death, it describes that as well in the Bible dictionary.
And speaking of the Bible dictionary, the author of the Bible dictionary, at least he
wrote almost all of it, Robert J. Matthews, I have a quote here to read.
He said, salvation comes by redemption, not by assimilation.
Jesus did more than set an example.
He did more than teach ethics or a standard and system of living with his suffering and
his blood with his suffering and his blood.
He paid a debt to fulfill the demands of a broken law.
He redeemed all living things.
Period.
Not just us plants, animals, every living thing has been redeemed.
Death has been overcome.
Sin and spiritual death has been overcome through Jesus Christ, our savior and redeemer.
The gospel is a law of redemption from sin and death.
It is not just the assimilation of good habits.
I just think so many times we focus too often as members of the church, and I think most
of us are guilty of it, that we focus too much upon the fact that we have to earn heaven.
We have to earn instead of tapping into utilizing the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Instead of relying upon our merits, we should be relying upon his merits.
So, let me just say again, the gospel is a system of redemption, not a system of assimilation.
It is not just about assimilating good habits.
It's not just about keeping the commandments, and I didn't say that wasn't important.
I just said there's so much more to it than that.
The gospel is redemption of the soul made possible by Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice.
So do you think, have we said that clear enough, Scott?
I don't know.
I hope we have.
And I say that almost tongue in cheek because we can say it and keep saying it and keep
saying it, but we still have this problem.
And this problem is that, you know, and it's not in our church and it's not in other churches,
it's within us.
It's we just have this thought that I have to do, I have to do, I have to do.
And you know, and again, you said it, that the doings, we're not disqualifying the importance
of keeping the commandments.
We're not disqualifying or discounting the importance of the things that we are motivated
to do when we realize the redemption is for us and has been completed for us already.
But yeah, I hope we've said it enough, but here's one more quote.
Okay.
This is Elder Chris Tofferson in the General Conference years ago.
Without his redemption from death and from sin, we have only a gospel of social justice.
Let that soak in for a minute.
Yeah.
Why don't you read it again actually without his redemption from death and from sin.
Scott that's unconditional.
We're all going to die and be resurrected and we're all going to be sin and yet we're
still going to return back to the presence of God.
Whether you repent or not, every needle bound, every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ.
Now whether you stay there, whether you dwell there, whether you're with your family forever
there, that's a different deal.
That requires so much faith, repentance and good works.
Right.
Yeah.
Well, Elder Chris Tofferson goes on.
That may provide some help and reconciliation in the present, but it has no power.
This gospel of social justice has no power to draw down from heaven, perfect justice
and infinite mercy.
Ultimate redemption is in Jesus Christ and in him alone.
Yeah.
There is a Senate's there you just read that ended in mercy.
Read that one again.
The gospel of social justice may provide some help and reconciliation in the present, but
it has no power to draw down from heaven, perfect justice and infinite mercy.
That's right.
Infinite mercy.
Infinite.
We were just talking about a scripture before we started that Brother Matthews used to love
to quote, which is Alma 3316 Scott.
And I didn't even know this scripture was there the first time I heard Brother Matthews
quote it and it really has affected me for many, many years now.
Will you read that to us?
This is, yeah, this is really amulet and Alma teaching the Zoramites on the hill.
Oh, night.
And they're talking about Almas.
You're giving the great discourse on faith.
Then the amulet follows up and bears witness of what the seed is and answers their question
is, which really is, is the word in Christ.
And then they quote, is it Zenas?
Well, they're quoting two prophets here.
They're quote, first of all, yeah, they first of all quote Zenas, you know, and that talks
about these things.
And then they quote Zenek here, who also speak of these things and said, for behold, he said,
thou art angry, oh, oh, Lord.
Okay.
Now I want us to hear this.
I don't want us to just kind of breeze through this scripture.
Okay.
That was a great scripture because these words have weight.
And we don't want to anybody feel terrible and those who are already those who are already
self-deprecating themselves up and and feel shame.
We don't feel worse about this.
No, but it's just, it is, it's a strong, it's strong language.
