Latest / Scripture Central / Mosiah 4-6 | Book of Mormon Insights: Revisited

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Mosiah 4-6 | Book of Mormon Insights: Revisited · Scripture Central

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I'm Taylor and I'm Tyler. Today, we'll be discussing
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Mosiah 4 through 6. And as a reminder, we have lots
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of great resources on our study guide.
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Go to our website and you'll find lots of supplemental helps.
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I want to begin by telling you about a lady that I never.
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Actually got the opportunity. To meet in my mission, we were
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at a zone conference and the Bishop who was.
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There with his wife. Helping to provide the lunch for
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us down in Cudi, Chiba, Brazil. He was helping us.
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Do the dishes really quickly. After lunch and he shared.
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With a few of us Elders, a story of.
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Of a widow in his ward that had happened fairly recently at that
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point. This widow lived.
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Down in the River Bottoms For those of you who know anything
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about the river bottoms in a third world country, it's not
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like the river bottoms in the suburbs are in the Nice.
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Cities. Here in in North America, river
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bottoms meant that you didn't have to pay for the land.
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Because you have. Places on the side.
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Of the river where people could build shacks for free.
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And the reason why it was. Free is because.
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During the rainy season if you got big storms.
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The water would fill. And it would wipe out everything
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they had. If you lived in the river
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Bottoms, you're not doing well, well, the missionaries found.
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This, this widow who lived. There, in a very small shack,
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she was very responsive to the gospel, joined the church, got
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baptized, and the Bishop said he he wanted to go visit.
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Her to see how she was. Doing as a new member and he
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said when he walked into her shack his.
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Heart just dropped. It's this little.
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Thrown. Together with with spare wood.
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And tin for a roof. Structure and.
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Inside, the only thing she had was a foam pad that was on the
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on the dirt. For her bed she had.
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A gas propane tank with a screw on top for her stove.
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She had a bucket for her. Sink on a stump and she had two
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saw horses and a. Couple of or a few slats of
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wood. On the top.
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For her table. And a stump for her chair.
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And that's what this woman owned.
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And his. Heart just dropped.
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And he thought, we're going to help her and we're going to do
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this one piece of furniture at a time and then we're going to
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find a way to get her an apartment up.
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Out of the river Bottoms. So for whatever reason, he he.
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Said he decided to start. With the table so that Sunday
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this Bishop gets up in sacred meeting and he says brothers and
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sisters. There is a, There's a.
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Family in our ward that is in need.
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Of a just a. Small, simple kitchen table.
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Doesn't have to be fancy. If any of you have an extra
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table lying around your house, come see me after the meeting
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and I will make sure to get that to this family in need because
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they don't have one. Following the meeting, he said
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he was involved in in meeting with a couple of people and
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doing some things and then there came this quiet knock.
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At his. Door.
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He opens his door, and there stands.
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This. This.
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Widow. This new convert, and he said
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his first impression was, Oh no, I I wonder if I've offended her.
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I wonder if she knows. That it's for her.
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And this widow stood there, and she said.
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Bispo, Bishop, I heard your. Announcement in Sacram meeting
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and it broke my heart to picture a family somewhere here who
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doesn't have a. Table, she said.
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I don't have much but. I feel so richly blessed by the
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Lord with what he has. Given me and for finding the
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gospel and for all these new friends that I have And she said
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I have two saw horses and some slats of wood that can go across
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it and provide a fine table for this family that doesn't have
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one. Please come by my my house
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sometime and pick that up and deliver that to this family so
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they can gather around a table to share their their meals.
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Together, that Bishop he as he was.
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Recounting that. Story to us elders he he had a
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hard. Time holding back the.
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Tears as he said. I I took that.
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Sister and gave her a a hug and told.
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Her that the table was for her. And she couldn't believe it.
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She thought, I I have. Everything I need from the Lord.
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You I I don't need a table. I'm good.
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I've never met that woman. I I will never meet that woman
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in this life. However, she's she changed my
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life in a lot of. Ways she changed.
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How I look at things, How I look at possessions.
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How I look at the? World and what the world?
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Offers US versus what God offers us.
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So as we jump in today to. Our Our Scripture block Mosiah 4
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through 6. You're going to see this
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nothingness of man and of the world and the the fleeting
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nature of the things that. The world has to.
