Welcome to Closer to Christ, Your General Conference, where two friends who love Jesus
share our own approach to studying the most recent General Conference talks.
This is Abbey and Amy.
Let's jump into it.
Welcome.
Today we're talking about I Am He by President Jeffrey R. Holland.
In the final week of Jesus' mortal life, a group of Roman soldiers and officers, armed
and led by chief priests, came searching for him.
A man not known to carry a weapon, receive military training, or engage in physical combat
at any time in his entire life.
As they approached, Jesus stepped forward to protect his disciples and asked,
Kumsiki.
When they replied, Jesus of Nazareth, he declared, I am he, causing the soldiers to fall backward
in awe.
This moment powerfully demonstrates Christ's divinity and his authority and his willingness
to surrender himself for the fulfillment of his mission.
The scene has so much spiritual symbolism in it.
I think we can both agree that we see how it portrays an unmatched power and authority
of Jesus Christ, even in the face of mortal threats.
He wasn't afraid to stand up for those that he loved that were surrounding him.
And without any physical force or weapon, he's able to demonstrate his divine nature
with just words and his presence.
His presence.
And the soldiers, we could say that they represent worldly authority and force, and they're rendered
powerless before the majesty of the Son of God.
You know, they're falling backwards, not just a physical reaction, but maybe a symbolic
acknowledgement of the overwhelming truth and divinity of Christ.
You always kind of wonder, like we're promised that every knee shall bow and every tongue
confess that Jesus is the Christ in the second coming.
And I think this kind of gives us a taste of how that is.
You know, you had the opportunity to get to know him here, and if you didn't, you'll know
it then for sure.
Just by being in his presence.
This moment also highlights the Savior's willingness to step forward and offer himself to protect
the disciples that were following him, helping him fulfill his mission.
And I think we see a bit of his courage and we see selflessness, we see steadfastness,
we see a commitment to his father in that instance, in a lot of instances, but in this
one in particular.
So for me, it's a testament of his role as the Prince of Peace who conquers without violence,
but with love, truth and divine authority as he declared, I am he.
I love that, Abby.
As I was listening to this, it's interesting because when I listen to the words Elder Holland
has, or President Holland has such a way of creating a physical place to where I really
saw myself in that place.
And it was interesting because what I saw myself doing was moving forward when he said
that and coming to him.
Falling back from his presence.
Exactly.
And I mean, I don't know exactly if that would be the case, but that's how my heart felt.
I was like, I would be moving closer to him because I want more of that.
I want to honor and worship him and I would be close to him in that way.
I'm sure we'll get into it a little bit more, but Elder Holland points out how the crowds,
some of the crowd are like, who is this man?
And that's kind of where I saw myself in it.
And I thought knowing what I know about Jesus Christ from what I've, from my personal experience,
I'm a person that is not surprised by his entry.
Exactly.
I'm excited that he's coming.
You know him.
I'm not disappointed that he's not like, you know, kicking off a war.
It's a very peaceful coming and I'm feeling like I'm part of that crowd that's excited
that he's finally making himself known to everybody.
I love that.
So there's a lot of opportunities in this talk to like see yourself where you're at
in your relationship with him.
And you know, are we excitedly anticipating his return or is there some fear or do we
not even know that there is somebody that has been promised to come?
Yes.
And there's all different places on that.
This talk gives us a chance to assess where we're at on that.
I agree.
That's how I felt too.
So I love it because that is one of the best lines that I am he.
To me, this is one of the most stirring lines in all of scripture.
Just being in the presence of the Son of God, the great Jehovah of the Old Testament and
the Good Shepherd of the New, who bears no weapons of any kind, that just hearing the
voice of this refuge from the storm, the Prince of Peace, is enough to send antagonists stumbling
into retreat.
I love that you quoted Elder Holland there.
You literally can't say it better than he does.
Like every one of those just like hit me to the core.
He highlighted another line.
I just said that on my last comment.
But when he entered the city a few days earlier, the line that it is spoken, it says, all the
city was moved.
The scriptures say that people were asking, who is this?
And Elder Holland says above anyone else, the way that Elder Holland says it, he pulls
me into the scriptures with him.
Like you know he's immersed his whole life in the scriptures in such a way that he makes
me want to jump right in, both feet.
And I was talking to him before we started this podcast, like there was a line that he
shared.
He pulled out a line for a talk that he did and it was, Lord, I believe, helped out my
unbelief and I thought that had to have been the last couple of conferences.
