Hey there everybody welcome back another podcast of Redeemed Through His Blood this is Scott Durfey
joined as always by my good friend. Oh so good to be here with you Scott. David Durfey how are you
Dave? Good good enough. Good enough right yeah you know that good enough is exactly right. Because
he was good enough. Yeah yeah that's what I think a lot is it because he was good enough. How was
your week? It was good you know we've had our our challenges with our suffering son who can't
seem to hold a job or become self-reliant that kind of puts puts us a little bit into a state of
worry and fear and you know Scott the greatest the greatest pain that I think we feel in this
life is is because of family because of those that you love that you can't control. I mean there's
we bring so much pain on ourselves because of our own sins and weakness and mistakes and but you
know generally we believe that we can do something about that can't always but we believe we can or
that through the Savior and His enabling power that we can overcome it but when it's a child you
don't really have much control over anything other than to love them you can only choose to love
them and and hopefully hopefully you receive some sort of a vision or witness that that the Savior
has got them and we've had that with this child with this 32 year old son who's a little bit more
like an adolescent than he is a 32 year old but it's so sweet when you get in that state of worry,
fear, even depression just it's when you can really cry out to God just and I and I have and we
have and and be really humbled Scott I think the thing that I've felt most of all this week is
the humility and you know Scott I don't think humility is something you just do on your own.
Yeah and it's not something that just happens overnight for a lot of us.
It doesn't it's not something or you just make up your mind to be humble. Humility is is one of
I think the sweetest gifts of the Spirit that that comes from God and my experience was when I
really cried out you know for miracles and for changes we all do with our children or others
you know who we love which we pray to God to change them please change them and we have faith
that he kick that he can or could and but for whatever reason he may not usually doesn't
and but in in place of that request such humility comes over came over me this week and has in
the past and that humility Scott it really sustains me to know how dependent I am how in many ways
how helpless we are and yet in God's grace and mercy how dependent and self-reliant how dependent
and reliant we are upon upon Jesus Christ and his atonement that humility also brings great
desires we've talked about gratitude understanding the atonement of Jesus Christ really understanding
it really understanding it and being grateful for it leads to such great depths of gratitude
which then turn into great desires but humility does that as well and last week we spoke about a
lot about faith right and we spoke a lot about Alma chapter 32 and as I've been thinking about
things this week and and what we spoke about last week we kind of maybe just skipped that critical
step of humility because the Zoramites in Alma chapter 32 that were the cast out those who were
cast out downtrodden came to Alma on the hill of Oneida and and Alma tells them you know it's so
great that you're humble now and it really Scott afflictions tribulations that really does it really
can add to our humility yeah it can doesn't always doesn't have you know yeah you know people can
become bitter and there's a you know we have to create a distinction between humiliation and
humility they're not always the same thing yeah right yeah right but in Alma chapter 32 maybe
we should remind our listeners of the these verses which they're probably familiar but this
this really precedes faith unless one really needs to know and wants to know and is humble
enough and meek enough to seek to know they will probably never know and when I talk about knowing
I'm also talking about having faith because I think knowledge and faith are really really
synonymous I know that you know Alma gives that that one definition that you know you you don't
have faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things and it's not but you can't have faith
without some knowledge so knowing and having faith I think are pretty synonymous they go together
they're inextricably linked but before we can really have faith and before we plant that seed
in our hearts the seed which is the word remember the word is the seed faith is not the seed when
we plant the word of God in our hearts and that word we established last week was Jesus Christ
and him crucified that's that's in Alma chapter 33 and once you plant that word in your heart
whether it whether it grows Scott is really dependent upon the condition of one's heart you
know how rich is the soil if you're going to plant it in the heart just like planting any seed the
soil has got to be good because if the soil isn't good then it's not going to grow and the soil of
our heart I believe that really grows faith is humility when our when our hearts are soft and
our hearts are humble the word of God will always grow and if we plant the word in our heart and
it doesn't grow then we we've skipped humility or we have not put enough emphasis on humility and
Alma does that right off the bat even before he speaks to them of faith and the power of faith
