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Alma 39-42 | Book of Mormon Insights: Revisited · Scripture Central

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I'm Taylor and I'm Tyler. Today will be Alma 39 through
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42. Look at the contrast of where
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we've been. We had chapters 36 and 30.
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Seven were given to Heelman, who was the son of Alma.
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Who's going to be the next prophet in?
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Charge of the records and in charge of.
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Teaching and leading the people as a high priest.
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And then you had chapter. 38. Given to Shiblon, this son who
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maybe? He's a little overzealous.
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He's. Excited and he's told by his
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father, use boldness but not overbearance and bridle all your
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passions, all of that stuff. And then you got 39 through 42
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for this third son, Corry, Anton.
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Notice 4, Chapters 1. Chapter 2.
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Chapters. It's almost as if Alma is
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spending more time, double the time compared to with Helaman
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with his son Coriantin. Who is?
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Struggling. Now, what makes Coriantin's
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struggles here more significant is.
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The fact that. He's serving a mission.
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With his dad, his brother. Amulexiazram Others and Alma
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here tells him in verse two that he went unto much boasting in
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his strength and his wisdom, and then he forsook the ministry in
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verse three and went over into the land of the Siren among the
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borders of the Lamanites. After the harlot Isabel.
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So I just want to share a possible insight about this that
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may be tied into the story of Isabel, with whom he should not
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have been having any interactions at all.
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Alma has said this is verse three of Alma 39.
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And this is not all, my son. Thou didst do that which was
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grievous unto me. For thou didst forsake the
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ministry and did go over into the land of Cyron among the
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borders of the Lamanites, after the harlot Isabel.
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Yeah, she did steal away the hearts of many.
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But this was no excuse for thee, my son.
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Thou should have subtended to the ministry wherewith thou was
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entrusted. What I'm going to share here is
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probably a bit of a speculation. It's something I wonder about,
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but I think it's interesting that we have this name here.
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And I think there's a connection to Corianthin's misunderstanding
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around the principle of resurrection and the power of
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God or the power of Jehovah. So the name Isabel in Hebrew it
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may come from 2 words, the word Baal which in Hebrew can mean
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the ancient Canaanite false God of Baal.
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In some instances it actually means Lord or even husband, but
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in this instance it actually might refer to this false God
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Baal and Isha or Isa means woman or wife.
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And the full reading would be Isha, Baal.
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And as it gets shortened, it becomes Isa bell.
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So the word Isabel may then mean wife of Baal.
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And if that is true, if that's what the name means in the
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ancient world, in the ancient Israelite times, the Israelites
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sometimes found themselves LED away by Baal.
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You might remember Elijah spending a lot of time preaching
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to the people, and he was contending with them or
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contesting with the priests of Baal who were teaching people to
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follow after this false Canaanite or Phoenician God.
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And let me share a little further.
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There seems to be some indication that for the ancient
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Canaanites, Baal was the God of restoration and resurrection.
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Back in the Middle East, there were kind of two major seasons,
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a rainy season that brought fertility to the world and life
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abounded, and the dry season where everything was dead.
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And in that cycle, during the dry season, the ancient
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Canaanites believed the Baal had died and that they had to engage
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in these rituals to bring him back, to bring fertility to the
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world. And by doing these actions, it
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would bring resurrection and restoration because that's what
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he would bring. And that there was these cycles
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that go along. And what's interesting is what
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Alma says. It's like Corrie Anton, because
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of your actions, people wouldn't believe my message.
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Now definitely, if you are not keeping the commandments, people
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are going to have a hard time trusting the truth of your
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message. But what if a missionary
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abandons the religion that he's teaching, right, the truth, and
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actually engages in false religion, publicly engaging in
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the false rituals of a false religion.
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That would make it really hard for anyone to say, well,
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obviously to believe his message of truth.
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And so I wonder if in the message that Alma is sharing,
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that Cory Anton has got himself confused and been LED away by
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false religion and false damaging practices, Alma, as a
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good and tender father, is taking the time to correct his
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son. In some ways, that's a symbol of
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God the Father and all of us. Who among us hasn't in some ways
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made a mistake? Maybe not quite like what Corrie
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Anton has done, but all of us have fallen.
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All of us have from time to time abandoned what we knew to be
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true, maybe even just for a few moments.
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That is what it means to have a fallen nature.
