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Mosiah 25–28 | Scripture Study Insights with Tyler Griffin | A Come Follow Me Resource · Scripture Central

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Hello there, my name is Tyler Griffin and this is Scripture
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Study Insights by Scripture Central Today Mosiah chapters 25
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through 28. Now before we dive into these
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chapters, I want to work through a a small activity to
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demonstrate a little principle that will come into play as we
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explore the scriptures today. So we're going to look at a a
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case study here, a scenario. Let's assume that your your ward
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is looking for a couple of leaders in an in important
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positions whether it be in an elders corn presidency or a
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bishopric or something along those lines.
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Just in in this made-up scenario, picture these six
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individuals that you have on a short list of consideration and
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all you have is this description of each of those six
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individuals. And you get to pick two of them
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that you would recommend for this this, these important
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callings. So person number one, he's
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short. He moves frequently.
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He's a recent convert to the Church, but many members of your
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stake in your ward don't trust him because he used to be an
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enemy to the church, used to fight against the church.
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He often angers people because he questions traditional
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practices and authority, but he's all in now.
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OK, Person #2, his parents are very well known.
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They're influential leaders in the area.
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He's willing to sacrifice and even has direct communication
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with the Lord on occasion. And he is a successful farmer.
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Person #3, his father, is a prominent church leader.
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He rebelled in his youth and he refused to serve a mission at
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that time. But he has since shown full
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repentance and has proven to be a faithful disciple who has
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served faithfully for many years now.
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What about Person #4HE demonstrates powerful leadership
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qualities. He's very ambitious.
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He's hard working. He's good at discerning other
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strengths and weaknesses and influencing them accordingly.
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He has tremendous amounts of knowledge and he comes from the
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best of families, and he's also very, very persuasive.
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Person #5 school was not really his strength, but he's developed
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into a great writer and speaker over the years.
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He's charismatic and a visionary leader, but many people say he's
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deceptive, even though he's spent many months in prison.
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He's been out for a few years now.
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He he causes occasional riots and unrest, but an amazing
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person and number six, physically this, this man is the
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strongest person in your area. Everyone knows him and nobody
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would dare stand up to him. He's very persuasive and he's
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persistent in getting what he wants.
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He's had multiple experiences where he's been delivered from
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danger and harm. There you go.
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So the question is, you get to pick two out of these six people
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and you all you have is the descriptions to go by.
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Now, many of you have probably noticed that this list is a a
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coded list of people from scriptures and from church
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history. Let's see if we can unpack these
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one at a time #1 Person #1. If you went with him, then you
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chose to appoint the apostle Paul to this position of
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leadership in your ward. If you went with person #2, his
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parents are well known and influential.
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Then you chose the son of Adam and Eve named Cain.
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If you went with person #3. This is Alma the younger, who
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will come into our story today directly related to what we're
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going to be talking about today. Person #4 is a very interesting
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one because, well, that's Lucifer or the Devil himself.
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If you look at person #5 and you chose him, that is the Prophet
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Joseph Smith. And person number six is from
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the Old Testament, Samson of the story of Samson and Delilah.
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Now some of you are feeling a little bit maybe deceived at
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this point. Misled.
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Frustrated with how this played out because maybe you you had
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selected Cain or Lucifer or Samson as one or two of your
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readers, as opposed to Joseph Smith and Alma and Paul, and
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you're frustrated with the way they were presented to you.
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Here's the reality. It's very easy that this is not
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a difficult thing to take a good person and portray them as a bad
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person or maybe even as a neutral person.
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And it's not hard to take a bad person and make them seem to be
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a wonderful person, somebody you would want to follow or you
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would want to support. That's the struggle that we face
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in our world. One of the many struggles we
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face in our world today is that the Internet is filled with this
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kind of exercise, this kind of activity where good is being
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presented as evil and evil is being presented as good, and it
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it influences belief, it influences people's attitudes
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and ultimately behaviors and character and their devotion in
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life. And we'll see this happening
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later on with Alma the Younger, because it goes about trying to
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destroy the church. An additional thing to look for
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in this lesson is how God works with those who have strayed, and
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then watch for how they respond to those efforts.