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Offer us compared to the wonders and the beauties.
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Of what? God showers down upon us when we
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open up Mosiah. Chapter 4 it's.
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Really important that we keep it in context because the way the
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Come, Follow Me curriculum is designed is.
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We're splitting chapters up. Sometimes, and in this case, the
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whole speech of King Benjamin was intended to be a whole unit.
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But that's that's too much to cover in one week.
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So it it's split up so chapter 4.
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It's important to remember the very ending of Chapter 3.
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Those words from the Angel, Those don't end on a really high
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note as far as telling people how wonderful.
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They are it actually. Ends on a call to.
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Be. Reminded of the lake of fire and
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brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke
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ascendeth up forever and ever. That's pretty.
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Pretty profound language, and so King Benjamin finishes this
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part. Now we open up Chapter 4 and he
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looks out at this. Big group of people.
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And he notices that all of them are on the ground.
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They viewed themselves verse two in their own carnal state, even
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less than the dust. Of the earth Taylor talked.
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About the significance of dust in a previous lesson, and these
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people have now seen their fallen, carnal, central,
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devilish nature. That's a part of them from from
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chapter 3, and it's causing them to be so concerned they cried
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with one voice saying, oh have mercy and apply the atoning
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blood of Christ, that we may receive forgiveness of our sins
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and our hearts may be purified. These people have felt their
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heart changed. We'll.
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We'll talk a little bit more about that in chapter 5.
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S King Benjamin tells them, if the knowledge of the goodness of
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God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your
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nothingness and your worthless and fallen state.
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I say unto you, if you've come to a knowledge of the goodness
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of God, and if his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his
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patience and his long-suffering towards the children of men, and
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also the atonement which has been prepared from the
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foundation. Of the world that thereby.
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Salvation may come to him. Who should put his trust in the?
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Lord, be diligent and continue in faith.
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Did you notice? What he just did he.
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Gave the context of here's your worthless and fallen state that
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you now see more clearly than you ever have.
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Before. He lines it up with Now can you
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see God's goodness, His mercy, His His perfection, His
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patience, His matchless? Power his.
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He he's everything that we aren't.
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And the amazing thing is as that he's not a typical king or ruler
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who's off in some far corner of the universe gloating and how
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good he is and how bad. We are his whole work.
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His whole glory is to seek after us.
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To see if we can make covenant connections with him so that he
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can infuse us with more of his perfection.
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So you'll notice the bottom part of verse. 6.
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Putting our trust in Him. Not in the arm of the flesh, not
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in people around us alone. Be diligent in keeping His
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commandments, not hearkening. To the voices of people all
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around. Us in the world today and
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continue in the faith. So you get this beautiful.
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Set up and then one of, in my opinion, one of the most
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profound exhortations or invitations in the entire Canon
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of Scripture, verse 9 and 10, you can picture this king, he
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told his people earlier. You can see my framed.
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Earthquake. Before you we know he's.
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About 3 years away. From from passing away, so he's
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at the end of his. Life he has loved, he has served
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he's. Put everything he can into these
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people, and now he gives this powerful invitation, though his
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frame is weak, I. Can picture his voice.
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Ramping up and being really strong here.
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As he says, verse 9 believe in. God believe that he is.
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And that he created all things both in heaven and in earth.
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Believe that he has all wisdom and all power both in heaven and
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in earth. Believe that man cannot
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comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
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And again believe that you must repent of your sins and forsake
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them. And humble yourselves before
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God, and ask in sincerity of heart.
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That he would forgive. You and now, if you believe all
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these things, see that you do them.
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I love the fact that he uses this word.
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So much in in such a short sequence here in the speech, we
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live in a world. That is skeptical, that is.
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Always looking with a negative eye.
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Towards. Claims of truth that come from
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above that are always trying to poke holes in what the prophets?
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Say. Rather than putting question
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marks after everything we hear from.
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The Prophet, Sears and revelators we would do good to.
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Believe in. God trust that what he's.
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Giving us through His His appointed servants.
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Is actually his, his will. For us today, there's a great
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power. In the human act of believing,
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of, of opening one's heart and saying, Lord, I believe even
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though we have nothing other than His word, or a feeling
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alone to go on, answers will come.
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After the trial of our faith has passed.