And to my surprise, it was 2013.
Like the words were so powerfully spoken by him and the lesson that I learned from it,
like taking just a portion of what you have and then letting him do what he can with it
just because you've offered to come with everything that you had, all the belief, all the faith
that you had.
2013, that phrase has stood 11 years strong.
It's wild.
So this one, I'm like, I'm feeling the same way about this.
I'll think of this a lot.
Many times I'll think of the words, I am he, like, who did these great works?
Who could this have been?
And then I'll think of the Him Jesus Christ saying it was He that had done it.
So like I said, I placed myself in the street of the crowd and I considered the idea, would
I ever recognize the man entering the city?
Would I have known even before he said the words that he was who he said he was?
And I don't have to be in the streets of Jerusalem to consider these questions.
They're important for us to consider here and now.
And I feel like I could say that I knew that man that was on that donkey.
It said it wasn't his looks, his attire, his wealth, he wasn't professionally trained
in teaching or speaking.
And yet after routinely being placed in difficult, often devious situations, he was always triumphant.
As followers of Jesus Christ, each of us wants to know this man.
But Elder Holland worry sometimes we simplify or trivialize in an effort to conveniently
ignore teachings we find uncomfortable.
Yes.
Oh man, that hit me like a ton of bricks because it is important to teach things simply as
possible.
But as we're like ready to get into things deeper that we find like, what's the, what's,
you know, I've got, I've got that great foundational piece.
Can I add to it rather than to, to continue to be like, what can I take away from those
teachings to make it jive with where I'm currently at rather than what can I add to the teachings
to my game, right?
Become better, become more like him.
I like that you said that, that the simplicity is in an effort to establish our like a baseline.
Yes.
Baseline or when you're building a house.
Foundation.
Those two things totally go together.
And like you said, when it's time to build more on it, yes, you want it on that strong
and sturdy foundation, but there is more.
There definitely can be more.
He pretty quickly goes on to suggest that the topic, one of the topics that we happen
to be dumbing down is in regards to the love of Jesus Christ.
The two great commandments is how he starts it.
I'm like, oh, we haven't heard anything on the two great commandments.
And he's like, oh, this message has been spoken in this conference.
It's been and it will, he's like, this will be spoken in every conference.
And sometimes it's taught in simple ways, love the Lord thy God and love thy neighbor
as thyself.
There's nothing wrong with that beautiful, simple teaching unless we use it to twist
truth to make things more comfortable.
Like assuming things about the love of Jesus Christ, like, well, do this, Jesus loves me.
That gives you free rein to do whatever you want versus what Elder Holland says is a little
different message.
Does it make a difference if we are more exact in the words he spoke as we follow the Savior
faithfully and remember what he actually said and what he actually said?
I love when he said this.
And what he actually said was, if you love me, keep my commandments.
On that same evening, he said we were to love one another as I have loved you.
So I think you answered your own question.
It does make a difference.
Yeah, he was very clear.
With a few more words, we have the perfect definition of what it means to truly love
like the Savior and to have charity.
Love the Abbey.
To love others as he has loved us, we have to get past a great definition and see from
example in the scriptures that what he did to demonstrate his love so we can all love
like that.
Elder Holland breaks it down for us.
Let's look at the first one.
So first, he loved with all of his heart, might, mind and strength, giving him the ability
to heal the deepest pain and declare the hardest reality.
I love that part.
In short, he is the one who could administer grace and instinct on truth at the same time,
and insist on truth at the same time.
His love allows an encouraging embrace when it is needed and a bitter cup when it has
to be swallowed.
I feel like we've gone over these things before, these principles.
The way the Elder Holland says it though is so succinct and beautiful.
Parenting often requires this balance.
We love our children with all our heart, might, mind and strength.
Depending on the circumstances in front, let's think of any time that they have made a mistake.
Sometimes our children need a hug to offer comfort and support.
And then sometimes it's necessary to restate boundaries and set clear expectations in an
effort to guide effectively and help our children to grow.
It's that full body investment, meaning the heart, mind and might that we use to address
or assess the situation and then decide what it requires.
Right.
And when we look to the Savior as our example, it seems like he does this so effortlessly.
So I'm learning with my own journey in parenting that I don't always get it right.
But it's the Savior's example that I'm trying to follow or to emulate.
I can say I love my children with every fiber of my being and I know that the Savior's way
is the best way and I desire to follow that example.
But sometimes the advice I give or the decision that I make as a parent, it doesn't hit right.