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So will most Some people like Alma and Paul, they repent and
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return, while others, like Lucifer and Cain rebel and turn
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for their way. In this particular example, you
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you saw Paul listed with some things from his past and Joseph
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Smith with some struggles in the past.
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And for our story today, this person #3 that we're going to be
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focusing on Elma the younger, who experienced some incredibly
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terrible things of his own choice in his past.
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But now you're going to see this transformation on the page in
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front of you. And so this set of chapters
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should be a hope inducing set of scriptures for those of you who
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may be yourself have struggled spiritually, or for those who
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have loved ones who have or are struggling spiritually to be
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able to to find patterns of how to be part of a solution rather
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than part of a perpetuating and ongoing problem.
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OK, so let's dive into chapter 25 and look for for powerful
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principles of this idea of coming together in a covenant
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community and and seeking for Zion striving to become one as a
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group of people. So what we have is this label
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the Nephites. Now into this big group we have
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King Mosiah, the first group of Nephites, the king to Zerahemla.
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You have the Mulekites that were living already in Zerahemla and
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now Zenith left. And now we have Wimhai's people
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who have escaped their bondage in last week's chapters, and you
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have Alma's people. So in chapter 25, notice that
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it's it's King Mosiah the second now, because Mosiah the first
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his son Benjamin, and then his son Mosiah the second, he's the
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king. And we've now brought all these
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people together and it it it's fascinating to watch as this
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group of the population who has been safe here for the last
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eight years in Zarahemla listens to the stories of Lemhay and
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Alma's group and their stories of deliverance after being in
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bondage and the many afflictions that they experienced in the
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land of Zarahemla. And notice it says in verse 8.
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For they knew not what to think. For when they beheld those that
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had been delivered out of bondage, they were filled with
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exceedingly great joy. I love that because we talk
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about mourning with those that mourn and comforting those that
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stand in need of comfort and helping to bear one another's
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burdens, willing, willing to do that.
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In this context you see an additional thing that it's also
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a a beautiful thing when you can rejoice with those that are
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rejoicing or joy in those that are experiencing joy or
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deliverance, not just mourning with those that mourn, but but
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to celebrate with those that are celebrating these spiritual
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victories. In this case it says verse 9
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again. When they thought of their
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brethren who had been slain by the Lamanites, they were now
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filled with sorrow, even shed many tears of sorrow.
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So they're mourning with those that have lost these loved ones.
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And there there's something comforting about that for this
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group who has come from outside Limhite's group lost many
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people. And verse 10 puts the focus
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right where it belongs. And again, when they thought of
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the immediate goodness of God and his power in delivering Elma
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and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites, and out
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of bondage, they did raise their voices and did give thanks to
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God. But then they turn their focus
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to the Lamanites who are still in the land of Zarahemwah, and
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they thought of their sinful and polluted state, and they were
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filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls.
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You just saw in, in a course of a few verses from 8:00 to 11:00,
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you saw three different human sets of emotions that these
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people have gone through. And there's something beautiful
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about that. There's something Christ like
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about that. When a person makes themselves
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vulnerable to feel what another person is feeling or to feel
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after somebody based on the condition that they're going
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through. And that's going to come out
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throughout the rest of these chapters as well.
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As you read, notice what what different characters in these
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stories, different people, are likely to feel emotionally as
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human beings based on whatever is going on on the page.
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And then translate that into our own world today.
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And you'll notice that there there are a lot of negative
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emotions that won't motivate, that won't encourage improved
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behavior, that won't accelerate somebody's progress on the
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covenant path that can actually diminish or or discourage their
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progress. If we if we use fear tactics or
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shaming or abusive techniques to try to force or take away agency
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or compel for any other reason other than loving them and
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encouraging them and motivating them.