And it should be for behold, he said, thou art angry, oh Lord, with this people because
they will not understand thy mercies, which thou has bestowed upon them because of thy
son.
They don't understand how infinite his mercies really are.
They don't understand that they're redeemed in Jesus Christ through Jesus Christ.
I believe Scott again, going back to it seems like the central theme of all of our podcast
is if people could understand that they are redeemed because of Jesus Christ and his atoning
suffering sacrifice, we would be filled with more gratitude and that gratitude would help
us to keep the commandments, to be true and faithful to our covenants, to do the things,
to want to do the things.
Gratitude is the beginning of desires and he uses the word understand that verse, right?
The Lord is angry because they will not understand the mercies of the Lord.
Which he has bestowed upon them because of his son.
Love that verse.
One of Brother Matthew's favorites.
And if understand, understanding fills us, understanding of the atonement of Jesus Christ
and his infinite mercies should fill all of us with greater gratitude and desire to keep
the commandments.
You know I've said this before too Scott, that so many people, well I'll just tell you
how I used to tell my students in Institute, I used to tell my students, hey when I was
young, your age, Institute age, I worked really hard to keep the commandments so that I wouldn't
need the atonement or so I wouldn't need Jesus.
But now that I'm old and they would kind of shake their head like yeah, yeah, yeah we
get that.
How'd that work out for you?
I went on a mission, half of them are returned missionaries or more than half.
Right.
Yeah.
They're going yeah, yeah, we worked our guts out on our mission so we wouldn't need the
atonement.
Yeah.
Thrust in our circle with all our might.
And then I say, oh I was so foolish.
I was so foolish.
Now that I'm old, it's a different perspective.
Now that I'm old, I keep the commandments to put on the atonement.
And to qualify for the blessings that we've talked about, those blessings of joint air,
those blessings of being with him, being like him, you know, those come as motivating, I
don't, you know, kind of as a motivation because here's the thing, David, I think this is,
I don't know if it's universally true, I bet it is though, that you know, as we come to
know him, as we come to love him, as we see his hand at work and hands at work pierced,
right?
At work in our lives, as we see those pierced hands at work in our lives in so many ways,
then we have a desire.
It just, I've noticed and I've seen it in others.
I mean, I'm seeing it in some people right now who in recovery I'm working with, you
know, around various things.
But I just see desires increase to start living more aligned with our Heavenly Father's will
and that alignment includes the commandments.
That alignment includes love our neighbor as ourself and everything like unto ministering,
serving all of that.
So you know, it's just, right?
I just think that there's so many in the church who are just dripping their teeth and working
so hard so they don't need Jesus or in other words, so they don't need to repent.
So we are talking today about continuing to talk about the unconditional, Scott, aspects
of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives.
And that means all of God's children, but there are also some special groups of people
where the Atonement of Jesus Christ has even further unconditional aspects or effects in
their lives.
And we mentioned little children last time, right?
I think I told a story about that.
And today I wanted to talk about the group of people who because of certain, certain
fallen natures that they were born into, conditions, various conditions, circumstances, but also
natures.
The way they're wired, the way certain deficiencies, maybe mental, emotional deficiencies that
they may have, how the Atonement of Jesus Christ unconditionally covers all of that as
well.
But I had an experience on an Indian Reservation in Hardin, Montana, the Crow Indian Reservation
many years ago.
Elder Hugh Pinnick, who was of the presidency of the 70 and the area president of the North
America Central Area, which took in all the Midwest up through Canada, had called this
special meeting and I was the area director of seminaries and institutes and so I received
this invitation to attend.
And there were about 40 stake presidents there, the upper Midwest and all the stake presidents
from the upper Midwest.
And he wanted them to come to an Indian Reservation.
We met in a little chapel.
It was a little branch in Hardin, Montana, and there were some Indian chiefs who were
invited there as well.
And Hugh Pinnick had kind of been adopted, as I remember him explaining by the Native
Americans and he had his own feathers and all of that.
And you know, he had a really special love, much like Spencer W. Kimball for the Native
American people.
And he was expressing all of that to us.