It's not really what I mean to come out of my mouth.
And so maybe I've had a conversation with my child, then I've gone to my room and I've
sat and thought on it for a minute and I'm reflecting.
And what happens is that the Spirit might prompt me and show me a better way, how I
could have articulated what I wanted to say.
Now rather than me saving that up and the next time that we have a discussion, then
that'll come up.
I found myself walking across the house and apologizing for the way that I articulated
something and corrected it in that moment.
And I think that's beautiful because he doesn't expect that I'm going to get this parenting
thing right.
It's like my first time doing it.
And each unique situation comes up.
You don't often get time and time again a chance to do it.
I'm finding that I find so much peace.
He's able to teach me through the Spirit, that's not the way I would have done it.
This is how I would have done it.
I can make that choice.
No, I'm happy with what I said.
I'm happy with the way that that went down.
We're going to leave it like it was.
And if I don't like that, it's not a good settling feeling, then I'm like, no, I need
corrected on that.
I could have done that a better way.
Show me a better way.
He shows me.
I go and I make that fix.
It's as though, and I'm not saying I'm doing abusive things to my kids.
Well, right.
But just not saying it the way he would.
The advice that comes to my mind as a parent based on maybe how I would have played out
the situation.
Right.
Or your experience.
Yeah, this can be like getting along with friends.
This could be opposite gender advice.
This could be academic advice.
There's a million things and sometimes what comes out of my mouth immediately isn't, if
I'd have some more time to sit and reflect on it, maybe my better, because Jesus Christ
has the answers to the hardest things in the moment.
True.
I don't.
Maybe it's just wise for me to be like, can I think on it for a minute?
I love that.
Or I can say what I think now, but if my mind changes on this, I'll be back later to resurface
that.
Anyway, I just thought that it's so great.
I'm not feeling bad about when the spirit has to correct me and allow me to do things
a little bit differently.
And I try to fix it in that moment.
That's beautiful, Abby.
I love it.
So Christ said to the Nephites, behold, I am Jesus Christ.
I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, in the which I have
suffered the will of the Father from the beginning.
He could have introduced himself a lot different in a lot of different ways, but Jesus did
so by declaring his obedience to the will of the Father, even when just days before
he had felt totally abandoned by his Father.
That part hit me so strong, Abby.
I love that that is how he introduced himself.
They call this in the talk, loyalty to divine will.
Love that.
I'm like, no, that's a great way to explain that.
I can't think.
Elder Holland suggests that the Savior had some easier times in his life when it's like,
oh, that's easy to follow divine will when things are easy.
But I'm like, what, when's he talking about?
He knows the scriptures better than me, but I'm like, most of the examples that we have
are not of easy things.
Right?
So, difficult, difficult things he was tasked with to do all the time, for me, makes it
more special that he had that loyalty to divine will, even in the face of difficulties.
It didn't change his willingness to do them.
So sometimes it caused me to reflect.
Sometimes we're like, I love and trust my Heavenly Father, and if things are perfect
and easy for me, that love is going to remain intact.
Then the second things get hard, then we maybe take that as evidence that he doesn't love
us back.
If he loved me, he wouldn't let me be going through A, B, or C. And so what I demonstrate
to him is like less love in return.
It's human tendency, right?
Right.
It's human tendency from the example of our Savior that regardless of it being an easy
time or a hard time, that the will of the Father is what motivated him and what made
him the person that he is and can make us the person that we are desiring to be.
For sure.
And again, it's parenting, right?
Right.
So letting our children experience difficult things is part of life.
Sometimes we could totally prevent the things from happening.
Sometimes we could give multiple, we give multiple warnings, but our, you know, we wanted
them to avoid difficult things and situations.
But from our loving perspective, we sometimes have to let them experience that sadness,
fatigue, disappointment, and loneliness, just like the Savior did.
And then just like our Father in heaven has, he allowed those things to happen to his own
son.
So what if it seems that the harder we try, the harder it gets?
Oh, I love this.
What do you think?
I think it means we're doing something right.
If things are getting harder, according to Elder Holland, he said that multiple times.
He says this so perfectly, it hit me to my core.
So let's just quote him.
He says, if sometimes you try, the harder you try, the more difficult it seems to get.
If just as you try to work on your limitations and your shortcomings, you find someone or
something determined to challenge your faith.
If as you labor devotedly, you still feel moments of fear wash over you, remember it
has been so for some of the most faithful and marvelous people in every era of time.
Also remember, there is a force in the universe determined to oppose every good thing you
try to do.