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That long beautiful list from Doctrine Covenant section 121
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the Lord gave to the Prophet Joseph Smith when he was in
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Liberty Jail. These are the the attributes
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that will truly help motivate people who might be struggling
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in any way. So listen to this list from the
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Lord. No power or influence can or
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ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood only by,
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here's your list, Persuasion by long-suffering, by gentleness
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and meekness, and by love unfeigned by kindness and pure
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knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without
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hypocrisy and without guile. Reproving the times with
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sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and then showing
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forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast
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reproved, lest he esteem need to be his enemy.
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We are going to see those principles right there from
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section 121 verse 41 through 43 over and over again in these
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chapters here as well As for the rest of the Book of Mormon.
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There is no greater motivator to help encourage people than these
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open arms of love, kindness, compassion and long-suffering
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that that we just saw. So after Limhi and Alma have
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both shared the the stories of their people's deliverance.
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Then verse 17 says it came to pass it after Alma had taught
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the people many things and it made an end of speaking to them
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that King Limhi was desirous that he might be baptized.
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Remember we we talked about this last week in chapter 21 where
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he's he's entered into a covenant.
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He's he's promised the Lord he's going to do this, but he didn't
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have anyone to baptize him. Now he has.
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Alma and all his people were desirous that they might be
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baptized also. Therefore, Alma did go forth
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into the water and did baptize them.
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Yeah, he did baptize them after the manner he did his brethren
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in the waters of Mormon. Yeah.
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And as many as he did baptized did belong to the Church of God,
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and that's because of their belief on the words of Elma.
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So we now have we now have Alma, and we have Mosiah as leadership
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of the people. Mosiah happens to be the king
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and Alma happens to be the prophet.
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So we have church and state and the these two leaders and the
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king. Mosiah allows Alma this
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opportunity to establish the church among all the people in
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Zarahemela. So that's where for the first
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time in the Book of Mormon, we get this widespread reference to
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churches being established by God through Alma the prophet
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under the approval and the the direction of King Mosiah.
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So as we now jump into Chapter 26, we're going to see this
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incredible story unfold where Alma the Younger, who spent all
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this time in the land of Nephi, having incredible experiences
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with his father and with his people.
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We don't know how old he was at that time is going to become
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very close friends with the four sons of Mosiah, Amon, Aaron,
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Omnar and Hymni, who have stayed in Zarahemla that whole time,
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who are grandchildren of King Benjamin now.
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It's fascinating as you open up chapter 26 to see the the stage
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set for this rising generation and the struggles they're going
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to face. So notice for instance the the
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when you're studying scriptures it's it's often easy to just
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quickly read the the words on the page and miss the the
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connections or miss some of the repeat concepts.
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So in this case, just in verse one through 4, notice a word
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that gets repeated a lot and it's the word not.
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So. If you look at the page we have
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verse one, you have two times the word not verse two, you have
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it one time, verse three you have it one time, and verse four
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you've got it two times. Now that's the repeat phrase
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that just keeps coming again and again.
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Or or word rather. So now let's identify what is
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the word that comes before it. Now it came to pass that there
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were many of the rising generation that could not
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understand the words of King Benjamin.
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Why couldn't they? It's because they weren't little
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children at the time that he speak to them.
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So they it's not their fault. This was a situation where
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they're not of age. They they couldn't understand
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what King Benjamin was saying, so they did not believe the
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tradition of their fathers. This is an amazingly powerful
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concept when you look also at the repeat of of belief and
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believe. Because agency is now being
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used. They did not believe, they, they
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did not choose to believe. And belief is a choice.
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Some people feel like they're inadequate in certain settings
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in in, say, a fast and testimony meeting, because there might be
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a whole bunch of people telling things that they know, and maybe
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that person sitting there might feel like a secondary citizen in
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the Kingdom of God, because they might be saying but, but I don't
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know. I don't have the certainty that
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you have, brothers and sisters. It's a gift of the spirit to
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know certain things, but it's also a gift of the spirit to
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believe in those who know, like prophets and in the testimony of
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others. There's nothing wrong with
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standing at a podium. Or at a pulpit and saying I
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believe because that's a choice and if you plant that seed of
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belief and you nurture it, it will grow over time, it will
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develop in into more sure knowledge over time.