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Not before often, and King Benjamin is really hitting that
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hard. So this is one of the most
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powerful parts of this speech, although we'll probably be
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saying that a lot because this covenantal speech from King
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Benjamin is inviting us to see what we can do to be in
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covenantal relationship with God.
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And I love this word, believe that Tyler has highlighted and
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we encourage you as you're reading the scriptures that you
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circle those places or underline them somehow mark them and look
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carefully at every single thing that King Benjamin has asked us
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to believe. And I want to talk about where
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this word comes from. The B actually means fully or
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100%. You find it.
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The word be in words like beloved that Jesus is the
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beloved Son, the 100% loved Son. This word leave is very
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interesting. It comes from a word that we all
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know but may have never imagined.
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That a word that we all care about and matter, that matters
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so much to our lives is actually the foundation for the rest of
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this word. Believe.
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The word, believe in its original sense.
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Its foundational sense means to fully love.
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So let's think again. What is Benjamin asking of us?
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Verse 9. Fully love God, Fully love that
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He is. Fully love that He has all
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wisdom and all power both in heaven and earth.
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Fully love that we don't comprehend God.
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And let me just talk briefly about that word.
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Comprehend doesn't mean simply understanding.
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It actually means to contain. To use kind of a basic example,
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I use containers at home for leftovers and I put things into
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the container. I comprehend my leftovers.
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And God cannot be contained. We cannot contain Him.
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We could not put him to a into a box.
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Can we understand God? Yes.
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Can we know Him? Yes.
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We can be an intimate relationship with Him, but we
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cannot contain Him. That's what literally what
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comprehend means. And so we have to fully love the
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fact that we're not greater than God.
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We'd have to be greater than God to comprehend or to contain Him.
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And it's actually His arms that are comprehending us, containing
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us and His love. And that's what believe is
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about. And so when you think about what
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to believe, it's what you fully love.
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And God has made it very clear through His prophets like King
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Benjamin, what we should be loving.
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The world will tell you many things that you should love.
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But ultimately, what will give us the greatest joy is loving
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what the prophets have revealed to us that we should love.
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And let's again review verse 10 again, fully love that you must
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repent. That's an interesting one.
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I know my personal life when I have a moment that I need to
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repent, actually not a moment, but actually an ongoing need, I
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don't automatically feel like I'm in love with that process of
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repentance because there's a bit of fear that I have to change
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and there's going to be a little bit of the purging fire or maybe
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a lot that I need to experience. But we can love that.
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And when we do this, we are humble and we actually then get
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that forgiveness that we all seek.
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And then he says, if you believe all these things, see that you
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do them. Meaning if you fully love all
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this truth that I've offered, you would do it.
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So I want you to think about, as you look at the word believe in
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King Benjamin's speech and elsewhere in Scripture, what is
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it teaching us about what we should be loving?
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Benjamin then transitions into this little section about
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parenting. Because here he has families and
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he's got people. All the way through the age.
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Spectrum in each of these families in front of him on the
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ground, and he now counsels parents.
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So it's it's beautiful for. Parents and grandparents and.
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Teachers to look at the. Specific things in verse 1415
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and. 16 of chapter four that he shares.
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With them in this inspiring moment, it's pretty profound.
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As far as how we teach our children?
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And teach the young the rising generations.
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Verse 19 For behold, are we not all beggars?
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Do we not all depend upon the same being, even God, for all
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the substance which we have, brothers and sisters, whenever
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the. Scriptures use words like all.
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Or none. Or always.
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Or never. Or any.
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It's it's usually intentional. I would think it's a pretty
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powerful opportunity to mark those.
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You'll notice what percentage of us are beggars.
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That's all. That's 100%.
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Do we not all depend upon that same being, even God?
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For all of our. Substance which we have.
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For both. Food and Raymond and for gold
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and for silver. For all riches.
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Which we have of every kind. I have a question for you.
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When's the last time that? You were able to go.
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Into some tasks, some responsibility, some something.
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That you were. You were?
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Doing and you could actually pause and think about it for a
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minute and say looking upward hey I I got this one.
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I'm I'm good. I I don't need any help from you
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on this one. I'll I'll check in when you with
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you when I'm done. But I I got this one under
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control. Chances are you've never done
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that. And if you've done that, you've
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you've added to your most embarrassing experiences.