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But like Alma the Younger, the tender Father, we have God the
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Father who is willing to teach us again and remind us and plead
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with us and encourage us and put out his outstretched arms to say
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the arms of mercy are here to envelope you in the love of God
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once again. And no matter what we've done,
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we can repent and return to God. And that's one of the beautiful
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messages repeated throughout the Book of Mormon and is the center
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point of what's going on in these chapters of Alma 39 to 42.
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But we can have hope. Now what makes this so difficult
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is the fact that Alma is his father.
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Alma is Koryanson's. Priesthood leader, his mission
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president. And he's also the prophet.
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Over all the church. And here's his own son who's
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going and having these. Struggles.
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He's going to give Koryanson. A whole series of teachings.
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Later on. But first, notice a pattern
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here. Notice that in chapter 39 you're
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going to get verse one through 2.
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He's he's going to set. Up this idea of how.
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Corrianson could have prevented the sin.
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So. He's giving him what could have
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been his preventative measures. Which, by the way.
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Are to point him forward into the future temptations that
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he'll face. Follow these SO.
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You don't get into the temptations then you'll notice.
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Verse 5 through 8 he's. Focusing Corryanson on the
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serious nature of the sins that he's committed.
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Then verse 9 through 14, he's going to give him verbs and
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steps and helps. For how to.
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Repent. How to make this right?
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How to turn back towards the right?
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And then verse 15 through 19, he's going to be focusing Cori
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Anson on the solution. To the problem because you.
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Can't repent, you can't do any. You can't take any steps forward
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on your own. So he's going to be pointing him
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to Christ. You've got these problems,
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serious sins issues. Cori Anson Well.
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Jesus Christ is always. The answer We're going nowhere
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that matters in our repentance process or in our life without
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Him and without His help. Now notice that He had to help
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His son see the need to repent. Before he could talk about the.
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Solution. Hence you'll notice an
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interesting pattern here. You didn't have to do this.
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Corey Anson. What you did was very serious.
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He had to. Remind him of that serious
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nature. Can you imagine what General
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Conference would be like if the apostles and prophets and
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leaders of our church got up and the entire time?
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They're just talking about the. Seriousness of sin versus What
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would it be if the pendulum swing is on the other side?
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What if they spent 100% of their time talking about the solution
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and just about Christ and never talking about how it it really
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doesn't matter what you do, it's not that serious.
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So you can see the struggle trying to keep the balance
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between the serious nature of sin and the hope that we have in
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Christ and our ability to to repent and be forgiven.
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So here's this father. Alma the younger, who, by the
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way, knows some things about committing serious sins.
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Now he has his son in some very difficult settings and
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situations and he's working with him to bring him back to the
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covenant path. Notice one of the the issues
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that he mentions here in the middle of the repentance is this
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is a repeat of the serious nature.
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Look up. Verse 11 Suffer not yourself to
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be LED away by any vain or foolish thing.
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Suffer not the devil. To lead away your heart.
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Again after those wicked harlots, behold, O my son, how
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great iniquity you brought upon the Zoramites, for when they saw
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your conduct, they would not believe in my words.
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Brothers and sisters, whether we like.
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It or not, people are going to. Judge the Church of Jesus Christ
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by the behavior of. Its members.
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That may be a misplaced judgement, but it is the.
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Way the world. Often ends up making their their
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decisions on, on and and their judgments on the church is by
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its members. Now let me give you a little
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scenario to put this into context.
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Would it be appropriate for us? To go into a second grade
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classroom with a whole bunch of students working on math
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problems. And would it be?
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Appropriate for us to walk. Up and down those aisles and
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look at all of those math worksheets and see all the
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mistakes those students are making and walk out of that
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classroom and and come together and say, you know what math is.
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Bad. Math is broken.
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Math doesn't. Work.
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Did you see what? We saw in there.
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That would be a. Really silly conclusion.
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To draw, but here's the. Point math is not broken.
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Math is not bad because students.
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Struggle to perfectly apply the. Mathematical principles, They've
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been taught the thing that's broken.
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Is the. Application of correct
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principles, not the principles. The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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The Church of Jesus Christ. Are not broken because members.
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Have a hard. Time applying principles that
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they learn from the gospel or in church at times faced with
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certain temptations. The struggle isn't with the
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organization or the teachings, it's with us.