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So this group of children, this rising generation, little
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children of the time that King Benjamin gave his talk, they
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didn't choose to plant those seeds of belief, which now means
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they did not believe, would have been said concerning the
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resurrection of the dead. Neither did they believe
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concerning the coming of Christ. And now, because of their
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unbelief, they could not understand the word of God, and
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their hearts were hardened. Are you noticing cause and
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effect? The cause was they were
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children, so they couldn't understand because they couldn't
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understand. Now they allow that to influence
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their agency, to not believe the tradition of their fathers,
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which means now they did not believe.
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They they also choose not to believe concerning the
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resurrection or the coming of Christ, and so now they could
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not understand the word of God. So when somebody reads to them
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the words of King Benjamin or they listen to Alma preaching,
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they couldn't understand the word of God.
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It it didn't resonate with them. It didn't sink into their mind
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and into their heart because they've locked it up with
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unbelief. They've chosen not to believe,
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which now leads to they would not be baptized, neither would
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they join the church. We could say they would not join
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the church if we wanted to keep the knot pattern going.
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And they were a separate people as to their faith and remain so
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ever after even in their carnal and sinful state.
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For they would not call upon the Lord their God.
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So could not, leads to did not and and another did not and
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could not, which now leads to would not that they won't engage
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on that covenant path, they won't move forward, which leads
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to all kinds of concern for Elma and Mosiah, the leader of the
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church and the leader of the Kingdom.
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So the outcome of this rising generation choosing not to
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believe, choosing not to engage with the words of the prophets
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and the words of the scriptures and and the words of the Lord.
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Ultimately it leads to verse 5-6 and seven.
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Where for instance in verse six it says it came to pass that
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they did deceive many with their flattering words who were in the
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church, and it caused them to commit many sins.
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They deceived them. They're teaching now false
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doctrines and they're couching them in a way that they look
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believable. They look good.
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They look like something that a a person would want to embrace.
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Remember our activity at the beginning?
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It's very easy to make bad look good and to make good look evil.
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And that's exactly what's going on here.
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So now Alma, as the head of the church, has all of these people
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brought before him with accusations from other members
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of the church about the bad things that they're doing.
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And Alma says, Oh, well, let me take these people and have King
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Mosiah judge them. And so as he brings these
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problems before the king, Messiah says, I'm not going to
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judge them, you're going to judge them.
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And he sends them right back to Elma for for judgment.
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And Elma doesn't have a clue what to do about this.
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This is one of the the most incredible chapters of
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scripture. For a parent, for a leader, for
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a friend who finds him or herself in a situation where,
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quite honestly, they they can identify the problem, they they
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can see what's going wrong, but they don't have any idea how to
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help or how to fix that problem. This becomes kind of the first
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general handbook of instructions for how to run a membership
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council in the church, what used to be called a disciplinary
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council. But I love that the adjustment
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now to being a membership council because it's not a
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punitive thing. A membership council is convened
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or or called in order to figure out the best way to help a child
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of God to be able to most effectively and and quickly move
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forward on the covenant path, to be able to repent and to be able
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to have the Savior provide whatever healing is needed or or
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most necessary at that time. And in this case Alma goes to
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the Lord, and he doesn't have any idea what to do.
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And so he says, verse 13 The spirit of Elma was again
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troubled, And he went, and he inquired of the Lord what he
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should do concerning this matter.
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For he feared that he should do wrong in the sight of God.
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And it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole soul
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to God, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying, And now he
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gets the instructions. Blessed art thou, Elma, and
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blessed are they who are baptized in the waters of
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Mormon. Thou art blessed because of thy
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exceeding faith in the words alone of my servant of Benedai.
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So, Alma, you're blessed because you chose to believe the words
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of the Benedai, which now became knowledge, and it became a part
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of your soul, deeply rooted. And now we're seeing the fruits
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of of Alma's life. This concept reminds me of a
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powerful teaching from President Delanie Chokes in his October
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2023 general conference address called Kingdoms of Glory.