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List because the fact. Is there is nothing that little
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old Tyler Griffin? Ever does.
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Or that Taylor. Halverson or that any of you.
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Ever do. That is completely in isolation
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from. God's power, his mercy.
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His goodness, His Grace, His merits.
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King Benjamin. Really really hits this hard
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this idea of. Don't look at.
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People who have less. Than you and think it's all
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their fault. There may be some situations,
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some decisions, some choices they've made that have brought
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certain things upon them. I get that.
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But that's not our judgement, that's not our call.
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So now as we come to the near the end or the.
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Close of Chapter 4. This is an important thing for
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Members. Of the Church of Jesus Christ of
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Latter Day Saints. Who have a big, big expectation
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of things. That are that are required to be
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a a a disciple of Christ if you struggle with a voice.
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In your head, that's telling you you're never doing enough.
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You're never going to be enough. What you did wasn't what needed
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to be done. You should have done something
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else or anything along that line that makes you feel.
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Less capable, less powerful. As a son or a.
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Daughter of beloved. Heavenly Parents in trying to.
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To serve other people. And do the things that are
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required. You should mark verse 27.
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And then you should mark it again, because after all, it's
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remarkable. See that all?
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There's that 100% thing. All these things are done in
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wisdom and order, for it is not requisite that a man should run
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faster than he has strength. And again.
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It is expedient that he. Should be diligent that thereby
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he might win the. Prize therefore all.
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Things must be done in. Order.
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Brothers and sisters, if we can do better collectively as well
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as individually at going to the Lord with our long list of
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things to do, this is a principle my wife Kiplin has
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taught me recently. And it's powerful if we can put
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our To Do List on the. Altar of the Lord and say here's
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what I. Think I need to do today.
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Help me know what thou would have me do then that To Do List
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when it's. Offered to the Lord.
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Can be shaped and molded and readjusted and adapted and
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edited to become his will Do list.
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Which? These are the things I.
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Will do. Not just the things that I need
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to do, but the things I will do and it will.
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Probably be a shorter list. That we get from him than the
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1:00 we put on the altar in front of him it.
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Will. Probably involve relationships.
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It will probably involve people who need us.
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One of my favorite statements from President Monson when he.
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Was a prophet was there? Is no problem to be.
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Solved. That's more important than a
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person to be loved. And so it's important that we
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keep this Don't don't run faster than we have strength.
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Don't try to bless everybody in your ward or in your family or
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in in your neighborhood. But just try a little harder to
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be a little. Better at doing what God wants
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us to do. He'll he'll give us.
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Errands to run, and we'll figure out how to run them.
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I just want to spend a moment talking about two words that
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show up in these passages that we've been discussing.
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The first one's back in verse 16, and it's the word sucker.
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It's an interesting word that we don't really use in our common
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language. And I want to talk about this
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because this is about the covenants we've all made with
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each other and to God to sustain one another.
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So in the church, we are all given opportunities to serve,
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and there's official callings and unofficial callings, right?
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We all should be serving one another on a regular basis.
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But there are official callings and we get the opportunity to
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raise our arms to square, to sustain one another.
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And to sustain means, you know, you'll stand underneath and give
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somebody support. And the word sucker is very
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similar. It actually means comes from the
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word like like submarine and a course, like you're running a
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course. It really means to run
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underneath somebody. So imagine somebody's out
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symbolically engaged in some activity.
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They're moving along. You're running underneath them
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to support them. And also you yourselves will run
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underneath and support those that stand in need of you
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running underneath them to support them.
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So again, that's sustaining. That's what God has asked us to
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do. It's one of the covenantal
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things we've all promised to do when we were baptized is to
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support one another. Here's the other word that I
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think is super beautiful. We talked about verse 20 because
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we're all beggars and what do we all ultimately care about?
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Sure, we all want some food and shelter, but ultimately we all
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want our sins removed from us. And the word that is used here,
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verse 20. And behold, even at this time
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you have been calling on his name and begging for a remission
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of your sins. It's a very interesting word,
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remission. You notice that the word
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remission actually has the word mission in it.
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We all know what a mission is, right?
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Somebody is sent out or sent away.
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Isn't that what we want with our sins?