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Here's the problem. If people are are judging the
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church. By its members inability to
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apply principles that they've learned, then it's all the more
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reason. For us to to work.
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On learning those principles, implementing those principles
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and teaching those principles to others, not in a sense of look
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at me, I'm perfect at living them, but saying I'm struggling
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with some of these gospel principles.
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But the. Gospel principles are pure.
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Here's Corey Anson, who was clearly struggling and his
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father was saying, look, people aren't even believing my words
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because of your conduct. We could do a better job
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collectively of helping people. Understand the difference
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between. Our lack of.
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Application and the powerful God-given principles or
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standards, just like a mathematical formula.
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For us to follow. That those.
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Are pure and those are. Good.
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And we're going to see that come up in the rest.
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Of the story Elder. Jeffrey R Holland, many years
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ago at BYU, gave a speech. Where he talked about the fact.
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That sometimes when somebody's struggling, we can do things
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that make their struggle even worse.
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Listen to this This is from his BYU devotional in 1980.
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Four called a robe. A ring and a.
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Fatted calf quote. When a battered, weary swimmer
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tries valiantly to get back. To shore after having.
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Fought strong winds and rough waves which he should have never
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challenged in the first. Place those of.
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Us who might have had better judgement or.
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Perhaps just better luck ought. Not.
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To row out to his side. Beat him with our.
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Oars. And shove his head back.
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Underwater, that's. Not what boats were made for,
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but some of us. Do that to each other.
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The principal here is. Corey Anton got in over.
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His head he's. Drowning out there.
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He's. Struggling and I love the fact
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that his. Father that also double.
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S in this instances. As his priesthood leader.
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Symbolically gets into a. Rowboat rows out to this.
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Struggling boy and says son get in the boat.
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Let me help you understand some things.
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About life, About struggles. And sin and repentance and.
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Christ so. Now you're going to notice that
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after one chapter of kind of setting the stage, he's now
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going to spend 3 chapters teaching doctrine, clarifying
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misunderstandings, and helping this son who is struggling way
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more than his two brothers. Consequently, he's going to get
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way more time from his. Father, that's a beautiful,
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beautiful. Principle for us to consider.
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That perhaps the people, the the parts.
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Of your family or the. Parts of your.
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Congregation that need the most time are the parts that are the
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most broken, the parts that are the most hurting and need the
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most care and attention. So we begin this next part in
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Chapter 40. Notice.
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There's a. Pattern in chapter 40 verse one,
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chapter 41 verse one and chapter 42 verse one, there's a repeat
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the concept that gets. Repeated is he refers to.
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Him as my son and. I perceive.
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That that appears in all. Three of these these verse.
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One of these three chapters, my son, I perceive.
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You'll notice his son struggling.
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How that must have been a bit of a soothing, healing salve to the
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soul of his son. To hear his dad 3.
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Times refer to him, my son, my son, my son and I.
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Perceive. I perceive, I perceive.
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His dad's not preaching at him. His dad is.
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Perceiving what his. Struggles what his.
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Questions and concerns are and he's addressing those.
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It's a. Pretty good formula.
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Pretty good. Pattern for us to follow.
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In our teaching and in our parenting.
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Notice how this begins in. Chapter 40 What is the first
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thing that he. Perceives verse one.
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I perceive that thy mind is worried concerning the
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resurrection. Of the dead.
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Corry Anton isn't the first one to be concerned about and to
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worry. About the resurrection of the
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dead. And I'd like to tell a personal
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story about the power of resurrection.
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This comes from my wife, Lisa. So when Lisa was about 20 in
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college, she noticed she was starting to lose her hearing and
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she ended up getting hearing aids.
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And over the years, Lisa's hearing has gotten worse and
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worse. And so she just got better and
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better hearing aids. Well, unfortunately, a couple
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years ago, she woke up one morning and all the hearing was
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gone in her left ear. All of it.
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And despite lots of interventions, prayer and
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fasting, nothing brought it back.
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And it was extremely distressing to think I'm going to spend the
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rest of my life with only one ear, which itself has low
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hearing, which is helped a bit by hearing aids.
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She concluded to get a pretty invasive surgery called a
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cochlear implant. It's basically they cut into
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your skull and insert a little computer and connect it to your
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ear so you can can actually gain some hearing back.
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The cochlear implant, it's a bit of a difficult surgery.
