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Agency

Helaman 14:30-31 "ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free. He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you"

Ether 2:19- 3:16 "There is no light, and we cannot breathe"… The Lord answers him in verse 20, but only addresses the breathing situation. The brother of Jared asks again in 22 about lighting. The Lord answers with simply what he cannot do- fire or windows. The Lord will make your idea work. Figure it out and move forward, don't wait for a confirmation. You know what not to do, but you don't know what to do. Look for a solution then ask him. The rocks work as a result of his faith and effort. The Lord will give you more of a "no" than a "yes". "You are the child of a creator… so create! You are the creative force of your life" (Hank Smith). The brother of Jared goes to the Lord with sixteen stones and is embarrassed and feels completely incompetent (3:2-5), but shows extreme faith, diligence, and selflessness. 

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Atonement

"It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's atonement shines" -Jeffrey R. Holland

"He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, he would have done no less" - C.S. Lewis

"Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future" -Oscar Wilde

"The what informs, but the why transforms" -Uchtdorf

Mosiah 14

"The word describes the setting 'at one' of those who have been estranged, and denotes the reconciliation of man to God. Sin is the cause of the estrangement, and therefore the purpose of the atonement is to correct or overcome the consequences of sin. From the time of Adam to the death of Jesus Christ, true believers were instructed to offer animal sacrifices to the Lord. These sacrifices were symbolic of the forthcoming death of Jesus Christ, and were done by faith in him" -Bible Dictionary

-atonement was not something that just happened over night- planned for hundreds of years

-heaven must have held its breath the night of Gethsemane, a night anticipated for years

Luke 10: Good Samaritan

-Man traveling from Jerusalem (heaven, temple here) to Jericho (Earth, Dead Sea here- only takes water from other sources, does not give back)

-Man goes from heaven to earth- falls among thieves (Satan)- strip him from his clothes (his identity) and wound him, leaving him half dead (spiritual death due to sin)

-Priest (Law of Moses, cannot save us from the fall, although designed to do good) walks  by, pretends not to notice him

-Levite (temple worker, represents priesthood and prophets- even they cannot save us from the fall) walks by, wants to help, but he too passes on the other side

-Samaritan walks by him (Christ)

-Samaritan is half Jew, half Gentile (Christ: half God, half mortal)

-Samaritan goes to him and binds his wounds, pouring in oil and wine (atonement/sacrament- blood of Christ)

-Samaritan takes him and places him on his own beast (Isaiah 53:4- he caries our sorrows)

-Takes him to an inn (church)

-Pays the host and says he will repay him for any other charges

• Samaritan has done this before - they have established a relationship of trust with the inn keeper
• This inn keeper himself may have even fallen victim to these thieves and was saved by the Samaritan, therefore devoting his life to helping others who have fallen

The Savior lived your life. He lived mine. He learned your weaknesses, your pains, your sufferings, your temptations. With all this, he knows how to help us. How can this change your life? What will you do differently, today, because you know the Savior has lived your life? How does it affect you?

President Bateman "Personal one by one"

• "Savior lived your Life"- Ensign November 2005 pg. 74

• "For many years, I thought of the Savior's experience in the garden and on the cross as places where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him. Through the words of prophets, my view has changed. Instead of an impersonal mass of sin, there was a long line of people, as Jesus felt our 'infirmities', bore our grief's, carried our sorrows, was bruised for our iniquities. The atonement was an intimate, personal experience in which Jesus came to know how to help each of us".

(on the challenge of sin)- "But there is an answer to this challenge for you every bit as there is for that investigator to whom you will go. Whoever you are and whatever you have done, you can be forgiven. Every one of you can leave behind any transgression with which you may struggle. It is the miracle of forgiveness; it is the miracle of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. But you cannot do it without an active commitment to the gospel, and you cannot do it without repentance where it is needed. I am asking you to be active and be clean. If required, I am asking you to get active and get clean" -Jeffrey R. Holland

Alma 33:22- "cast your eyes and begin got believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works"

Alma 34:8-10,14-16 "For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice"

"Mercy satisfies the demands of justice"

Alma 36:19 "I could remember my pains no more"

The atonement is the sacrifice Jesus Christ made to help us overcome sin, adversity, and death. Jesus's atoning sacrifice took place in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross at Calvary. He paid the price for our sins, took upon Himself death, and was resurrected. The Atonement is the supreme expression of the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (unknown source)

"The enabling power of the Atonement strengthens us to do and be good and to serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity"- Elder Bednar

"Christ's atonement is at the very core of this plan. Without His dear, dear sacrifice, there would be no way home, no way to be together, no way to be like Him" -Bruce C. Hafen

Alma 7:11-13 how the atonement allows Jesus Christ to understand each of us individually

2 Nephi 9:6-7 the atonement is the central part of the plan of happiness

D&C 19:15-19 how the atonement allows me to become clean

Alma 34:8-10 why the atonement is important to me

"You are more sinful than you could dare imagine and you are more loved and accepted than you could ever dare hope" -Tim Keller

"As we understand the atonement and how it heals our hearts, takes away our paints, our sorrows, our illnesses, our Sadness. It gives us Hope we will overcome all things as we come to know our Savior did so shall we conquer our trials through Fatih in the Lord. With God all things are possible" -Courtney Castrey

Mormon 9:31 "Condemn me not because of mine imperfection… but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been"

Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weaknesses. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them"

"No force beneath the heavens could hold back the power of the Son of God. It was as if His Almighty Father could stand no more. The earth trembled. The guards fled. The stone was moved. The Lord arose… and stepped forth to become the first fruits of them that slept. The empty tomb bore testimony of this greatest of all miracles" -Gordon B. Hinckley

"We pledge every Sunday of our lives to take upon ourselves His name and promise to "always remember him". So let us work a little harder at remembering him-- especially that He has "borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows… [that] he was bruised for our iniquities… and with his stripes we are healed". Surely it will guide our actions in a dramatic way if we remembered that every time we transgress, we hurt not only those we love, but we also hurt Him, who so dearly loves us. But if we do sin, however serious that sin may be, we can be rescued by that same majestic figure, He who bears the only name given under Heaven whereby any man or woman can be saved" -Elder Holland

"Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair, to strength and beauty and happiness" -Floyd W. Tomkins

"The Crucifixion, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ mark the beginning of a Christian life, not the end of it" -Jeffrey R. Holland

"If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing" -Henry B. Eyring