and planting the seed in their hearts he talks to them about humility and I just think those verses
are really critical so can we just read those maybe Scott it starts I think in verse 13 14 15
right right in there it talks about it would be better if you received the if you were humbled by
the word but it's it's good that you've been compelled to be humble yeah I'm actually gonna
start in 12 if that's okay okay I say unto you this is so this is Alma chapter 32 verse starting
in verse 12 I say unto you it is well that you are cast out of your synagogue why that you may
be humble and that you may learn wisdom for it is necessary that you should learn wisdom for it
is because that you are cashed out that you are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding
poverty that you are brought to the loneliness of heart for ye are necessarily brought to be humble
and now because you are compelled to be humble blessed are ye for a man sometimes if he is
compelled to be humble seeketh repentance and now surely whosoever repenteth shall find mercy and he
that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved and now as I said unto you
that because ye were compelled to be humble you were blessed do you not suppose that they are more
blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word hmm that good yeah and that word is
Christ that's right that word is Christ and that is the greatest purest most powerful form of
humility when it is based upon Jesus Christ and understanding his atoning sacrifice for us so
what happens is that when you cry out for someone else or we cry out for God to change someone else
or we we cry out for God to take away our pains and our afflictions and our tribulations my
experience Scott is that deep humility comes over me and when I receive that gift and it is a gift
of the Spirit I know it is and it is a gift that is directly in my case at least linked to deep
prayer I mean crying out prayer I'm not I'm not talking about you know nicely kindly neatly kneeling
down the edge of your bed with your your hands folded or your arms folded I'm talking about
crying out in some despair when you really cry out to God in some level of despair and need
Scott he has always answered me with humility and sometimes a little chastisement which humbles
me and I I start you know what happens is when you well I'll just one my experience this past week
crying out for a son in some frustration telling my heavenly Father I know he can be changed I know
he can be healed I know that he can you know that he he and the you know it's all about God and my
son and pretty much what happens by the time that prayer is finished it's about well how about you
David can I change you yeah will you let me change you let's start with you and that's when
that deep humility sets in right that oh man I I I'm just I'm so so weak and and then that humility
sets in and the gratitude comes and and the desires and you know so he the miracle hasn't
happened he my son's the same person has the same problems as the same challenges hasn't found a job
this week that creates all kinds of worries and pressures and fears in his parents life you know
about his ability to be independent and self-reliant but the the fear it really is is really gone I
mean the worry is not not so great and the humility has led to faith and greater understanding and a
desire to control with help from God the things that I can control and in humility comes greater
love greater compassion humility is such an important attribute Scott it's right there with
gratitude when it comes to bringing desires and change into our life and the way Alma teaches it
here and the way it's taught in other scriptures in the in the Bible Book of Mormon and other places
many church history examples of this as well is that humility great humility precedes great faith
yeah and healing that great humility definitely precedes healing and all of the other things
that come along with that I had had a little experience with that this weekend can I share
that with you so I'm sitting in an alcoholics anonymous meeting on Saturday morning and there
was a young person not all that young but a person a man that I sponsor and I could do any and
he's really struggling he struggled to stay sober he struggled to be able to do anything productive
in his life and after the meeting we got together for a little bit and we went for a little ride
in my truck and went and got a drink a Diet Coke or whatever and and as we were talking he was just
crying he was just beside himself you know here's this big grown man kind of a but you know what
not not necessarily a tough guy kind of man but he's definitely just not somebody that this would
not be characteristic of him and so as we're sitting in my truck he just looked at me and he
says I just don't think I can ever do this I don't think I can ever do this that's the problem
yeah I yeah and so I I just kind of left him with that for a minute and he just went on about
how I just this and I just that and you know and I've been there too I hope I don't sound like
I'm condescending to this guy because that's just we all want to fix it and that's that's why it was
so familiar to me because I didn't just feel that when I first got sober I have felt that several
times maybe since then you know as my mind gets clouded or whatever and I and I'm not saying you
know that around drinking alcohol but other things in my life and finally you know when he was just