And then early on in this two-day meeting, training, he kind of let all of us have it.
And I remember him saying, Scott, this was right before lunch on the first day.
He said, talked about the inactivity of the Native Americans in the church.
Very low, very low activity rate among so many of the Indian nations and reservations
throughout really America.
But here we are here in Hardin, Montana on Indian Reservation.
I had come from Minnesota.
I had come from the Twin Cities.
And I knew we had been working hard to try to get older couples to serve on Indian Reservations,
try to help our Native American brothers and sisters to come back into activity.
And it was a real challenge.
So Elder Pinnick was responding to a real need.
And he said to us, I know what the worst sin is, and I know what the second worst sin is.
I know the worst sin is to deny the Holy Ghost.
All is according to Alma 39.
And I know the second worst sin is to commit murder.
And I know Alma says that the third worst sin is to commit adultery.
But I think there's a sin that's even worse than that.
And that's when you write off somebody.
Whenever you write off somebody, you give up on them, you stop trying to minister to
them.
You are committing a sin worse than adultery.
He had all of the stake presidents and mine attention.
And then he said, Brother, if you would have been born in these people's moccasins, if
you had to walk in their moccasins, been born in their conditions, and he's pointing his
finger at us, some of you would not have done as well as they are doing.
And if you misjudge them, and you write them off, you are committing a sin worse than adultery.
He read some other scriptures about that.
I remember 3rd Nephi about, you never know when someone's going to come back, 3rd Nephi
18.
And there were other scriptures, but this one scripture, Scott, was life changing to
me.
He read a verse that has changed my life.
When he read it, it was like a thousand lights went on for me.
You know, we had an adopted child.
We were struggling with our son, Isaac.
And this scripture just opened up my mind.
And I just had all kinds of thoughts and feelings I had not had or understood before of the
possibilities and the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
So he read from Dr. and Covenants section 46, which is the revelation on the gifts of
the spirit.
And he was describing some of the gifts of the spirit as he spoke to us.
And he said, the real gift of the spirit that priesthood leaders need, that parents
need, that anyone in leadership needs, the real scripture or gift that you need is Dr.
and Covenants 46 verse 15.
Will you read it, Scott?
And then we can discuss it.
Yeah, I love this scripture.
And again, to some, it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the differences of administration.
Now, now just don't get hung up on administration.
Let's just kind of tweak that a little bit.
Let's talk about ministration, ministering.
So will you just read that again?
I'll change that to ministering.
And again, to some, it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the differences of ministration
or ministering.
As it will be pleasing unto the same Lord, according as the Lord will, suiting His mercies
according to the conditions of the children of men.
So as Elder Hugh Pinnock explained it to all of these priesthood leaders and myself, 40
of us in this little chapel, he said, the gift of the spirit you need more than any
other is the gift to know how to minister the atonement of Jesus Christ into the lives
of others based on their conditions.
You can't minister to all of them the same.
You need to know how to minister to your children differently.
You can't treat your children just the same.
They don't have the same gifts.
They don't have the same talents.
They don't have the same challenges.
Some have embollied.
Some have not.
Some are higher in intelligence than others, which can be a handicap or a blessing.
Everybody's different, Scott.
And the gift of the spirit, which we all need as parents, priesthood leaders, as neighbors,
is to know how to minister mercy of the Lord according to individuals' conditions.
Now, so I'm just filled with the spirit and the light of the Lord when he reads that scripture
and as he describes it and how that applies to ministering and having mercy and administering
mercy to others.
But I was a little bit troubled as I sat there because the churchy me, the institutional
David Durfee setting their thinking, well, how does that apply to the scripture in 1 Corinthians
10-13?
Because 1 Corinthians 10-13 says that nobody is tempted above what they're able and that
no temptation, you know, all temptations are common to men.
Let's read that scripture, Scott.
1 Corinthians 10-13.
Yeah, you bet.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man.
But God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which he are able.
So, you know, that's what I'm wrestling with.
I'm wrestling with the scripture that, you know, God suits his mercies according to conditions
and then I'm struggling with this.