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We just want them sent away. And REE actually means again, or
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it's kind of the intensifier of the word, so like, fully send
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them away from me. And that is what the atonement
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does for us when we beg God in all sincerity and promises we've
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all done at baptism every week at the sacrament.
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This is what we're seeking. God send away my sins and he
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will do so. So as you ponder, study,
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discuss, Mosiah. Chapter four, we would invite
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you. Encourage.
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You to look deeply for all of these.
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There's SO. Many elements in here that he's
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telling his people to focus on and so many things to add to.
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Your to your to do. List your expectation list, but
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as you move forward, individually and collectively,
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as a as a family and as a ward. As a stake to focus.
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On putting all of those. Things before the Lord.
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And making sure that you're allowing him.
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To be a part of this process. Of making sense of how you
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actually apply all these things. So King Benjamin officially
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formally ends his speech at the end of chapter. 4.
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And now he wants to know the. Effect basically in chapter 5.
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When it says in verse one now it came to pass it.
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When King Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent
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among them, desiring to know of his people.
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If they believed the words, which?
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He had spoken unto them. Did you get it?
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I didn't just waste. Your time did I?
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He has a pretty good idea because they were on the.
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Ground, and they all cried with one voice saying Yeah.
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We believe all the words. Which thou hast spoken unto us,
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and also we know of their surety and truth.
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Because, because of the Spirit of the Lord.
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Omnipotent, which is wrought a mighty change in our hearts that
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we have no more disposition to do evil but to do good
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continually. Brothers and sisters, we've said
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it before. I'm going to say it again,
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'cause I think it's worth repeating.
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You can change because of things you see and.
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Hear, but usually, usually. The most lasting changes that we
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make as human beings come because we've had something come
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in mind, eyes, ears. Somehow it's coming to our mind,
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and then the Holy Ghost carries it deep into the.
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Heart, we feel certain truths. You can get engaged with
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arguments, with debates, you can, you can discuss all kinds
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of things out there in the world.
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That the Holy Ghost? Probably.
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Isn't going to be interested in testifying of, but when you are
25:07
talking about things that really matter.
25:10
There's a power that. Comes from the Holy Ghost
25:14
carrying the message beyond the eyes and the ears and the mind,
25:19
taking it deep down into the heart and from the heart.
25:23
Then it becomes more. Likely to get.
25:25
Out into the hands, and into the feet, and into the very soul.
25:30
Of who we are it. Changes us.
25:31
The Holy Ghost has the sanctifying power to change us
25:36
through the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ.
25:38
And that's exactly what's happening here.
25:40
These people are sitting there saying we we have no more
25:42
disposition to do evil. Turn over to verse five.
25:46
We are willing to enter into a covenant.
25:49
With our God to do his will. And to be obedient to His
25:55
commandments in. All.
25:57
Things that he shall command us all the remainder of our days,
26:02
that we may not bring upon ourselves a never ending
26:05
torment, as has been spoken by the Angel, that we might may not
26:09
drink out of the cup. Of the wrath of God.
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Now you'll notice King Benjamin's response.
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He. He was very, very grateful to
26:17
hear this. This is what he had desired.
26:19
And so look at verse 7 now because of the covenant which
26:24
you have made. You shall be called the.
26:26
Children of Christ. We have to pause.
26:29
Here and ask a a simple theoretical question.
26:32
What would you do if on the next fast Sunday you have in in your
26:39
ward when we're? Able to to meet together.
26:42
What would you do if somebody in your?
26:44
Ward stood up at the. Podium and said brothers and
26:47
sisters, and they they share their testimony at the very end
26:49
they say, and I am so grateful. That we are.
26:53
Children of Christ, I'm. Grateful that he's our father.
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And then they finished in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen, and
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sat down. What would most people in a in a
27:04
latter day St. congregation say or think or feel?
27:08
For most? It.
27:09
It would be a little odd. It'd be a little strange now.
27:14
What would happen if that? Same person said the same thing
27:18
in most other Christian congregations.
27:21
Said I am so. Grateful that we have Jesus
27:24
Christ as our Father, that we're.
27:26
Children of Christ, Most other Christian congregations would
27:30
say something like Amen. Hallelujah.
27:33
It's, it's that's great. Now let's do the opposite.
27:36
What if somebody stood at the podium and said I am?
27:39
So grateful for our elder brother.