exhausted and I think all the tears had run out and he takes a deep breath and he just looks at me
and I said he says Scott I can't do it and I said isn't that wonderful finally it's not up to you
how relieving is that to know that you can't in and of yourself do it you have to do the work but
it's not up to you to do it it's your higher power that's how we refer to it in our colleagues
anonymous for obvious reasons maybe not so obvious reasons to some but there are obvious reasons to
those of us who understand that but he once he once he once he kind of embraced that you know
it's not up to me it's up to Heavenly Father and through Christ's atonement which we know he's not
quite aware of that yet but hopefully but you know that that that brings some relief and that
that humility there Dave brings us as you said to gratitude because you think of the relief right
you know for a person like me for a person like that who has who has you know been taught all
her life just buck up pal you know just pull up your bootstraps just go to work put your head
down and go to work you'll be fine and all the putting your head down and go into work and all
the bootstrap pulling that we can muster just sometimes doesn't seem to cut it to finally be
able to say I can't I give up yeah you know there's the in that surrender the humility that comes
in that surrender there's great power through Jesus Christ well with you with that experience
Scott you know he wasn't humble by saying I can't do this I mean I don't know him and I don't know
the situation so I don't mean to judge here but but for him or for many others just to say I can't
do this and to throw in the towel or no or give up or try to end it by taking your life or by
by drinking again yeah just just giving up and in doing it yeah there's no humility in that no
the humility comes in I can't he can yes and I'm going to yes that's where the humility lies let
God let go let go let God that's that's humility yeah and and tell you said to him isn't that
wonderful that you can't do it but with God's help and if he felt the spirit of that or yeah
the light in that yeah then it became humility yeah so it's not just knowing how helpless we are
there's no humility in that there's true humility has to be that we are we recognize our complete
utter total dependence upon God and upon Jesus Christ in his fulfillment well and and you know
there's there's as part of the steps of alcoholics anonymous the third step so the first step is is I
just my life's unmanageable and and I and I have no control over my and then that's not really
humility in that no and then although that although that's good that's a good confession
well and it's a beginning and then the second one is is came to believe that a power greater
than myself could restore me to sanity now there's a little bit of faith and hope there but
there's still not a lot of humility there yeah but here's where the humility begins and the third
step is we make a decision to turn our will in our life over the care of God as we understand him
yeah and there's a prayer that you know we use a lot of written prayers and alcoholics anonymous
for again obvious reasons I think and I'm just gonna reach it short but it's on page 63 of the
big book of alcoholics anonymous it says this is the prayer God I offer myself to thee to build
with me and to do with me as thou wilt relieve me of the bondage of self that I may better do
thy will take away my difficulties that victory over them may be bear witness to those I would
help of thy power thy love and thy way of life may I do may I do thy will always yeah that's
where humility begins well so you use that's that's awesome Scott thanks for sharing that
because you can see in those in that prayer and even in step two and three step step two is
where humility really begins and step three is really quite a statement of faith because I wanted
to say this too in regards to our podcast last week which we didn't get to is to really define
faith faith is not getting what we want it's just it's just wrong to think that if we had enough
faith we could have this and this and this or experience that and that and that and that God
would you know that's not faith faith is not getting what we want faith is accepting the
will of God and seeking to carry it out and aligning our will with that that's great faith
right that's the faith of power faith of power is knowing the will of God and then acting to
fulfill it or carry it out right that is the faith of power and it takes great humility in our
hearts to be able to plant this the word of God or the will of God in our hearts and watch it
watch it grow and become that to that tree that bears that's great fruit so we talked about faith
in the general last week Scott the faith of so simple faith believing in things or you know that
you can't see and Alma gives that definition and so does Marona in ether chapter 12 by the way
ether chapter 12 is such an amazing chapter on faith Scott I mean you see again the the simple to
the divine and the power of faith in chapter 12 he begins by kind of defining it as it's something
that we believe in that we can't see but pretty soon in fact in the very end of that chapter he
says but I've seen Jesus I mean so he goes from the really simple to the really profound and
power of faith which is ultimately seeing which is ultimately knowing which is ultimately speaking
and it is done in fact he talks about a prophet named does well who's the prophet that the