It says that God who is faithful won't be allowed to be tempted above what you're able.
I hope our listeners are kind of understanding the struggle or the conflict I was having.
Bit of a wrestle.
So I tried to set across the table from Elder Pinnock at lunch and express to him my gratitude
for what he had taught us that morning, especially about ministering mercy.
And I'm trying to express my gratitude to him as we're eating and I said, but Elder Pinnock,
how do I reconcile, how do I reconciliate Dr. Cummins 46-15 with 1 Corinthians 10-13
which states that none of us will be tempted above what we are allowed to bear and that
all temptations are common to man.
And he looks at me kind of winces a little bit and he says this is all and this is all
he had to say and he looked at me and he said, well, Brother Durfee, there's a difference
between temptations and conditions.
Wow.
I got it.
And not just not just based on what he said, Scott, I was I was filled with the spirit
and I totally got it.
Really, there is a difference between temptations which are common to man and conditions which
are not all common to man.
There are things that I know individuals suffer with that I will never understand in this
life.
There are things that people go through that I that I can never quite understand or get.
But I can minister mercy to those individuals, I can forgive them based upon the mercies of
Jesus Christ through and because of his atoning sacrifice.
And Scott, that is the gift that we all need as parents, as leaders in the church, as human
beings for other human beings.
How can I minister mercy?
How can I suit mercy?
Suit, suit, how can I suit, suit them up?
How can I how can I bestow mercy upon individuals based upon their conditions?
We that that's a gift to the spirit.
You have to know by the spirit how to do that and it's different for each individual.
So that, honestly, that scripture has taken, I think, it has, it has just opened my mind
and heart to mercy and grace and it's helped me to forgive other Scott.
It's helped me not to be the judge and jury and critic of other individuals.
Or even yourself sometimes.
Or myself.
Right.
Really?
Yeah.
So, I just hope our listeners can grasp this unconditional part, this unconditional effect
of the atonement of Jesus Christ on others is that Jesus, even if we don't, even if we
don't, Jesus will suit his mercies according to the conditions of men, Scott, and that's
unconditional.
Yeah.
I even think I've taken that so far and I hope I haven't taken it too far, but I've
even stated many times it was in my PowerPoint that I sent to Elder Anderson.
I know that every negative of the fall, which we did not choose is unconditionally covered
by the atonement of Jesus Christ.
And I would even say now, not only every negative of the fall, but every consequence of the
negatives that we didn't choose.
In other words, someone who is sexually abused, all the negatives that come out of that, you
know, I know, I know, I don't want to get too personal, but I know somebody who is a
sexual deviant, but you cannot judge that individual based on the level of behavior or ability
to keep the commandments as someone who has never been sexually abused.
The sexual deviant had been so sexually abused over her lifetime that the consequences that
came out of that, Scott, she is not totally accountable for.
Yeah.
There's every individual's like that.
There's things I'm not totally accountable for, even though I've been really, really blessed
and I know where much is given, much is required.
I know that.
But I can't judge others.
I don't know what they've been through.
I don't know how capable they are.
I don't know how they're wired.
I don't know what depressions they may have or deficiencies in chemicals in their mind
or tendencies that they were born with.
Scott, I mean, this includes the gay community and others.
I can't judge their tendencies.
Now I'm not saying that justifies them.
I'm not saying that they're not going to have to, you know, repander, do keep the command.
I'm not saying any of that.
I'm not giving anybody a ticket here to sin.
A license to sin.
I'm not saying that.
I'm just saying that I need the gift of the Spirit to know how to suit the Lord's mercies
according to their conditions because I know that he will.
There can be a problem with this.
It's easy, I think.
It's easier for some of us, and I can probably be safe in saying it that way.
It's probably easier for some of us to see how this works outside of the picket fence
of our own houses, you know, how this would work for so and so down the street in my ward
that's struggling with this or struggling with that.
Yeah, sometimes we're too close to it, aren't we?
Yeah.
We're too close to it, and we think we know how to, we think we have the gift of administration
within our own families when it comes to the suiting of the Lord's mercies towards our
children or our brothers and sisters, literal brothers, blood brothers and sisters, our
parents, you know, and things of that nature.
