Talk "Humility in Accepting the Atonement"

My talk on Sunday 12/29/13

Humility In Accepting The Atonement.

Opening remarks.
Thank Bishopric and all those who support Elder Wardle and I.
Pray that the spirit will teach us both what we need to learn.
Speaking on humbly accepting the atonement.

1st story is Enos and his inquiring of The Lord.
Enos 1:4-8
    Soul hungered, knelt down, supplication (the action of asking or
begging for something earnestly or humbly, because of thy faith.

Richard G Scott talked about humility as "to be teachable. Humility
permits you to be tutored by the Spirit and to be taught from sources
inspired by the Lord, such as the scriptures. The seeds of personal
growth and understanding germinate and flourish in the fertile soil of
humility. Their fruit is spiritual knowledge to guide you here and
hereafter."

I am amazed at other examples of humility in the Scriptures such as
John the Baptist declaring of the Savior, “He must increase, but I
must decrease.” Think of Moroni pleading with us not to condemn him
because of his imperfections, but to thank God that He made Moroni’s
imperfections manifest so that we can learn to be wiser than Moroni
was. Nor should we forget the exclamation of Moses, who, after
experiencing the greatness of God and His creations, acknowledged that
“for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had
supposed.” Moses’ recognition of our total dependence on God is the
beginning of true humility. (“To Walk Humbly with Thy God”)

So how can one know if they are humble? Marlin K. Jensen of the 70
said “if you think you have it, you don’t.” Try to develop humility
and be sure we didn’t know when we got it, and then we would have it.
But if we ever thought we had it, we wouldn’t.  (“To Walk Humbly with
Thy God")

An English author John Ruskin’s adds his thoughts that "the first test
of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean, by humility,
doubt of his own power. … [But really] great men … have a curious …
feeling that … greatness is not in them, but through them. … And they
see something Divine … in every other man … , and are endlessly,
foolishly, incredibly merciful.” End quote (“To Walk Humbly with Thy
God”)

As Jesus Christ was teaching some lawyers and Pharisees about humility
in Luke 14:11 He stated "For whosoever exalteth himself shall be
abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 14:11)
Humility is the characteristic that will allow us to be more effective
tools in the hands of The Lord, to bring forth His holy work.

When we have done wrong or have been wronged it is our own humility in
submitting to The Lord in prayer that we need His help to get us
through that will help us feel the cleansing power of the atonement.
That is our act of faith, and we must continue in faith, that he can
carry "the transgressors prayer to God, to the offended party in
apology, and, where necessary, to his priesthood leader in
confession?" (“To Walk Humbly with Thy God”)

Our prayers to The Lord shows Him of our desire to be perfected and to
take upon ourselves of His will, setting aside our own. The perfect
example of this is Jesus Christ, who set the example while performing
the atonement in Gethsemane. In Matthew ch 26:36-44 He exclaims 3
times "Oh Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Truly humbling ourselves before The Lord will always drive us to say
"thy will be done." "And because who we are does affect what we do,
our submissiveness will be reflected in our reverence, gratitude, and
willingness to accept callings, counsel, and correction." Then we must
accept the atonement into our lives to transform us into a better
being this day than the last.  (“To Walk Humbly with Thy God”)

Our salvation depends on believing in and accepting the Atonement.
Such acceptance requires a continual effort to understand it more
fully. The Atonement accelerates our course of learning by making it
possible for our natures to become perfect. All of us have sinned and
need to repent to fully pay our part of the debt. When we sincerely
repent, the Savior’s magnificent Atonement pays the rest of that
debt.3 (The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope)

We can accept the atonement through Priesthood ordinances as described
in D&C 84: 20   As stated " in the ordinances thereof, the power of
godliness is manifest"

We are commanded to remember the singular events of the mediation,
Crucifixion, and the Atonement by partaking of the sacrament weekly.
In the spirit of the sacramental prayers, we partake of the bread and
water in remembrance of the body and the blood sacrificed for us, and
we are to remember Him and keep His commandments so that we may always
have His Spirit to be with us. (The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope)

We must always be striving to receive and prepare for the next
priesthood ordinance by daily scripture study and prayer. As there are
numerous blessings, both seen and unseen, waiting for us to simply act
with a willing and humble heart.

We can then look to the ultimate blessing of the Atonement--to become
one with Him, to be in His divine presence, to be called individually
by name as He warmly welcomes us home with a radiant smile, beckoning
us with open arms to be enfolded in His boundless love. How glorious
this experience will be if we can feel worthy enough to be in His
presence! The free gift of His great atoning sacrifice for each of us
is the only way we can be exalted enough to stand before Him and see
Him face-to-face. The overwhelming message of the Atonement is the
perfect love the Savior has for each and all of us. It is a love which
is full of mercy, patience, grace, equity, long-suffering, and, above
all, forgiving. (The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope)

What a message to carry to others that are around us who are searching
for direction and hope. That is why I am on a mission to give that
hope to those found and unfound brothers and sisters who need the
message that our redeemer lives and his arm of mercy is extended
always. Like the prophets and apostles have done going out like the
servant in the parable of the great supper "Go out quickly into the
streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the
maimed, and the halt, and the blind. Go out into the highways and
hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled."
(Luke 14:23)

Testimony
In closing I go back to the beginning with Enos to pray that you and I
will use the atonement to know we are prepared to have the experience
Enos so desired as we approach the day we are reunited with our Father
in heaven
"For I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and
shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and
he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place
prepared for you in the mansions of my Father." (Enos:27)

I humbly say in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.