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He says this. The Apostle Paul taught that the
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Lord's teachings and commandments were given that we
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may all attain quote the measure of the stature of the fullness
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of Christ. Then he says this That process
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requires far more than acquiring knowledge.
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It is not even enough to be convinced of the gospel.
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We must act so that we are converted by it.
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In contrast to other preaching which teaches us to know
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something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become
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something. The story of Alma is is a
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perfect fit for this doctrine of or for this teaching that he
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didn't just sit and listen to a Benedi and believe the words of
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a Benedi. He didn't just learn a few
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gospel facts. He didn't prepare for a final
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exam on on a in a religion course.
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He actually has implemented those teachings.
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They've become a part of his thoughts, his feelings, his
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actions, his behavior, his character has been shaped by
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these things. He is converted.
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He's all in. The Lord doesn't have to wonder,
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and Alma doesn't have to wonder. If if he's committed to the
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Lord, he's all in, and the Lord's reminding him of that
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here in these verses, and He's blessing Alma.
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It's a beautiful thing to read passages like this beginning
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especially in verse 15, where the Lord is consoling or
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comforting or or lifting up one of His servants, and to try to
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hear the voice of the Lord. Translating that and likening
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those same things to you in in your world, in your experiences.
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And notice how many times He uses the word blessed and the
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the the reasons why this individual is blessed.
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And quite frankly the reason why you are more blessed than than
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you probably think you are. Moving forward.
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As you get into verse 817-1819 and just keep going down this
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incredible section, watch for the words my, mine, and I, these
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personal pronouns. Watch how the Lord is helping
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Elma, this leader of all of these churches in Zarahemla.
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Notice how he's describing this bottom of verse 17.
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They shall be my people. He doesn't say Elma, they're
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going to be your people. God is claiming them.
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Verse 18. Blessed is this people who are
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willing to bear my name, for in my name shall it be called, And
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they are mine. Because thou hast inquired of me
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concerning the transgressor. Thou art blessed, Thou art my
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servant, and I covenant with thee, that thou shalt have
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eternal life. Thou shalt serve me and go forth
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in my name, and shall gather together my sheep.
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These are such beautiful versus setting this relationship
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between God and us. Very clearly defined in this, in
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this connection, that it's his work.
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These are his people. If you have children who are
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struggling, if you have children who who are going astray,
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remember they were Heavenly Father's children before they
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were yours. They're they're his.
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He's given them to you. And he didn't give them to you
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to condemn them or to discourage them.
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He gave them to you to keep working with them.
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And some of those godly attributes come into play here.
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Patient, long-suffering, merciful, loving.
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And you allow time, this, this long-suffering and patience
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takes time. And sometimes they're going to
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have to experience some terrible things, as we're going to see in
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this in this chapter, before they turn around.
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But love will be the the the greatest motivator for them to
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make that that converting transition in life to come back
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to the fold, or back to the church, or back to the family.
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Notice he describes in verse 22 and 23.
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For behold, this is my church. Whosoever is baptized shall be
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baptized unto repentance, and whosoever you shall receive
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shall believe in my name, and him will I freely forgive.
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So if you've struggled with things in the past, the Devil
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would want you to be defined and anchored to those problems in
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the past that would hold you back and make you feel unworthy,
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eternally, perpetually unworthy of the Saviour's loving grace
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and His mercy and His Infinite Atonement.
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But if we choose to think celestial, as President Nelson
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has emphasized, then we won't allow the the, the Adversary or
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anybody else to define us by our past mistakes.
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But we will be making a choice to believe in the reality that
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Jesus Christ can change our hearts and our lives.
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And we define us by our glorious and hope filled future moving
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forward, that if we will repent the promises, I will freely
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forgive them from the Lord. For it is I that taketh upon me
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the sins of the world, for it is I that hath created them.