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It's painful. There's kind of a long recovery
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time. And then they can take many,
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many months of rehabilitation to actually make use of that little
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computer that's not been put into your head.
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And for my wife, she was one of the rare individuals where the
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sound did not sound normal. All the voices sounded like
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cyborgs or Darth Vader. So she couldn't out of one ear
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tell the difference between my voice or our kids voices.
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And that was distressing to her because she thought, I really
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hope I don't lose the natural hearing, though compromised in
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my right ear. Well, unfortunately that did
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happen. My wife and I take travel groups
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to different places around the world, the Holy Land.
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We were taking a tour group to India.
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The day we were leaving, she woke up and all the hearing was
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gone out of her right ear. Well, we thought maybe it's just
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water in your ear from, I don't know, a shower or something.
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We, we flew all the way to India with all these people got to New
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Delhi. It wasn't better.
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And while we're trying to manage all these people on the airport
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and get them launch of this trip we were leaving, I was also
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trying to frantically on Google find somebody in New Delhi who
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could could help. We found this man who stayed
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late at his office till midnight, an audiologist.
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He spent time with us and concluded what we had feared.
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She'd lost all of her hearing. And at that point, we really
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didn't have very good options. We decided to send my wife home
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and I continued the trip with these 60 people all on my own.
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And my wife did the aggressive treatments and was able to bring
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back some of the hearing in her right ear.
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Well, a few months later my wife actually dealt with another
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health issue trying to fix bunions on her feet where the
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toes kind of curve in on themselves and make it difficult
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to walk and paint and make it painful.
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She got a bunions her her foot operated on.
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And in the follow up a few weeks later the day we went in for the
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follow up, two bad medical things happened.
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First, all of her hearing went out again on her rider,
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completely gone, and we discovered that the foot that
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had been operated on wasn't healing properly.
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That resulted in ultimately seven or eight additional foot
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surgeries. She basically was in bed for
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four or five months, couldn't drive a car, and at the same
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time she couldn't do any treatments on her ear because of
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the situation with her foot. And it's just this real loss for
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her that ultimately for her to realize I've lost all my hearing
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totally and completely in both ears.
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We found ourselves in this moment of like facing the
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reality of life that our bodies fall apart.
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We'd actually planned another trip to lead a tour group
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through China of about 160 people.
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She didn't get to go because of her foot issue and the hearing
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problems. So I did that on my own.
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And it's interesting. While I was away, she called
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upon our brother-in-law who lives nearby to give her a
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blessing of comfort and healing. And in that powerful experience
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where she felt the Spirit, and after my brother-in-law left,
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she spent some time with God, in some ways almost like Hannah at
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the temple, pleading with God, talking to him.
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And my wife shared that in that powerful moment of aloneness, or
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more specifically of quiet alone with God, she felt the
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reassuring power of the Spirit confirming to her that
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resurrection is real. She had wondered about that for
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a long time, hoped, but wondered like, is it real?
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What's the assurance? I believe it.
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I know it's in scriptures, but what is the assurance?
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And the Spirit came to her fully and powerfully and confirmed to
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her that in a future day her body will return to full
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restoration and full perfection through the power of Jesus
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Christ. And I remember getting the note
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from her, an e-mail about this beautiful experience.
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And I asked her if he'd be OK with me.
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For me to share this with you today to reassure all of us that
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in a future day, just as Alma taught and just as my wife has
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learned through the Spirit, we will all be restored and
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resurrected because of Jesus Christ and His resurrection.
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You'll notice. Here that there are.
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Lots and lots and lots of questions.
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That we have about resurrection Chapter 40 is filled.
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With uncertainty regarding certain aspects of the
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resurrection and Alma tells his son Corinthian over and over.
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Watch. For it in chapter 40 things
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where he'll say. I don't know.
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I give it as my opinion. This hasn't been revealed yet.
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There are lots of questions in Alma's mind, and some of those
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have been. Resolved through through.
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Joseph Smith and Restoration Scripture in the Doctrine and
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Covenants, but you'll notice what Alma.
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Does he shows a pattern? When you have questions about
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things, you go. Back to what you absolutely.
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Know. And he's doing this over and
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over again. With regards to his.
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Questions his concerns about the resurrection.
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Go over to verse. 10 And when the time cometh, when all shall
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rise, then shall they know that God knoweth all the times which
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were appointed unto man. It's like, even though we don't
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know all these things, God knows.