Mount Zerran or whatever that he Zerran yeah it's Zerran will you read that verse Scott for the
brother of Jared said unto the Mount Zerran remove and it was removed and if he had not
have faith it would not have moved wherefore thou workest after men have faith okay so there's
a couple things there what verses that that's 30 that's verse 30 in ether chapter 12 in ether
12 yeah that he speaks to a mountain and the mountain moves and we we I can't help but think
about moving mountains and not think about President Elton's talk on faith where if you
have the faith of a mustard seed you can move mountains there's such a great talk that our
dear prophet gave so that that is powerful faith to speak and it happens not because the brother
of Jared wants it to happen right it's because he knows it's the will of God for whatever reason
that that mountain be moved and Scott it may be a physical mountain it may be an emotional
mountain and it most often it may be a spiritual mountain that's right we have so many mountains
and barriers in our life that God desires and has a will to move if we would just act
in faith and ask in faith and the very last part of that verse says what does it say about
after your faith Scott wherefore thou workest after men have faith that he says that twice
in in ether chapter 12 that God works after we have faith and again keep in mind what
faith is it's not getting what we want he works when we come to know his will and accept
it and seek to fulfill it yeah that's when he works that's when you will you will see
great miracles in in in our lives is when we understand his will and then we act in
faith and Scott I've given many blessings throughout my life blessings of healing general
general priesthood blessings for comfort for peace for strength patriarchal blessings and
Scott there is no power in any of those if I'm just if I just say what I want to say
that's right or if I just bless them with what I want them to have the real the real
faith comes when I know this is the will of God and this is what he wants them to know
or to hear or to see or to feel then then those those can be life changing and I've
I've seen miracles I've seen instant healing Scott because of because of faith so so Scott
as a as a young missionary I had this experience where a young couple had been baptized and
they had shared the gospel with their friend and we were teaching now teaching her and
she had accepted a baptismal date and brother bitters her good friend she was student teaching
with him he was a teacher at Fresno high school I think and we had committed her Susan to
be baptized and and brother bitters was going to baptize her and about two o'clock in the
morning on a Friday night the really the morning of the baptism 2 a.m. in the morning
Karen bitters calls me and she on the phone and she says brother elder derpy con is in
such great pain I don't think he'll be able to perform the baptism tomorrow well I could
hear him groaning in the background and so they came over and we gave them a blessing
they would they wanted a blessing and they went home and she called me a little bit later
and she's a few hours later and she says it's worse and so she said will you give him another
blessing oh Scott I had never received a request to give another blessing because the first
one didn't work and you know I was all new to this but I was so humble and I had such
great faith really is a young man as a missionary you know how that is and I knew I had about
10 minutes before they they would come from their house stars and man I knelt down and
I just begged I really pleaded I had never I don't think quite cried out like I did that
morning and and I begged it to Heavenly Father to know his will and believed express my belief
that I knew that he could if he if it was his will if he would and when they came over
and we laid our hands on his head and this time the blessing was much more brief and
much more to the point and I would just remember saying something like brother com bitters by
the power of the holy malechess he priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ I command
your arm to be healed was really in his shoulder and I said a few more things and then the
prayer is very brief and he said you know when you when you said that I command he said
I felt something pop in my shoulder well at 9 a.m. a few hours later we met at the stake
center to perform Susan's baptism and con brother bitters he said that his arm was numb
he had no more pain he had been miraculously healed it was numb but because it was numb
he was concerned about it worried about it and after the baptism he went to a doctor
and the doctor gets to get an x-ray and said that he had had a bad case of bursitis in
his shoulder I think that's what it was another doctor but that the fluid around the shoulder
had popped and that the fluid was was draining into his arm and it pinched a nerve and that's
why his arm was numb and it should go away in 24 hours and it did Scott I knew that I
I mean we all knew that we had witnessed a miracle and that I had seen some miracles
before my mission but that was really the beginning I guess of seeing you know the faith
knowing the will of God when you know that's what God would say if he were there well the
difference between having faith in ourselves which can be powerful sure faith in ourselves
can be powerful faith you know faith is is a power and you can have faith in wrong things