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Jesus Christ, I'm so grateful that we can be.
27:46
His brothers and sisters. Most people, I think
27:50
traditionally in in our congregations.
27:53
As a church would be. Sitting there, feeling warm,
27:55
fuzzy feelings. Towards their elder brother,
27:58
Jesus Christ. And that's good and that's
28:00
fitting and that's appropriate. I I I should pause.
28:03
Here and say sometimes if we're not careful in the church when
28:08
we try to teach. A.
28:10
Certain doctrine. For some reason we feel like we
28:12
have to tear down some other doctrine or some other belief or
28:16
some other practice before we can then.
28:18
Teach our doctrine. That's not true.
28:20
I love a phrase, President. Hinckley used to use all the
28:23
time, which is bring all the good that you have and see if we
28:26
can add to it. That's what what we should.
28:29
Try to do more of unless setting up camps.
28:32
Where it? Has to be mutually exclusive.
28:34
Doctrines Here's the question. Is Jesus Christ our elder
28:39
brother or is he our Father? Now most people watching this
28:44
are going to think. Tyler.
28:46
Have you gone crazy, everybody? Knows he's our elder brother.
28:51
What makes a person a father? It's when they bigot new life.
29:00
They they help to create. New life.
29:04
They engender new life in somebody else.
29:08
So in this context, how many? Fathers, do we have, well, the
29:13
first father that everybody would?
29:15
Think of is we have a Heavenly Father.
29:19
He engendered new life in our spirit in that context, Jesus
29:27
Christ from our perspective from from doctrine in the Church of
29:32
Jesus. Christ of Latter Day Saints.
29:34
We believe in our message is very simple and it's not widely
29:39
accepted in the Christian. World because of the Christian.
29:42
Creeds, and that's OK. But we simply and I believe,
29:48
profoundly and powerfully teach that.
29:51
Jesus Christ is. God's Son in the Spirit and his
29:55
only begotten Son in the flesh, so in that context.
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We share. Heavenly parents, with him, so
30:03
he. Is our spirit, brother.
30:05
There's no question about that. That is true doctrine.
30:07
We don't have to throw that away.
30:09
The problem? Is the scriptures don't
30:11
emphasize that particular relationship between US and?
30:15
Christ So. It's not that it's not true,
30:18
just because it doesn't get emphasized.
30:19
It's just. That it doesn't get emphasized,
30:22
the scriptures are going to emphasize that relationship we
30:24
have with Him whereby we find salvation.
30:28
Where we have the. Capacity to to find eternal
30:31
life. Now watch.
30:34
We're all born into heaven in the perfect place with perfect
30:39
parents, perfect environment. And we are spirit children of
30:44
our heavenly parents. We want to be more like them, so
30:48
we're willing to leave heaven that.
30:51
Perfect. Home, that perfect environment
30:54
to come down. To a very imperfect place.
30:57
For an opportunity to become more like them, which required a
31:03
new birth, we had to be born again.
31:06
So the father in this context of of using the word.
31:11
Father the Label. Father.
31:14
Can we all just say Dad? Dad becomes the.
31:18
Father of our physical body, here's the reality.
31:23
People don't usually go home to their dad and say, hey, I am so
31:29
grateful you're my brother, we just don't do that.
31:33
And yet, there's no question that dad.
31:37
Is your brother. He was.
31:39
Born of the same parents you were up in heaven, he is fully
31:43
100%. Your brother.
31:46
But we don't. Emphasize that role because dad
31:50
has a much, much, much more important.
31:52
Role to. Play in your life and in your
31:55
eternal progression. It's as you're your dad.
31:59
Because he engendered a new life in you in the same context.
32:05
You get to a certain. Point where in in life where you
32:08
realize I can't progress any further unless there's a new
32:15
birth unless I'm born again. Jesus telling Nicodemus in John
32:19
three except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of
32:23
God. And then in verse 5, except a
32:25
man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
32:28
the Kingdom of God. Jesus refers to this this birth
32:31
process, this rebirth process. A born again process, not just
32:36
being a good idea for you to consider, but to be absolutely
32:40
essential for you to enter into the Kingdom of God and to become
32:47
who we need to become. So we have to have a new birth,
32:52
a new life, and Jesus becomes the father of that new birth,
32:59
King Benjamin told us back in chapter.