But I don't think we have as clear a view even on that as sometimes we think we do.
And so, you know, for example, in my own family, you know, I've got Deb and I have seven children,
and we know our kids, and we know them better than anybody else on this planet knows our
kids, right?
Yeah, we think we do.
But what we don't know as well as sometimes we think we do is what are their real conditions?
Because we're not with them 100% of the time.
We don't know what's going on inside their hearts and their minds.
We don't know what, because of the fall, the second effect of the fall, what kind of death
experiences are happening to them in terms of organic depression, you know, and many,
many, many, many, many other things.
You don't see what goes on at school?
No, we do not.
You don't see the social pressures.
You don't see the social media they see.
You don't see the, really, you think you know them.
But we don't.
Yeah.
And that's the thing, you know, and that's, I think that's my point here is that I hope
we as parents, I hope we as brothers and sisters, I hope that we as, you know, even spouses,
husbands and wives, can be, you know, a little more tender, maybe a little more merciful
in extending that mercy and let Jesus, let Jesus help us understand what mercy should
be suited for them and leave it to him.
You know, we can be advocates in, you know, for him, like he's an advocate for us.
We can sometimes advocate for him to others in our lives to help them see the mercies,
to help them embrace the mercies, but it should never be our job to throw a hurdle or a roadblock
in front of those based on our expectations that we may have about one of our children,
about one of our friends, about our spouse, about one of our siblings, etc.
Well, we just read from Elma 3316.
The Lord is angry because we do not understand his mercies.
And this is one of the greatest effects, Scott, that comes out of the atonement of Jesus Christ
is his infinite mercy, which he suits to individuals one by one according to their conditions.
And if there's any gift of the Spirit which we should pray for, even covet and seek, it
should be this gift of administration to know how to minister mercy to others.
Well, let's take it one step further to let's learn to do that in our own lives to ourselves
as well.
Well, that's, you know, I think, and we've said it before, you know, comparison is the
thief of joy, but we compare ourselves and, you know, and think of our family situations,
you know, there are times when as a parent, you know, I may compare one of my kids to
another inadvertently, you know, to have, I would not want to have any damage or effect.
But sometimes when we feel compared or when our kids have felt compared one to another,
they start seeing each other as different and these types of things too.
And you know, I think that if we can start seeing the admin the proper administration
of mercy in our own lives, first of all, then it helps us to extend that to others as well.
Absolutely.
And you know, the sky, there's a fine line, perhaps here too, if you don't have the really
true gift of the Spirit of administration, it's really easy, I think, to make excuses
for yourself and other people.
But I don't think the Lord's pleased about that either.
We shouldn't we shouldn't excuse our behaviors.
We shouldn't think that we're entitled to or have this sense of entitlement or or or
be looking for ways to excuse our behaviors.
I'm just saying we have to have the Holy Ghost, the gift of the Spirit of administration.
Well and when we have the Holy Ghost, we're looking for ways not to excuse our behaviors,
but we're looking for ways to change or to modify our behaviors through the Atonement
of Jesus Christ, which includes offering mercy to ourselves and others.
Correct.
And also receiving grace and grace is the enabling power, the receiving of strength in our life
to overcome our weaknesses, deficiencies, tendencies, etc, etc, which great to which
takes great faith in Jesus Christ to be saved by grace or the enabling powers of the Atonement
in our life.
So continuing to talk about all of the unconditional aspects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which
covers all of us unconditionally, we often hear the term which I think they're using
more and more and I really start picking up on this back in the 1990s Scott thinks about
the first time I saw this phrase.
It was actually a, well, I'm going to let me just find it here.
I think I can find it.
It was a phrase that was used by the first presidency as they were talking about AIDS.
So this is back, you know, Magic Johnson and AIDS was rampant back in the 1980s.
And just the first time I heard this phrase was 1988.
And then it started to pop up more and more in the 1990s.
And now we continue to the brother and profits continue to use this phrase to describe what
I think is is in a besides the redemptive powers of the Atonement and the enabling powers of
the Atonement.