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Look at verse 11 now concerning the state of the soul between
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death and the resurrection. Behold, it has been made known
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unto me by an Angel. That the spirits of all.
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Men, that's 100% as soon as they are departed from this mortal
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body. Yeah, the spirits.
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Of all men, whether? They be good or evil.
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Are taken home to that God who gave them life.
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This raises a whole. Bunch of questions for us all,
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men and women, as soon as they're dead or taken home to
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that God who gave them life notice.
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The word. State starting in verse 11.
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You could just in your scriptures mark every time you
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see. The word state or.
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At least notice the word state and what it implies.
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It comes up three times in verse 12.
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You're going to see it multiple times in verse 14 and 15 and
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he's describing. These states of.
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Being that people enter into. In verse 12, he refers to Spirit
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paradise. A state of happiness which is
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called. Paradise, a state of rest.
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A state of peace, in other words, tests mortal struggles.
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They're not intended. To last forever.
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They're a. Temporal thing that's going to
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pass and then we enter into a different.
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State a state of rest. But notice he then.
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Describes those who have chosen evil.
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Look at verse. 14 now this. Is the state of the souls of
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the. Wicked.
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Yeah. In darkness, in a state of.
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Awful fearful looking for the. Fire, indignation of the wrath
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of God upon them. Thus they remain in this state.
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As well as the righteous. In Paradise until the time of
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the resurrection. So he's talking about this
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period from when you die until the time that you're.
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Resurrected what's? Happening and he's describing.
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These various. States of being that people are
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going to find themselves in. When I was younger I got in a
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argument with my sister and she started running.
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Towards the house I picked. Up a rock and threw it at her
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and I missed her but I didn't miss the window.
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A very large. Beautiful window in our home and
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put a a big hole in that window. Mom and dad weren't home at the
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time. Guess where I went?
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I went to my room, I crawled under my bed and I stayed there
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until I heard the car come home and the.
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Garage door go. Up and I knew I was in trouble
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in a little child. 'S.
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Perspective Alma's teaching the same principle in a.
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Really big way. Gratefully, my parents didn't
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disown me and banish me forever in that context and.
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There is great hope. Great.
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Redemption for repairing broken windows.
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And shattered lives as well. At a much bigger level.
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So as you're reading through 40. Just pay attention to what he
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doesn't know and where. He says I give.
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It as my opinion, contrasted. With what he does.
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Know, and what he's absolutely certain of.
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That we're all. Going to get this opportunity.
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To be brought. Into the presence of God and to
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find redemption and to be. Restored through a glorious
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resurrection. Now, chapter 41, he's finished
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his discussion of resurrection. Now he refers to the law of the.
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Harvest is what we would call it today.
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It's the. Plan of restoration.
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Notice what he perceives in 41. Verse one.
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I perceive that I might just been worried concerning this
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thing. Verse two.
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I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is
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requisite. With the justice of God.
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He's going to describe some things going on in in a kind of
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an analogy that I would use here to make more sense of this would
27:08
be a. Simple garden.
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You can't go and plant tomato seeds in the spring and expect
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to pick corn from those plants in the fall.
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You can't plant weeds and expect to pick vegetables in the fall.
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The Law of the. Harvest is you reap what you
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sow. Whatever you put into the
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ground, you're going to get back someday.
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And so chapter 41 is filled with this concept of restoration,
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bringing things back. Look at verse 7.
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These are they that are. Redeemed of the Lord, yeah.
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These are they that are. Taken out that are delivered
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from that endless night of darkness, and thus they stand or
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fall. For behold, they are their.
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Own judges whether to do. Good or to do evil?
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Brothers and sisters, the garden plot is a symbol for mortality,
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and I have at my disposal all kinds of seeds that I can put
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into my life, into my life's. Plot.
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Nobody's forcing me to plant certain kinds of fruits and
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vegetables or grains. I can throw out weeds.
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Or I can ignore it and let the weeds grow spontaneously.
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I am my own. Judge.
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I get to judge. I get to decide.
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Isn't that interesting? That God says.
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They are their own judges through Almahair.
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Because the reality is, is there will be a day.
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When we will no longer get to be our own judge.
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When Christ will now judge us? According to our.
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Deeds and on that day, it's not the day to be planting, that's
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the day. Where we reap what we've.