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Three the words of the. Angel.
33:03
That Jesus. Christ is the.
33:04
Father of heaven and earth. The Father of all.
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Things that were created, he engendered.
33:10
New life in all. Of all of the world.
33:12
Around us everything that we see.
33:15
He gave it life. So you can look at him as the
33:18
Father in a variety of. Ways the Father of the.
33:20
Creation, He becomes the. Father of our spiritual rebirth,
33:26
where this day he's. Spiritually begotten us.
33:30
And by the way, this isn't just unique.
33:34
To To Latter Day St. Doctrine.
33:38
Look at the book of Isaiah. Isaiah says for.
33:41
Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.
33:46
We all know who he's talking about in this context.
33:49
And the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name
33:52
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor the Mighty.
33:56
God the. Everlasting Brother, await the
34:00
Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
34:07
You'll notice, brothers and sisters, we're not taking
34:09
anything away from Jesus's relationship with you.
34:13
As your elder brother. We're just adding to it the fact
34:18
that that. Little baby that was.
34:20
Born was not born to be your brother.
34:23
You were already his brother. That little baby was.
34:25
Born so that he could become your father, because it's only
34:29
when we become. His children.
34:32
That we can find salvation. Look at the rest of.
34:36
Verse 7 In fact, let's read it again.
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Now because of the covenant which you have made because you
34:42
entered into a covenant with. Christ you.
34:44
Shall be called the children. Of Christ.
34:48
His sons and his daughters. For behold this day he.
34:52
Hath spiritually begotten you. For you say that your.
34:56
Hearts are changed through faith on his name.
34:58
Therefore ye are born. Of him and have become his son's
35:04
and his daughters. I don't know that King Benjamin
35:08
could make this any clearer. And by the.
35:09
Way if you would like. A second witness you could just
35:13
write in your margin of your scriptures.
35:16
A beautiful cross reference Ether 314 because that's where
35:21
Jesus. Himself is speaking with the.
35:22
Brother of Jared. And he teaches the same doctrine
35:25
out of his own mouth. So you get King Benjamin
35:28
teaching it, and now you get Jesus teaching it later on.
35:31
And you've also got some. Powerful.
35:33
Phrases in a Benedize speech that we'll be covering later on
35:36
in the year. Here's the point.
35:39
Jesus is more than just your heavenly brother.
35:44
He becomes your father. Through this spiritual rebirth
35:48
process. And there will come a day when
35:51
everyone will be. Brought out of the grave or or.
35:55
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.
35:56
If they're alive, everyone. Will receive a resurrected.
36:01
Body and Jesus Christ is going to engender new life in that
36:08
resurrected body. Is it any wonder why Isaiah
36:11
wouldn't have any problem at all referring to him as?
36:14
The Everlasting Father. And if you get eternal life,
36:19
it's Jesus who engenders that eternal life into you.
36:24
Through the power. Of his infinite Atonement
36:26
through the. Price that he's paid for us,
36:29
This gets real. When you stop looking at.
36:32
Jesus as just a picture. On the wall, or a statue on a
36:35
shelf, or a name on a page. But when you start looking at
36:39
him as? Your father What do fathers do?
36:43
They they give. Their name to children?
36:47
When they're when I was born, my dad, Dennis Griffin, he put his
36:53
name on me. I became a Griffin.
36:56
All of my children when they were born, they became gryphons.
37:00
They took my name upon them. When we're born in the covenant,
37:05
we take our new father's name upon us.
37:08
As a new creature, we get a new. Start a fresh start just because
37:12
a little baby is. Born.
37:13
Do you look at that? Baby and think, oh, it's
37:15
perfect, it's wonderful. It's never going to make a
37:17
mistake you don't do. That neither does he.
37:23
That's. Why we have things like the
37:24
sacrament that you come back every week.
37:29
Brothers and sisters, this is. Week in, week out.
37:32
As Brad Wilcox once said. And weakness in, weakness out.
37:38
We're constantly coming to him saying I've struggled again and
37:44
we get to make a new covenant every week at that sacrament
37:48
table and become more and more and more.
37:52
Like our father, Whose? Name we've taken upon us, whose
37:55
spiritual DNA now is. Part of us.
37:58
We have the capacity to grow up to become like our parent.