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It is I that granteth unto him that believeth unto the end a
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place at my right hand. Are you noticing the the
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continuation of these personal pronouns?
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Verse 24 through 30? You're you're read those verses
33:59
carefully. You're going to see it over and
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over and over again. More personal pronouns for the
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Lord in these chap. In this chapter, in verses 17
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through 30 than any other place that I can find in scripture.
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It is constant. He's reminding Alma whose work
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this really is and what Alma's role really is, which now
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liberates this incredibly devoted and faithful prophet to
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be able to do the Lord's work rather than trying to do Alma's
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own work and get it wrong. It's such a beautiful passage.
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If you're in any kind of leadership position and
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struggling to know what to do or how to fix a problem, or if
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you're a parent or a grandparent or a sibling, I would highly
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encourage that you prayerfully and carefully and deeply study
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Mosiah 26, verse 15 through 30. Now as we get done, he he
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describes the process of forgiveness versus those who
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refuse to repent. Their names are going to be
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blotted out, not because we hate them, not because we want to
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curse them, but because that is what's going to help them the
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most. To be able to eventually repent
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and make it onto the covenant path rather than telling them,
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yeah, you can stay in in the church and keep doing everything
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that you're doing these serious sins, that's not helping them,
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That's not going to encourage them to repent or to connect
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with the Savior. And so as we open up Chapter 27,
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we learn this sad reality for Alma and Mosiah, that their own
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sons are causing major, major problems.
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In verse eight it says now the sons of Mosiah were numbered
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among the unbelievers, and also one of the sons of Elma was
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numbered among them. He being called Elma after his
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father, nevertheless he became a very wicked and an idolatrous
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man, and he was a man of many words and didn't speak much
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flattery to the people. Therefore he led many of the
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people to do after the manner of his iniquities.
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So here you have these two fathers who are doing everything
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they can to build up the Kingdom of God and to build up the the
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rule of law and order in the nation.
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And their very own children are going around secretly trying to
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tear down the work that their fathers are doing.
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So what did they do? These parents poured their
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hearts out to the Lord for help, for a miracle, for solutions.
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Now in their case, they got a very dramatic answer to those
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prayers. And that may not be the case for
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you or for me, that it plays out exactly the way it does in this
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chapter for our loved ones. But the point is, God will honor
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and respect the faith, the dedication, the devotion, the
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consecration of parents, of siblings of leaders as they pour
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out their hearts for those who may be struggling, those
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solutions, those miracles, in whatever form they may take in
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your circle of influence, they some of them may come in this
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life, but some may not come until the next life.
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But it doesn't change the fact that we can't take away their
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agency. Therefore, what we can do is
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keep loving, persuading with gentleness and weakness and love
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and faint. All that.
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That list from section 121. We can keep doing those things
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over time and allow the Lord to keep working with those
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individuals. Yeah, according to his time
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frame. So as you read the the story
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here in chapter 27 and and study it, hopefully you will see not
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this extreme example of a miracle and think well that
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would never happen for me. But rather hopefully you'll find
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principles of being able to call down the powers of heaven in
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behalf of loved ones. Mommies and daddies have an
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amazing ability to be able to bless the lives of their
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children instead of cursing their children, instead of
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shaming their children, instead of kicking out their children.
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What an amazing opportunity is for parents within certain
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within reason. There may be situations where
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you have to take more direct action, reproving the times with
39:17
sharpness, but then showing that increase of love and that might
39:20
look differently for different families in different settings.
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But the point is, is that that individual feels the love and
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hope that is being instilled and belief in their future capacity
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to be able to connect with the Lord in in whatever way that
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may, in whatever form that may take in your family or with your
39:45
your the people that you're serving.
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So you watch that story unfold here in Mosiah Chapter 27.
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And then Elma after having seen this Angel who has has stopped
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him on the path of going around and destroyed the church along
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with four sons of Mosiah. He is now out in in this
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completely passed out state for three days where his soul is
40:15
being wracked with eternal torment.
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And we pick that story up when he tells his own version of the
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story. To his son Healman in Alma
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chapter 36. So he we get that part later.