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Sown through life and he's trying to help his son Alma's
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trying to help Koreans in here understand that verse 8 now the
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decrees of God are unalterable. Therefore the way is.
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Prepared, that whosoever will may.
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Walk therein and. Be saved, you get to.
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Choose Koreans and I'm not. Forcing you to be good.
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I'm not forcing you to come back to the to the covenant path and
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to move forward. I'm helping you understand that
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you can keep planting those seeds of being boastful and
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prideful and going. After the heart of Isabel.
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But that doesn't. Produce good fruit.
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Look at verse 10. Do not suppose, because it has
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been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be
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restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you,
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wickedness never was happiness. One of the most quoted verses of
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the entire Book of Mormon coming from a guy Alma, who knew an
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awful lot about wickedness in his earlier years and he's
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saying to his son Corry Anton. Oh, don't think that these
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thrills of the the carnal, central, devilish fallen nature
30:07
that we've inherited don't think that if you.
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Feed those or. Plant those kinds of seeds that
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that's going to lead to happiness, because it doesn't.
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It leads to ruin. It leads to sorrow and misery
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and despair, and to a state not of peace, not of happiness or
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paradise. And so he's describing the.
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Fact that verse. 11 Now, my son, all men that are in a state of
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nature, or I would say in a carnal state, or in the gall of
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bitterness, or in the bonds of iniquity.
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They are without God. In the world and they have gone
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contrary to the nature. Of God.
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Therefore they are in a state contrary to the nature of
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happiness. So you get these two.
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Competing elements, the natural man and the natural woman and
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the nature of God. We have the spirit children of
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God aspect in our makeup. It's trying to be good, but
31:10
sometimes that natural side can overpower and hence the need.
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For us to get. Back onto the covenant path and
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notice. Look at verse. 14 Therefore, my
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son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren.
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Deal justly, judge righteously. And do good continually.
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And if you do all these things, then shall.
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You receive your reward. You shall have mercy restored
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unto you again. You shall have justice restored.
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Unto you again you shall. Have a righteous judgment
31:40
restored. Unto you again, and you.
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Shall have good rewarded. Unto you again.
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You judge righteously. You.
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You. Extend Mercy and all of.
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Those are seeds that you're. Putting in the ground.
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They will bear fruit. Eternally for you one day, and
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now he. Gets to chapter 42 where he
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describes some. Pretty profound and deep
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doctrines regarding the plan of redemption.
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And you'll notice how often he uses these ideas of plan, plan
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of salvation and plan of redemption, plan of happiness.
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Back in verse 8, verse 15, plan of mercy and plan of mercy is
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repeated. Just look for plan and it even
32:21
ends in verse 31, very, very end that the great plan of mercy may
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have claim upon them. This is the plan.
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Of. Salvation plan of happiness.
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Plan of redemption. Plan of mercy.
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Chapter that that. Mentions that more than any
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other in all of. Scripture is chapter 42.
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And to sum it up, the simplest way to.
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Describe this. Is this?
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Contrast between God's mercy and God's justice.
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Now notice the perception in. Chapter 42 Verse.
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One and now my son. I perceive.
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There is somewhat more which doth worry your mind which you
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cannot understand, which is concerning the justice of God in
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the punishment of the Sinner. For you do try to suppose.
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That it is injustice that the Sinner should be consigned to a
33:09
state of misery? Why would that be?
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Why would Corrie Anton be struggling with this?
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Is it perhaps because they've spent some time among the
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Zoramites who are teaching? Nihor's Doctrine.
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Which says it doesn't matter. What you do, God loves.
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You and God's going to save everyone.
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God's not going to punish anyone.
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Everyone's going to be saved in the end.
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That's Niehor's doctrine, and the Zoramites and Antionam are
33:34
living that doctrine. They're preaching that doctrine.
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So now here's this young son who has been enticed by that
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doctrine, and he's a little concerned, thinking, well, is
33:45
it? Just is it fair?
33:46
Is it right for God to? Punish a Sinner when in reality
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Alma's saying it's much more complex than what Nihor would
33:55
have had you. Believe because it's a.
33:57
State of being it's. This law of of the harvest, the
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law of. Restoring things that you've put
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in to life. So notice verse two.
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Behold, my son, I will explain this thing unto thee, for.