There are these compenet compensatory blessings and powers of the Atonement of Jesus Christ
in our life, which I believe these compensatory powers and blessings are for the most part,
largely unconditional.
So there was a lot of when when AIDS was first diagnosed in this this pandemic of AIDS,
I don't know if that's the right way to use that word was going across the world and a
lot of a lot of religious people were were talking about this is God's way of punishing
the gay community and I hated that and and the brother and hated that.
And they finally issued a a letter a statement from the first presidency in 1988 about their
position on on the disease of AIDS.
And I'm just going to read a paragraph from that.
Members of the church should extend great compassion to all those who are ill with AIDS.
We express great love and sympathy for all victims, but particularly those who received
the virus through blood transfusions, babies afflicted from infected mothers and innocent
marriage partners who have been infected by a spouse in the Lord's eternal plan.
This is the great statement of doctrine on this in the Lord's eternal plan.
Those who endure such suffering, pain and injustice, not of their own doing will receive
compensatory blessings through the Lord's infinite mercy.
There it is again through his infinite mercy.
Individuals who are innocent will receive compensatory blessings.
Think how many millions and millions and millions billions of people are affected by that power
of the atonement of Jesus Christ and his infinite mercy.
Well, we can all think of of individuals like that.
I want to read just a few more quotes on this.
This what I think is a third power of the atonement of Jesus first redemptive second
enabling and third compensatory.
Listen to this greatest quote in the preach my gospel manual.
This is on page 52.
All that is unfair about life can be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
I know that's true.
I have spear is born witness to me that that's true.
We have several quotes from the brother and on that Scott and I'm really, I'm really thankful
for the all of those who are using and here's just one line from elder Todd Christopherson
2013.
The atonement satisfies the debt justice owes to us by healing and compensating us for any
suffering we innocently endure.
Elder Worthland I hope you all remember Elder Worthland.
I miss him.
I loved him.
The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss.
This is a this that reminds me of a statement made by the Prophet Joseph Smith that everything
that we lose which wasn't our fault will be restored to us in the resurrection.
But going on with Elder Worthland's quote that which is taken away from those who love
the Lord will be added under them in his own way.
While it may not come at the time we desire the faithful will know that every tear today
will eventually be returned a hundred fold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.
Scott that's all according to the compensatory powers of the atonement of Jesus Christ and
the one that is in Elder Anderson's book which he actually stated originally in a BYU
devotional and when we were when we were working on the book I had to kind of help him to remember
this quote.
I said hey Elder Anderson let's use let's use the quote you know let's use that quote
that you gave in and anyway this one my favorites and it's been quoted a few times in general
conference since Elder Anderson said wrote as evil increases in the world there is a
compensatory spiritual power for the righteous think about that I mean that's because of
the atonement of Jesus Christ and that's unconditional you know the Lord is not going to let Satan
increase wickedness without the Lord helping us to increase and balance out the wickedness
with some righteousness as the world slides from its spiritual moorings the Lord prepared
the way for those who seek him offering them greater assurance greater confirmation think
of these this is all part of the compensatory powers greater assurance greater confirmation
and greater confidence in the spiritual direction they are traveling the gift of the Holy Ghost
becomes a brighter light in the emerging twilight that's compensatory power yeah President
Faust used the term when he said through faith and righteousness all of the inequities injuries
and pains of this life can be fully compensated for and made right blessings denied in this
life will be fully recompensed in the eternities well Elder Holland has taught it Elder Bednar
has taught it and I think I'm one of my favorite scriptures on it Scott is King Benjamin so
let's turn to Mosiah chapter three in Mosiah chapter three King Benjamin as you all know
is giving us amazing discourse on the atonement of Jesus Christ and he talks in verse seven
about Jesus bleeding from every poor so great was the anguish for his people for the sins
of his people and right after that Scott verse eight let's read verses eight through let's
read verses eight through eleven and he shall be called Jesus Christ the Son of God the
Father of heaven and earth the Creator of all things from the beginning and his mother
shall be called Mary and lo he cometh unto his own that salvation might come unto the
children of men even through faith on his name and even after all this they shall consider
him a man and say that he hath a devil and shall scourge him and shall crucify him and
he shall rise the third day from the dead and behold he standeth to judge the world
