Alma 34

1. Alma 34

2. CLICK HERE How long have you been away from God’s presence?

3. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, However Long and Hard the Road, p.6 “We ought to fall on our knees and thank our Father in heaven that we belong to a church and have grasped a gospel that promises repentance to those who will pay the price. Repentance is not a foreboding word. It is the most encouraging word in the Christian vocabulary. Repentance is simply the scriptural invitation for growth and improvement and progress. “If there is one lament I cannot abide, it is the poor, pitiful, withered cry, “Well, that’s just the way I am.” I’ve heard it from too many people who want to sin and call it psychology...

4. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, However Long and Hard the Road, p.6 “Another satanic sucker punch is that it takes years and years and eons of eternity to repent. That’s just not true. It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say, “I’ll change”-and mean it. Of course there will be problems to work out and restitutions to make. You may well spend - indeed you had better spend - the rest of your life proving your repentance by its permanence. But change, growth, renewal, and repentance can come for you as instantaneously as they did for Alma and the sons of Mosiah.”

5. The life of Christ…

16. Alma 34:8-10 What does the Atonement do for us?

17. Alma 34:8-10 “I suspect that you and I are much more familiar with the redeemingpower of the Atonement than we are with the enabling power of the Atonement.  Most of us clearly understand that the Atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the Atonement is also for saints—for good men and women who are obedient and worthy and who are striving to become better and serve faithfully. I frankly do not think many of us “get it” concerning this enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement, and I wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey all by ourselves through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities.” (Elder David A. Bednar, In the Strength of the Lord, BYI Idaho Speeches, 23 October 2001).  

18. Alma 34:8-10 In what ways have you seen the Atonement enable, strengthen, or redeempeople?

19. Alma 34:8-10

20. Who exercises? How do we ‘exercise’ faith? Alma 34:15-18

21. “…mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.“And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercisesnofaith unto repentanceis exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentanceis brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.“…begin to exerciseyour faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;“Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save” (Alma 34:15–18). How do we ‘exercise’ faith?

22. Exercising faith vs Exercising faith unto repentance?

23. The Atonement Lifts our Burdens http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coef8G5ax6E

24. CLICK HERE • “__________________ is the thief of eternal life.” • (Joseph Fielding Smith, in Conference Report, April 1969, 121). • “__________________ is one of the most serious human defects in all ages.” (Spencer W. Kimball, Miracle of Forgiveness, p7)

25. “I knew a man, now deceased, not a member of the Church, who was a degenerate old reprobate who found pleasure, as he supposed, in living after the manner of the world. A cigarette dangled from his lips, alcohol stenched his breath, and profane and bawdy stories defiled his lips. His moral status left much to be desired. “His wife was a member of the Church, as faithful as she could be under the circumstances. One day she said to him, ‘You know the Church is true; why won’t you be baptized?’ He replied, ‘Of course I know the Church is true, but I have no intention of changing my habits in order to join it. I prefer to live the way I do. But that doesn’t worry me in the slightest. I know that as soon as I die, you will have someone go to the temple and do the work for me and everything will come out all right in the end anyway.’ “He died and she had the work done in the temple. We do not sit in judgment and deny vicarious ordinances to people. But what will it profit him?” (Elder McConkie, “The Seven Deadly Heresies,” in 1980 Devotional Speeches of the Year: BYU Devotional and Fireside Addresses [1980], 77).

26. CLICK HERE • “PROCRASTINATIONis the thief of eternal life.” • (Joseph Fielding Smith, in Conference Report, April 1969, 121). • “PROCRASTINATION is one of the most serious human defects in all ages.” (Spencer W. Kimball, Miracle of Forgiveness, p7)

27. Death & Change Alma 34:32-34 “It appears that we do not change when we die, which means that if we are addicted to drugs, bad habits, and evil desires when we go out of this life, those influences will probably follow us. Therefore, repentance and forgiveness, which come under the heading of fearing God and keeping his commandments, are our whole duty here in mortality.” (Elder Hartman Rector Jnr., Oct. 1985 Gen. Conf)

29. Alma 34

30. Alma 34 “In youth we may have thought: “There will be time enough to worry about spiritual things just before my mission or before marriage. Spiritual things are for older people.” Then, in the early years of marriage, the pressures of life, of jobs, of bills, of finding a moment for rest and recreation seem to crowd us so closely that delay in meeting obligations to God and family again seems reasonable. “It is easy to think, “Perhaps there will be more time for that in the middle years.” But the compression of time does not ease in the years that follow. There is so much to do, and time seems to shrink. “And so Satan tempts with procrastination. Any choice to delay repentance gives him the chance to steal happiness from one of the spirit children of our Heavenly Father. President Henry B. Eyring, Do Not Delay, October 1999

31. Alma 34 “One of the questions we must ask of our Heavenly Father in private prayer is this: “What have I done today, or not done, which displeases Thee? If I can only know, I will repent with all my heart without delay.” That humble prayer will be answered. And the answers will surely include the assurance that asking today was better than waiting to ask tomorrow.” President Henry B. Eyring, Do Not Delay, October 1999

32. The Doctrine of Delay Doctrinally, what happens if a person chooses not to repent? Two options: D&C 19:4 D&C 19:16-19 “Christ is the Creator, the Healer. What He made, He can fix.”  (Elder Boyd K. Packer, April 2006 General Conference)