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Behold, after the Lord God. Sent our first parents forth
34:15
from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from whence they were
34:18
taken. Yeah, he drew out the man and he
34:22
placed at the East End of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a
34:25
flaming sword which turned every way to.
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Keep the tree of life. There were two trees.
34:30
In Eden among. All the other trees.
34:35
Two, that had major consequences.
34:37
The tree of. Knowledge of good and evil and
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the tree of life. These two.
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Trees happen to be portals or entry points.
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This one was the entry point into mortal life.
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This one was the entry point into Eternal.
34:56
Life, the tree of life. Springing up unto life
35:00
everlasting, you'll notice as soon as they.
35:03
Partake of the. Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge
35:05
of Good and Evil. They've now entered this this
35:08
mortal state of their being. God placed an Angel, a cherubim,
35:14
or cherubim plural, and a flaming.
35:16
Sword to guard the way of the tree.
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Of life. It wasn't time for them to enter
35:22
into eternal life, yet they had to enter this probationary
35:26
state. Look at verse 4.
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Thus we see that there was a. Time granted unto man to repent.
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Yeah, a probationary time. A time to repent and serve God.
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This space between. Birth where we're we're brought.
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Into mortality and death. Where the day will.
35:46
Come when we. Get to partake of the fruit of
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the tree of. Life entering into eternal life.
35:53
Hopefully, or at least. Resurrection for all mankind is
35:58
not right after you enter into mortality.
36:02
There needs to be this space, this probationary test, which
36:06
flies in the face of Nihor's doctrine that Coriantin has.
36:11
Maybe. Started to believe.
36:12
From these ormites. Look at verse 5 for Behold if
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Adam had. Put forth his hand immediately
36:17
and partaken of the tree. Of life he would have lived
36:20
forever according to the word of.
36:21
God having no space for repentance.
36:23
Yeah, and also. The word of God would.
36:25
Have been void and the great plan of salvation would have
36:29
been frustrated. They become fallen.
36:32
It's appointed for man to die in that next verse.
36:35
And then look at verse 7. Now we see by this that our
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first parents were. Cut off both.
36:41
Temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord.
36:44
And thus we see that they become subjects.
36:46
To follow after their own. Will verse 10 Therefore, as they
36:50
had become carnal, sensual, and devilish by nature, this
36:54
probationary state became a state for them to.
36:57
Prepare. It became a preparatory state.
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Now we get the plan of salvation and we get this probationary
37:05
period of life called mortality where we get to move forward in
37:10
these in these great tests. Notice that the whole point here
37:18
is he's setting up again this juxtaposition between mercy and.
37:24
Justice of God the best. Analogy I know for chapter. 42.
37:29
Was given by Elder. Boyd K Packer clear back.
37:33
In April of 1977. He set up this idea that you
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have a creditor. Who loans money to a debtor and
37:46
a a the terms of that loan repayment are.
37:50
Established, but it. Turns out that the debtor
37:53
defaults on the loan and can't pay.
37:56
Justice must be served. Justice can't be.
38:01
Robbed, or God would cease to be God.
38:04
Alma helps his young son Corienton understand that that
38:08
it's not that you can say. Well, because God loves all.
38:12
Of his children. Therefore his law becomes null
38:16
and void and he can just turn a blind eye to it and say, I know
38:19
you broke it. I know you planted all these
38:21
seeds in your life that are weeds, but I'm just going to
38:25
overcome all that. Regardless of what you desired.
38:28
And I'm just going to save everybody.
38:30
That's Niehor's doctrine, taught to him by the devil, inspired by
38:34
the devil. God's.
38:35
Doctrine is I love you, so I'm going to give you laws to help
38:41
you learn how to live your life in a way that will put you in a
38:45
state of peace of. Rest a state of paradise.
38:49
Eternal life so that you can become more like me.
38:52
Because wickedness never was happiness.
38:55
So God's love. Is best demonstrated by looking
39:00
at the laws. That he.
39:02
Gives us, and especially the best demonstration of God's love
39:06
is by giving us his Son. The Lord Jesus Christ who is.
39:12
Given so that justice can. Still be served Here's.
39:17
Me here's you we owe a debt to. Justice that.
39:21
We've defaulted on the loan. We shouldn't look at this and
39:24
go, wow, I'm glad I'm not Corry Anton.
39:26
The reality is is symbolically. This is our story.