I love that last part.
Can we say that any better than him?
I know.
I feel like he added that last part too, to remember that there's a force in the universe
determined to oppose.
I'm like, yeah, that's a great thing to remember.
You know, helps you to feel better that you're in good company.
Exactly.
Christ Church has been restored in these latter days and will experience that same force of
opposition we were just talking about, unwavering commitment to Christ Church, regardless of
life circumstances, be it abundance or hardship, praise or criticism, will allow us to come
to understand our Savior on the level that it takes to be able to say with confidence
when asked, Whom seek ye?
With all our hearts we answer Jesus of Nazareth when he says, I am he.
We bow our knee and confess with our tongue that he's the living Christ that he alone
atone for our sins, that he was carrying us even when we thought he had abandoned us.
When we stand before him and see the wounds in his hands and in his feet, we will begin
to comprehend what it meant for him to bear our sins and be acquainted with grief, to
be completely obedient to the will of his Father all out of pure love for us."
In an effort to demonstrate that pure love back to them, it's our opportunity to introduce
others to faith, about faith and repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and to
invite others to receive the blessings of the temple and the house of the Lord.
So I considered that as an action item.
Maybe asking myself, how am I or how could I demonstrate my love of God and neighbor
by sharing these fundamental principles and ordinances of the gospel with them?
Any final thoughts?
I just love this talk so much and it hits so close to home with Christmas being around
this time and also finishing the Book of Mormon, just the things we've been learning this
week.
I just have a deep love for Jesus Christ.
And the promise that we've all come to as we finish those final chapters of Moroni,
this book is another testament of Jesus Christ, and I think it's wise that you pointed that
out.
We get to reflect on our testimony of Jesus Christ and we get to ask ourselves, what have
we done to strengthen that relationship that we have with Him so that we can know that
with full confidence we know Him when He comes again?
And what are we doing in our lives that we can say we're emulating the person that He
was?
That's like the greatest compliment that we can give to Him.
And I guess a plug for the Doctrine and Covenants, I did see the strong emphasis Elder Hall
in place on what you were sharing before.
He testified that Christ's church has been restored in these latter days and suggested
that we have unwavering commitment to Christ's church.
Another talk that we went over, this is my church, this is my gospel, that we try too
hard to separate the two.
If we don't like something, if something's uncomfortable for us, that we say, well, that's
the church and I'm just about Jesus Christ.
I'm seeing a lot of those themes that they're irrevocably intertwined, like they're getting
more firm on the fact that this is indeed Christ's church that was restored on the earth
and what we might have to do some work to make peace with.
We would say we discussed this before, more like church culture things, not the church
that was established and restored and that continues to be restored.
Because he pointed out that it's done by imperfect humans.
That's not an excuse to say like, oh, well, they're just human.
That's not what I'm saying.
I'm saying on core doctrines, the true church has been restored and it's an ongoing restoration.
I guess that's my plug for the Doctrine and Covenants.
We get to see through revelation how the church was unfolded to a once young boy who went
into a grove to the peace and the parts that needed to be brought back to the earth.
I think it's just another opportunity to see how good God is to us.
I'm more excited about the Doctrine and Covenants this year than any year before.
You are.
I'm getting it more of an excitement because of the way you're talking about it.
So thank you.
I think in the past, I'm like, oh, this is the history book.
And also it comes after, I love the way that the Book of Mormon unfolds as this story I
want to get into and I know that it draws me closer to my savior.
And then I always kind of think, I've always thought in the past, if it was like a school
subject, it's history and it's like these revelations, they don't mean that much to
me.
They're not my revelations.
But four years ago, I did take the opportunity to make them revelations for me.
And with just life change and growth and where I'm at in my life right now, I am so excited
to see our past history.
I think the past matters when we're looking at what he's done for us as a people in the
past and mostly just to get excited about what that means as the work continues to go
forward.
So with that, I think I'll close with his testimony.
I love it.
Elder Holland said, I testify that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the
vehicle God provided for our exaltation.
The gospel it teaches is true.
The priesthood legitimizes it is not a derivative of it.
I testify that Russell M. Nelson is a prophet of our God and his predecessors were and his
successors will be.
And one day that prophetic guidance will lead a generation to see our messenger of salvation
descend like lightning out of the east and we will exclaim Jesus of Nazareth.
With arms forever outstretched and love unfeigned, he will reply, I am he and in the name of
Jesus Christ he closed.
Amen Abby.
What's good.