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But here after he he is revived. People have been gathered.
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He tells initially his story. Bottom of verse 28 says, I am
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born of God, and now 29 my soul has been redeemed from the gall
40:44
of bitterness and bonds of iniquity.
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I was in the darkest abyss. Now I behold the marvelous light
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of God. My soul was wracked with eternal
40:55
torment, but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.
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That's the message for any of you who are suffering or who
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have loved ones who are suffering, is to hold on to that
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hope, that belief, that that trust in the Savior Jesus
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Christ. That he can help bring about a
41:14
rebirth for you or for any of your loved ones who might be
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struggling. That there is this incredible
41:21
redemptive power that this earth can't describe and that the
41:26
devil will push against and fight against and and try to
41:30
make you feel like everybody's losing their faith and
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everybody's leaving the Church and everything's going going to
41:38
pot, when in reality there are more miracles, more temples,
41:46
more missionaries, more people studying, more scriptures than
41:50
ever in the history of the world.
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Are there some leaving the faith?
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Absolutely. Is that a tragedy?
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Yes, but it's not an an eternal destiny for them.
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God is accelerating his work. There are more incredible things
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happening now than ever before in the history of of the world
42:10
regarding the spreading of the work on both sides of the veil.
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There was never a better time to engage deeply with with our
42:18
faith, with repentance, with baptism, and with spreading the
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the light of the Holy Ghost everywhere we can.
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So now you come down to what I consider to be kind of the
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thesis statement for this this whole section of the scriptures.
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Look at the bottom of verse 30, Alma.
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After telling the people that he had rejected his Redeemer, he
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said that he remembered that the Lord remembereth every creature
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of his creating, and he will make himself manifest unto all
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that wasn't just manifest unto those who are keeping the
42:57
commandments. It's He will.
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He will in his own time, in his own way he will make his himself
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manifest unto all, Yeah, every knee shall bow, and every tongue
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confessed before him. Yeah, even at the last day when
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all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess
43:17
that he is God. And then shall they confess who
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live without God in the world, that the judgement of an
43:23
everlasting punishment is just upon them.
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And they shall quake and tremble and shrink beneath the glance of
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his all searching eye. That's coming from a guy who had
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just barely been snatched from this eternal torment from the
43:38
bonds of iniquity as he describes them.
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And his point is God is going to to bring everybody to Him.
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Our job is to try to bring them to him as early as possible
43:52
before this great and last day. That's why there's so much
43:56
emphasis by our prophets, sears and revelators on the gathering
43:59
of Israel on both sides of the veil, rather than to say, Adrian
44:02
can be married tomorrow. We die, and it will be well with
44:06
us because it won't be well with us unless we choose to, to come
44:12
unto Christ and allow him to cleanse us.
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Which now brings us to Chapter 28, the last chapter.
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I love this because these four sons of Mosiah and Alma, they
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didn't just believe, they didn't just gain a knowledge of God's
44:33
goodness. As President Oakes's quote
44:36
mentioned, they have become something different.
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They've become converted, and because of that conversion,
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they're no longer content to just quietly go to church
44:50
themselves and enjoy the blessings of the gospel for
44:53
themselves. They were on the verge of
44:59
eternal destruction, and they recognize God's goodness in
45:02
bringing them into the arms of His safety, into those
45:06
covenantal connecting powerful ordinances and doctrines of the
45:12
gospel that connected them to Him.
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And now they're looking horizontally, saying we have to
45:18
bring everybody we can into this same powerful covenant that the
45:25
Lord has made with us, and the thought that anybody would
45:29
perish. Notice that it says now they
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were desirous that salvation should be declared to every
45:35
creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should
45:40
perish. Even the very thoughts that any
45:44
soul should endure endless torment did 'cause them to quake
45:48
and tremble, and thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon
45:52
them. For they were the very vilest of
45:55
sinners, and the Lord saw fit in His infinite mercy to spare
45:59
them. Nevertheless, they suffered much
46:02
anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and
46:05
fearing that they should be cast off forever.