and bad things can happen if you have faith in wrong things and you can have faith in
yourself and you can do a lot of great things but faith in God and faith in Jesus Christ
will always lead to redemption it will always lead to a spiritual outcome and it will it
will be edifying it will be uplifting it will be enlightening it'll be all those things
all those things that we can describe that are spiritual and that's the difference God
I think so many people who aren't even believers aren't even Christian can do powerful things
even maybe miracles Scott yeah Satan has power and he can do great things too if people
believe in him knowledge is power there's so much so many things that can be done with
faith in yourself or faith in in even wrong things bad things evil things but faith in
God is knowing his will and then acting to fulfill it and it will always lead to greater
spiritual things and we know that we know that sometimes having faith is even having
faith not to be healed right right elder bednar yeah will you share that story well
elder bednar shared story in a in a worldwide devotional for young adults and he tells the
story calls him John who'd come home from his mission fulfilled a successful mission
became engaged to be married and I think it was three weeks after they were married they
found that he had cancer tumor and that it was like a 70% chance that he wasn't going
to make it so he was having surgery and elder bednar I think had actually met him on his
mission and somehow knew about this and and went to the hospital to give him a blessing
and elder bednar says in the devotional he says I had never asked this question before
I'd never even thought of this question before but before I gave this young man a priesthood
blessing he said to him I just need to ask you a question do you have the faith not to
be healed and this young man said elder bednar I I'm not I'm not really sure what that what
that means I and he had to think about it for a while and after a few moments he confirmed
that he did have the faith to accept the will of God whether that was to be healed or not
be healed and elder bednar proceeded to give him a blessing and it was the will of God
that he be healed and he was miraculously was healed but I it's such a great question do
we have the faith not for our son to be changed or healed do we have the faith not to receive
all of those blessings we thought that in our own wisdom wisdom man which is nothing we
thought we thought we needed that or we think thought we wanted that or we thought we should
have that okay that that's that's different but to know the will of God that's true faith
and that's the faith of power when people can begin to move mountains so I know we've
all had experience with that I hope our listeners will not only maybe think about the miracles
in their life that they've experienced through through faith through true faith but maybe
share with us a few of those and we invite you to share those with us and if you if you
do maybe we'll share a few of those in our next podcast but anyway Scott that's kind
of faith in the general he begins with humility begins with having the heart right planning
that word or seed in our heart and as it begins to grow continue to nourish it continue in
diligence and impatience because we won't always get what we want but God's will will
always be done and sometimes Scott sometimes God actually wills that some things be done
but they won't be done unless we ask or exercise faith in order for those things to be accomplished
I know that's one of my favorite lines in the Bible dictionary right concerning prayer
is that that prayer is God knows what he wants and God knows what will happen but sometimes
things will not happen if we don't pray for them so I just think it's really important
for our all of us individually to know that that God we live far beneath our privileges
and God wants so much to bless us and to have see miracles in our life and if you're not
seeing miracles right Mormon and Moroni tell us all about that of course there are miracles
and if you're not seeing miracles shame on you in fact your your salvation may be in
question if you're not seeing miracles in your life and then seeing those miracles and
seeing the hand of God in our life Scott creates greater faith and greater gratitude greater
humility and it goes on and on and on as we've talked about so many times before as a cycle
as a helix going up and up and up but in all of this discussion of faith in the general
and I love to speak about faith in our heavenly Father and that's real and most of my prayers
and most blessings that I give are based upon my faith in my heavenly Father doctrine of
Christ states we believe that the first four principles and ordinances of the gospel are
faith not in the general not just in heavenly Father faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that's
the first principle of the gospel that's the first point of doctrine in the doctrine of
Christ is faith in Jesus Christ so let's talk about how can we how can we apply the same
principles that we've talked about in growing faith in our heavenly Father and in the general
how can we apply that to obtaining great powerful faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that it leads
us unto repentance that it leads us unto the power to not only forgive others and ourselves
but to be forgiven that's what we need to talk about now.