38:02
This is this is beautiful. Doctrine.
38:04
Now there's one other. Aspect here that needs to be
38:07
talked about. You can't be a father.
38:10
You can't engender new life alone.
38:14
So it's. Pretty easy to see the.
38:17
Role of Heavenly Father engendering new life in our.
38:20
Spirits as a. A beautiful manifestation of the
38:26
nature of God being our Heavenly Parents.
38:30
A perfect. Heavenly Father and a perfect
38:32
Heavenly Mother creating new life.
38:35
For their children, it's easy to see the role of.
38:39
Mom and her essential role in engendering this new life.
38:47
Where's the Where's the role? Of the mother in the.
38:51
Spiritual rebirth? Don't you love how the?
38:54
Scriptures refer to. This beautiful covenant marriage
38:58
in. Scripture where Christ takes his
39:02
bride the Church unto. Himself in a marriage covenant.
39:08
And what is the offspring of Christ and the?
39:11
Church. It's these.
39:14
Children that are born into the covenant placed on that covenant
39:19
path. We've talked a lot about the
39:21
covenant path and King Benjamin's speech is actually a
39:24
reinforcement of the covenant path.
39:27
And and in covenant both parties have duties and obligations and
39:31
and God has promised to provide blessing and comfort and
39:35
strength and and even salvation to us.
39:37
And what we promise is if you keep my commandments you shall
39:42
prosper in the land. So if we keep God's
39:45
commandments, we have the possibility of prospering, as he
39:48
has promised to offer us. And what's interesting here is
39:51
that King Benjamin provides very clear instructions about what
39:56
the commandments are. Back in chapter 3, which was
39:59
last week's lesson, he talks about who it is We are supposed
40:02
to be trusting, right? Because this is the God of
40:05
covenants, and we trust God that he will do what he has said he
40:10
will do. Chapter four.
40:11
We learn that we should believe these things.
40:13
We should do those things. And then if you look at chapter
40:17
4, basically verses 9 through 30 is a summary of a bunch of
40:21
commandments that King Benjamin had revealed to the people that
40:25
they should live so they could prosper the land.
40:27
And we can look at each of these things, maybe make a list of
40:30
yourself and say, what did King Benjamin reveal as a commandment
40:34
that I can do better at in my life this week so that I can
40:38
experience more prospering. And what I really love about
40:41
King Benjamin's speech is that God does not command in all
40:45
things. He does not want to give a
40:46
laundry list, even though I did tell you to write the list, He
40:49
does not just give a list and do check boxes like you're just
40:52
walking your way into the Kingdom.
40:53
Good job, He actually just summarizes in verse 29, he says,
40:57
And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby you may
41:01
commit sin. For there are diverse Ways and
41:04
Means, Even so many that I cannot number them.
41:07
Meaning, just trust God, follow the Spirit.
41:10
Let him guide you as you seek to live your life, and know that as
41:15
you seek to love others and love God, he will guide you.
41:18
You will find a pathway through to be able to treat people as
41:21
they should be treated and to love God.
41:23
And what you will find is prospering in the land, which is
41:26
what he wants to offer us. He's already covenantly
41:28
committed to do these things. He just needs us to play our end
41:32
of the bargain. And King Benjamin has laid out
41:35
many ways we can do this, and in the end, he just summarizes just
41:38
be good and love God. Thank you for being with us
41:41
today as we've listened to the closing of King Benjamin's
41:44
speech and his invitation for all of us to be in a covenantal
41:48
relationship with our spiritual father, Jesus Christ.
41:52
Gather those around you that you love, your friends, your family,
41:55
engage in the gospel with them, talk to them about what you're
41:57
learning, and ask them about their testimonies.
42:00
And take this time to build your families in faith.
42:04
What a. Beautiful opportunity for you to
42:06
see. Everybody around you as not
42:10
just. Your spirit brothers and
42:12
sisters. But your spiritually reborn.
42:14
Brothers and sisters as well. We we're all in this together.
42:18
We need each other's. Helps.
42:20
We just pray that you'll. Find greater depth of meaning,
42:24
purpose, and motivation to move forward as sons and daughters of
42:29
our Heavenly Parents, as well as sons and.
42:31
Daughters of Christ. We sure love you guys.
42:35
Spread light and goodness and we'll see you next week.