33. Alma 34 What role does the Church play in your repentance? “The treatment for sin must be commensurate with its seriousness. A Band-Aid is not sufficient for a deep wound. In some cases spiritual surgery is required—this begins with a confession that lays open the spiritual wound so it is exposed to the view of the self, the Lord, and, in the case of serious transgressions, to the Church leader as well. If this is not done, complete repentance is impossible…”

34. Alma 34 What role does the Church play in your repentance? “The truly repentant man is sorry before he is apprehended. He is sorry even if his secret is never known. Repentance of the godly type means that one comes to recognize the sin and voluntarily and without pressure from outside sources begins his transformation. Paul put it this way to the Corinthian saints: "Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow workethrepentance: but the sorrow of the world workethdeath" (2 Cor. 7:9-10). (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.149)

35. Alma 34 What if you still feel guilt after you’ve repented? Elder Scott, October 2000 General Conference “To you who have sincerely repented yet continue to feel the burden of guilt, realize that to continue to suffer for sins when there has been proper repentance and forgiveness of the Lord is prompted by the master of deceit. Lucifer will encourage you to continue to relive the details of past mistakes, knowing that such thoughts can hamper your progress. Thus he attempts to tie strings to the mind and body so that he can manipulate you like a puppet to discourage personal achievement.

36. Alma 34 Elder Scott, October 2000 General Conference “When memory of past mistakes encroaches upon your mind, turn your thoughts to the Redeemer and to the miracle of forgiveness with the renewal that comes through Him. Your depression and suffering will be replaced by peace, joy, and gratitude for His love. “How difficult it must be for Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, to see so many needlessly suffer, because His gift of repentance is ignored. It must pain Him deeply to see the pointless agony both in this life and beyond the veil that accompany the unrepentant sinner after all He did so that we need not suffer.

37. Alma 34 Elder Scott, October 2000 General Conference “Have you wandered from the path of joy and now find yourself where you do not want to be, with feelings you do not want to have? Is there a yearning to return to the peace and joy of a worthy life? I invite you with all the love of my heart to repent and come back. Decide to do it now. That journey is not as difficult as it seems. You can cast out guilt, overcome depression, receive the blessing of peace of mind, and find enduring joy. Pray for help and guidance, and you will be led to find it. Go to where you know the light of truth shines—to a worthy friend, a loving bishop or stake president, an understanding parent. Please come back. We love you. We need you.”

39. (“The Wondrous and True Story of Christmas,” Ensign, Dec. 2000, 4). “The teacher said, ‘Good morning, boys, we have come to conduct school.’ They yelled and made fun at the top of their voices. ‘Now, I want a good school, but I confess that I do not know how unless you help me. Suppose we have a few rules. You tell me, and I will write them on the blackboard.’ “One fellow yelled, ‘No stealing!’ Another yelled, ‘On time.’ Finally, ten rules appeared on the blackboard. “‘Now,’ said the teacher, ‘a law is not good unless there is a penalty attached. What shall we do with one who breaks the rules?’ “‘Beat him across the back ten times without his coat on,’ came the response from the class. “‘That is pretty severe, boys. Are you sure that you are ready to stand by it?’ Another yelled, ‘I second the motion,’ and the teacher said, ‘All right, we will live by them! Class, come to order!’

40. (“The Wondrous and True Story of Christmas,” Ensign, Dec. 2000, 4). “In a day or so, ‘Big Tom’ found that his lunch had been stolen. The thief was located—a little hungry fellow, about ten years old. ‘We have found the thief and he must be punished according to your rule—ten stripes across the back. Jim, come up here!’ the teacher said. “The little fellow, trembling, came up slowly with a big coat fastened up to his neck and pleaded, ‘Teacher, you can [hit] me as hard as you like, but please, don’t take my coat off!’ “‘Take your coat off,’ the teacher said. ‘You helped make the rules!’ “‘Oh, teacher, don’t make me!’ He began to unbutton, and what did the teacher see? The boy had no shirt on, and revealed a bony little crippled body. “‘How can I whip this child?’ he thought. ‘But I must, I must do something if I am to keep this school.’ Everything was quiet as death. “‘How come you aren’t wearing a shirt, Jim?’ “He replied, ‘My father died and my mother is very poor. I have only one shirt and she is washing it today, and I wore my brother’s big coat to keep me warm.’

41. (“The Wondrous and True Story of Christmas,” Ensign, Dec. 2000, 4). “The teacher, with rod in hand, hesitated. Just then ‘Big Tom’ jumped to his feet and said, ‘Teacher, if you don’t object, I will take Jim’s licking for him.’ “‘Very well, there is a certain law that one can become a substitute for another. Are you all agreed?’ “Off came Tom’s coat, and after five strokes the rod broke! The teacher bowed his head in his hands and thought, ‘How can I finish this awful task?’ Then he heard the class sobbing, and what did he see? Little Jim had reached up and caught Tom with both arms around his neck. ‘Tom, I’m sorry that I stole your lunch, but I was awful hungry. Tom, I will love you till I die for taking my [beating] for me.

42. After quoting this story, President Hinckley said, “To lift a phrase from this simple story, Jesus, my Redeemer, has taken ‘my lickin’ for me’ and yours for you.”

43. Alma 34