There's kind of a prescription for that and I think that over and it's important that
we draw attention to this and kind of pull it all together but I think that we've we've
summarized that or we've talked about that over the last several podcasts you know as
we and we've talked about this a little bit this morning I think even before we started
the podcast but gratitude we get that gratitude that gratitude leads us to desire the desire
gives us the ability to really have impetus in learning about him and knowing him and
loving him and inviting him into our lives and so you know I think that those things
are the beginning and that's where we start with all of this right.
Well and yes Scott absolutely but it also begins with need.
And recognizing that need.
We really need to recognize the need for a Savior and a Redeemer in our life just as
we would recognize the need for a God to perform a miracle or move a mountain or to bless me
through this day or whatever.
We need to understand the need you can't have faith in Jesus Christ if you don't understand
where you stand in relationship to him and if you don't understand the fall of all of
you if we don't understand that we're all sinners that were were fallen that were lost
were carnal central and devilish and if you don't see your own weakness which Moroni talks
a lot about in that actually Ether chapter 12 and God God says to him blessed are you
because you see your weakness if we don't see our weakness in fact I you know Ether
1227 Scott goes along well with this discussion today Ether 1227 one of my favorite scriptures
I think I can quote it and if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness I
give unto men weakness that they might be humble there it is again humble in fact humble
I think is three times in this verse I give unto men weakness that they might be humble
and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me humble humility
for if they humble themselves before me and have faith in me notice the connection between
humility and faith then will I make weak things become strong unto them humility and faith
we need to pray if men come unto me think this is really critical if we go to him if
we can't see our weakness and sins then we need to go to him because he will reveal to
us our weakness and strength in fact Scott it's my experience and I know the experience
of the prophets and all the sisters and brethren in the church who have been so faithful that
the closer you get to Jesus Christ the more you see your weakness the closer you get to
Jesus Christ so if people are feeling weak if they're feeling inadequate if they're feeling
their sins and their need that's a good thing maybe that's a good sign that we're getting
closer because the closer we get the more we see the need but that's we need to we need
to understand our helplessness Scott we need to understand our need for a savior and redeemer
and when we when we see that need we will we will then begin to turn to him when we're
humble when we're humble and hopefully humble because of the word which is Jesus Christ
and when we understand what he has done for us what he offers us we will be humble and
our faith will then be planted in our hearts the word will be planted in our hearts and
by faith it will begin to grow so faith in Jesus Christ begins with seeing our need and
a sense of deep deep humility I think another another thing in regards to developing great
faith in Jesus Christ if we think about the lectures on faith for just a moment and we
think about the three requirements of faith that are given in the lectures on faith it's
said this in the first lecture on faith school of the prophets first the idea that he exists
so it that's faith in the general faith in God but if we turn that to faith in Jesus
Christ it would be the idea that he suffered for me the idea that he redeemed me the idea
that Jesus Christ is my savior and my redeemer that would be where we should start second
faith in the general I think the first lecture on faith states the understanding of their
perfections and attributes and character that's how we obtain faith in a loving heavenly father
is that we understand his character his attributes and perfections but if we turn this to a more
specific faith in Jesus Christ for redemption we need to have faith in his character in
his attributes in his perfections meaning that he really did suffer for all of my sins that
he did suffer for my sicknesses that he did experience all of that and that his character
was that he was sinless that he if we you can't have real faith in Jesus Christ Scott
without having faith in his character and his attributes well how do we obtain that
that faith in his character and his attributes that we obtain that well we we get to know
him you have to study it you have to get to know him and how do we get to know him we
get to know him through the scriptures we get to know him through the the revelations
that come through our prophets and brethren even our own local leaders oftentimes can