and behold all these things are done get this get this all these things are done that are
right that that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of man that a righteous
judgment what's a righteous judgment I used to ask my students when we would read the
scripture together I would say what's a righteous judgment give me another word for righteous
judgment and they would say fair yeah merciful kind loving you fill in the blank I would
rather it be I'd rather be kind merciful and loving than fair for me all of that it's
all that I know a right what's a righteous judgment yeah what is a right I Jesus did
all these things the atonement of Jesus Christ blood from every poor did all these things
yeah suffered every temptation yeah and never gave heed all these things why one reason
so he could have a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men and then 11
for behold and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression
of Adam who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them or who have ignorantly
sinned now how many people does that cover I think that pretty much covers everybody
think it's all right to some degree or another let me the next story that will will relate
to our listeners is is my sweet brother that I brother in quotes that I adopted in prison
many many years ago and who committed who's a double murderer but well I know the Lord
I know the Lord will take all of his conditions and suit mercies to him according to those
conditions and I'm not one who can judge or condemn him right you know in in the rooms
of recovery you know go back to that again here for a second this is one of the things
that really is a blessing to those who make a effort to develop a relationship the second
step to develop a relationship with higher their higher power and you know we know that
to be Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior but at because Dave as this happens you know as
somebody comes into recovery there's nobody that comes there myself included that comes
to these rooms totally unscathed right I mean there's a lot of wreckage a ton of wreckage
no doubt and that wreck a lot of that wreckage is collateral yeah right it goes out but to
the sides of this goes out in front all around us you know we have collateral damage like
a big rock thrown in a big lake or worse yeah it's just it can be terrible and sometimes
sometimes the grief that comes to us and I'll say us because I have experienced this too
the grief that comes to us because of what we see as a consequence to other people right
there's just pain that we create pain in other people and and some of it can be physical
you know some of it certainly emotionally emotional pain those that love us the most
fill it the deepest to and those can be our parents those can be our siblings those can
be spouses those can be close friends but you know I think sometimes and this is my observation
and maybe even my experience but even but I think sometimes those that suffer the worst
because of the decisions that alcoholics and drug addicts and anybody else affected to
the fault by the fault to this point I think that sometimes those that are affected worse
can be our kids can be our children there can be a lot of confusion there can even be
sometimes abuse there can be a lot of neglect there can definitely come upon can you imagine
growing up with a dad or a mom who was an alcoholic or a drug addict and the things
that that might do to your own self-esteem you know wondering how are the other kids
looking at me your whole psyche yeah it's just it's just permeates every single part
of a person's life and because of that that guilt that shame can be so big coming in and
you know we can sometimes feel bad for because of what's happened in our own lives but when
we start getting eyes to see an empathy to feel the pain that may have been caused in
others around us that sometimes can be so overwhelming that it did it and I almost want
to say more often than not I'm not sure that that's accurate but very frequently at least
mm-hmm when we get to that point we see alcoholics addicts and others go back we call it relapse
go back to those old vices to numb out the feelings again that we are not able to handle
because we don't have a clear understanding of this principle right this principle of
the compensatory blessings that come to us because of the atonement of Jesus Christ
and his power covers all of it right and because of what we read in D&C 646 15 we know that
they will be judged according to the conditions that they were in even if some of those conditions
we put them there right we can't pay for it but he already has exactly they're already
redeemed and our job now is to help them to understand that redemption that's the way
that we who have maybe perpetuated or perpetrated some of those things in others in our lives
the best way we can help them to overcome that which will help us to is to help them
see themselves for who they are to help them understand that they have been redeemed purchased
through his blood and that these blessings are available to them if they will receive
the gifts going back to you know our scripture and doctrine and covenants that we love but
they must be the receivers of the gift and that's that's for all of us you know I might
my I'm wondering right now and maybe this can be our invitation but it would be a good
inventory experience for all of us to go through and just say okay where do I see the compensatory