46:08
But now they no longer need to fear that they they are no
46:11
longer defined by their low point of life or by their poor
46:16
decisions of their youth. They're not allowing their
46:19
younger self to hold their current self hostage and to hold
46:24
them back. They're moving forward with
46:27
Christ on this path, bringing as many people as possible.
46:31
And so they plead with their dad Ammon, Aaron, Amnor and Himnay
46:36
plead with King Mosiah. Let us go up to the land of
46:40
Nephiah and teach the the Lamanites their enemies.
46:44
The thought of them, of any of those Lamanites perishing just
46:48
caused them great anguish. And you can imagine King Mosiah
46:51
sending these four potential heirs to the Nephite throne to
46:56
the enemies. He's not excited about that, but
47:00
they keep asking so much. They're so converted, and
47:04
they're moved by the Lord to do this.
47:06
This wasn't them making this up. They're inspired to do this.
47:10
And so King Mosiah goes to the Lord and hears his promise in
47:13
verse 7. And the Lord said unto Mosiah,
47:17
let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they
47:22
shall have eternal life. And I will deliver thy sons out
47:26
of the hands of the lame rights. Mosiah doesn't know all of the
47:30
details of what's going to happen on their mission.
47:32
That that Mormon will pick up for us in in Alma chapter 17
47:36
through 25. Mosiah may not see all of those
47:40
details, but he knows enough. He knows enough to trust that
47:45
God is going to take those sons of His and use them as
47:49
instruments to do an amazing work to do a great work among
47:53
the Lamanites. And he will protect them.
47:57
They will not be destroyed by going on this mission.
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It's an amazing thing when a parent or a leader or or a
48:07
family member receives that assurance from the Lord that
48:13
things will work out. We may not know exactly how
48:16
they're going to work out, but we get that calm, quiet, steady
48:22
reassurance that nobody can give to you, only the Lord himself.
48:27
Nobody can convince you, but the Holy Ghost can carry message
48:31
deep into your heart that a child or a loved one or somebody
48:35
that you're serving in a calling the the Good Shepherd is
48:40
watching over that sheep and he's going to keep working with
48:43
that sheep. And my role is to do everything
48:46
I can to to work with the Lord in that effort and things will
48:51
work out. We don't know how, but there's
48:54
something powerful to get that reassurance from heaven that
48:58
they will work out. And then we can kind of let go
49:01
of the anxiety and the frustrations with the current
49:05
behaviors. And instead of having the
49:08
present person hold their future person hostage, we can let go of
49:14
that. And it changes the relationship.
49:17
We look at them differently. We talk to them differently.
49:20
They feel our love. They feel our compassion, our
49:25
empathy. They are more open when the time
49:29
is right for us to share little principles of the gospel, little
49:34
seeds that might sink a little deeper into their heart than
49:37
before, and germinate into a small belief which can then grow
49:42
into this tree of knowledge and testimony, ultimately springing
49:47
up into a tree of life for them. May the Lord bless us as we not
49:53
just study these chapters where there are these incredible
49:59
difficulties going on and incredible solutions coming.
50:04
May the Lord bless us to be able to see the application of these
50:08
principles in our own circles of influence today.
50:13
With the person looking at us in the mirror, with our loved ones,
50:17
in our immediate family and our extended family, and in our our
50:21
workplaces, our colleagues, and with members of our wards,
50:26
branches, our stakes, our corns, our classes.
50:30
God is so kind. He is the Good Shepherd and we
50:36
are His sheep. And He's called many of us, many
50:42
of you, to be under shepherds with him, to teach and to reach
50:49
and to love the sheep the way He loves them.
50:53
Not taking away their agency, not condemning them, not beating
50:56
them up, but trying to help them find the covenant path and to
51:01
truly connect with the Savior and repent and be in a covenant
51:07
relationship with him forever. How the Lord loves us and how I
51:14
love him. And I leave that with you.
51:18
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen, now that you're cuffed.