help us to get to know him as they're inspired to teach about his character and attributes
Dave I hope that come follow me all of our listeners are experiencing a miracle in their
lives by coming to know Jesus better his character attributes perfections his teachings his parables
all of that as that's really step two we come to know him his character attributes and
perfections yeah let's just let's spend a minute here because coming to know him is
not just reading about a person who's being portrayed to us by words on a page even if
it is scripture and it's not by hearing the words even if it is from prophets and apostles
it's not from that I mean that's that may be the beginning of it that may again be the
seed that's planted so that the word can spring within us the word again being Jesus Christ
himself but how we really get to know him is we we somehow walk with him right I so
and I've used this example before and that's the third steps yeah okay but it but I'll
I'll bet it let me I I I have two grandfathers both of them I was quite close to I know that
my grandpa Fagan in fact when he passed away every time and still maybe to this day and
he passed away many years ago when I smell old spice cologne I think of my grandpa Fagan
it just comes to me and sometimes it sometimes it it in with him it invokes a little emotion
in me I because I knew I know how he would I know how he would have reacted if a horse
did this or that because that's how I just knew him I knew grandpa Durfey the same way
I got to spend a lot of time with grandpa Durfey in a business situation for a couple
of years the last couple of years of my high school experience and right before I went
on my mission and he and I had some wonderful wonderful experiences and then even after
as I was going through some difficult times but I spent time with those men and so because
of that time yeah yeah yeah walking with him getting to know them and so how do we do that
with so so again these three requirements I think that's what I choose to call them these
are three requirements of faith the first is the idea yeah the idea that Jesus Christ
really did exist really did live really did suffer for our sins really did carry out the
atonement right the idea then second the understanding of his character his attributes and perfections
really coming to know him and then three in the lectures on faith it says to know that
the course of life you are pursuing is pleasing to God well this is walking with him this
is following him this is not this is not just learning of him this is seeking to be like
him this is being with him Scott being a true follower of Jesus Christ when we have those
three when we have met those three requirements we will have great faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ faith is a gift it's not something that we just earn it is a gift that comes from
the spirit of the Lord but I testify as we do those three things as we come to believe
that he exists that he lived that he knows us that he loves us and his character attributes
and perfections and then we know that we are seeking to be a true disciple and that we're
following him that we're relying upon him when we have those when we have met those
three requirements Scott then as a gift from the spirit we will have great faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ which will then lead us unto repentance so I I think that in all that
we've talked about in regards to faith in as we've talked about it in the general that
you can apply any of those principles of faith in the general to become specific principles
of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ Scott is what redeems
us and faith in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ Scott is what exalts us and in maybe
our next podcast we will talk a little bit about the difference between faith in Jesus
Christ and faith in the name of Jesus Christ faith in Jesus Christ saves us faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ name in his faith in his name exalts us so let's talk about that next
time and we'll continue our discussion on faith in Jesus Christ and which will lead
us eventually into the principle of of repentance the second point of doctrine in the doctrine
of Christ David it kind of extended an invitation to share some of your experiences how do you
do that you send those to he redeems us at gmail.com and remember that we have transcripts
now attached for all of these things for those of you who are interested in that just in
closing one of my very favorite scriptures is part of the intercessory prayer that Jesus
offers right and he says in this is in John 17 three and this is life eternal that they
might know the the only true God and Jesus Christ who now has sent and I think that you
know that those three steps in the faith really kind of are encapsulated or described quite
well by Jesus his own words right there thanks for being with us everybody we look forward
to being with you next week remember that you we all have been redeemed through his
blood thanks again.