blessings taking place in my life in my life in my own life right and where and where should
I be able to expect them in the lives of those around me which should be in everything so
and how can I offer them that's right an opportunity mercy and the way we do that is to provide
this spiritual experiences an opportunity for them to fill the spirit of the Holy Ghost
in their life however that may be right you know for Deb and I we just try to keep our
home a spiritual place people say that when they walk into our home it feels different
in here it feels different here well we we intend that and we when we do that in mostly
for ourselves but we do that also so that the administration of the Holy Ghost can be
here for those that enter and remind them of who they are specifically number one our
children and our grandchildren yeah so I think we're running out of time Scott and and we'll
continue this discussion next next week about the infinite mercies of Jesus Christ that
flow into our lives all of our lives unconditionally unconditionally Scott it's just so important
I think that we realize that the atonement of Jesus Christ is not just that we were all
going to be resurrected and it's not just for our ability and the gift of repentance
that that wonderful blessing that to that all of us conditionally can participate in
as we choose to do so but the atonement of Jesus Christ has has brought so many unconditional
blessings to us individually to each member of our family and to each member of the human
family people who don't even know anything about Jesus Christ have been blessed by the
atonement of Jesus Christ that's what the infinite tome it means it's infinite there's
infinite mercy and all of us are blessed by it in our lives so I just hope that that maybe
our our listeners can can again come to a greater understanding and with that greater
understanding an increased sense of gratitude for the atonement of Jesus Christ that not
only the atonement of Jesus Christ not only did he suffer for all the iniquities of the
world but he that he suffered for all of the inequalities of the world just to know that
true Scott answers so many difficult questions issues and problems in our life when people
really have an understanding and a testimony of that truth that the atonement covers all
iniquities that are repentant of and all inequalities whether repentant of or not right
unconditionally I I I know that's true I know that's the the love of God that's all according
to the love of God I love the scripture I'll just close with this scripture it's one of
my favorites God in in John chapter 3 verses 16 17 for God so loved the world this is heavenly
father so loves his children he so loved the world all of the world that he gave his only
begotten son that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life
but verse 17 yeah that's so important get to give her 17 for God sent his son into the
world not to condemn the world but to save the world through his son God does not want
to condemn any of his children and has saved probably so many more who have lived on this
earth when the gospel of Jesus Christ wasn't even here let alone in the fullness and I
know that heavenly father and Jesus Christ have redeemed us has saved us and that they
desire with all their heart to whatever degree they can offer it to us exaltation to return
home to live with them in their presence and to have eternal families and through the atonement
of Jesus Christ that is possible it all comes down to that that we can be together forever
as families through Jesus Christ in his atonement last week we spent a lot of time talking about
gratitude and how that was the beginning of desire and this all this builds our gratitude
you just mentioned that another thing that this builds and I hope that we can see this
is that it builds our awareness of these principles in our own lives it's easy for me and maybe
I'm speaking for many of us with this but it's easy for me to see these blessings at work in
other people's lives but because of the accuser and because sometimes I listen to the accuser I can
see sometimes in my own life's were maybe my my my my shortcomings the things that I've done or the
things that I haven't done that I should have sometimes seem bigger than maybe they are but
I think that if we if we can understand this principle and through gratitude not just increase
our desire to follow him but also increase our awareness of his of his presence in our life of
his absolute infinite atonement in our lives and into the lives of those we love even maybe some
of those that we have effective maybe not necessarily in the most positive ways his atonement his
blessings his merit compensates for all of that and that you know and it's our invitation for us
to feel that to look for that and see it and see it with an eye of faith and with an eye of
revelation and inspiration personally in our own lives that may only come through sometimes
fasting and prayer so if that's what it takes I invite us to do that too but let us have the
awareness of the infinite nature of the atonement especially these unconditional components of
the atonement of Jesus Christ as we have spoken about them today and last week in our lives and
that's our prayer thanks for being with us today remember you have been redeemed through his blood
may we look for blessings that come to us through that in our lives and that's our prayer for this
week and always thanks again for being with us