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This is all of us. We've all defaulted on that
39:35
loan, So what happens? We get a mediator who comes in
39:42
to stand. Betwixt you.
39:45
And justice that inserts himself.
39:48
Right there to say the price has to be.
39:51
Paid justice must be served so Jesus as our mediator, steps in.
39:58
Justice can still be served. It can.
40:01
Still be paid so he. Pays the loan that we can't
40:04
afford, and then he turns to us and now he can extend mercy.
40:11
So this is the plan of redemption.
40:14
This is the plan of happiness. This is the plan of salvation in
40:18
in all of its realms is rooted in its central feature.
40:26
It's central. Character, which is Jesus
40:30
Christ. It's only through him that
40:33
justice can fully be served and mercy can fully be extended.
40:39
President Boyd K Packer's talk in April 1977 that I mentioned.
40:44
Describes that so beautifully that.
40:47
Jesus now turns to us and says. Look, I paid a price.
40:50
That you couldn't pay? Will you just have faith in me?
40:54
Will you repent? Which means to turn to and to
40:58
change. Your course if we use.
41:01
The Hebrew version of repentance.
41:03
That's what a loving, kind, gentle father is doing here.
41:10
Brothers and sisters, we've spent all this time covering
41:13
Alma, 39 through 42, talking about Alma, referring to his son
41:18
Corrie Anton. And that's wonderful and it's
41:21
valid, and you can study it in the historical context for years
41:25
and years and years and still keep finding truths.
41:28
But for me? The reality of this chapter.
41:30
Is I'm seeing a mirror, I'm seeing a reflection of my own
41:35
story with a loving Father in heaven who's saying to me.
41:42
Tyler, you struggled. Let me.
41:44
Teach you about the seriousness of those sins.
41:47
Let me teach you about the ways you might have been able to
41:50
prevent those. And let me teach you about how
41:54
to turn to me, how to change. How to?
41:58
Start planting better seeds. How to rely on Christ?
42:04
This whole section is a a symbolic way for me to insert
42:12
myself into this very real scenario and say you don't have
42:19
to have gone after a harlot named Isabel in the land of
42:22
Siren to desperately need the redemptive power and mercy and
42:29
merits and. Grace of the.
42:31
Redeemer, even the Lord. Jesus Christ.
42:35
Dieter F Uchtdorf many years ago gave an incredible talk.
42:39
Where he described. Some of the struggles that we
42:43
sometimes face in life. Here's what he says.
42:46
When we feel hurt, angry or envious.
42:51
It is quite easy to judge people this.
42:53
Topic could actually be taught in a two word sermon.
42:57
When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing,
43:01
holding grudges or wanting to cause harm, please apply the
43:06
following. Stop it. 2 words whether you're.
43:11
Looking in the mirror, ridiculing, judging, condemning
43:15
because of past wrongs or whether you're looking at
43:18
somebody else condemning, judging or pointing fingers of
43:23
scorn because of. Poor.
43:25
Decisions that maybe have been made as they've cast out.
43:30
Weed seeds into their garden. Plot Elder Ukdorf for President
43:34
Ukdorf at the time. Gave us the pretty powerful
43:37
council to stop it. Because what we're doing is
43:42
we're limiting or trying to cut people off from the power of the
43:47
plan of salvation, which is rooted in Jesus Christ as their
43:51
mediator, their intercessor. May the Lord bless all of us.
43:57
As we move forward, continuing to teach the ideal, continuing
44:01
to study the ideal, but then sitting down like a second.
44:05
Grader to. Work on our math problems and
44:08
realizing, oh, I messed up again and again and again.
44:14
It's a good thing that math isn't broken.
44:17
It's a good thing that the gospel isn't broken.
44:19
It's a good thing. That the Lord Jesus Christ.
44:23
Is in a rowboat coming out to help.
44:26
Those of us who. Often get in a little.
44:29
Too far over our heads. I know he lives, I know he
44:33
loves, I know he redeems and I know he saves.
44:36
This is the plan. The plan wasn't.
44:40
For you to be perfect. The plan was.
44:42
For you to do the. Best you can to move forward and
44:45
learn from your own experience and to rely on the merits, Mercy
44:49
and. Grace of the Lord Jesus.
44:50
Christ, and I leave that with you, in the name of Jesus
44:53
Christ, Amen.