Transcript 2 Corinthians - ericdrichards.com

When you’re a parent, will you..
‘air out your dirty laundry’?


“To some it may seem strange to see ships of
many nations loading and unloading cargo along the
docks at Portland, Ore. That city is 100 miles from the
ocean. Getting there involves a difficult, often
turbulent passage up the Columbia and Willamette
Rivers.

“Ship captains like to tie up at Portland. They
know that as their ships travel the seas, a curious
saltwater shellfish called a barnacle fastens itself to
the hull and stays there for the rest of its life,
surrounding itself with a rocklike shell. As more and
more barnacles attach themselves, they increase the
ship’s drag, slow its progress, decrease its efficiency.

“Periodically, the ship must go into dry dock,
where with great effort the barnacles are chiseled or
scraped off. It’s a difficult, expensive process.
“But not if the captain can get his ship to
Portland. Barnacles can’t live in fresh water. There, in
the sweet, fresh waters of the Willamette or
Columbia, the barnacles die and some fall away,
while those that remain are easily removed. Thus, the
ship returns to its task lightened and renewed.

“Sins are like those barnacles. Hardly anyone
goes through life without picking up some. They
increase the drag, slow our progress, decrease our
efficiency. Unrepented, building up one on another,
they can eventually sink us.
“In His infinite love and mercy, our Lord has
provided a harbor where, through repentance, our
barnacles fall away and are forgotten. With our souls
lightened and renewed, we can go efficiently about
our work and His.” (President Thomas S. Monson, April 2000 General Confernce)
Alma 36

Alma 36: 6-11
Repentance is…
 (discuss with a partner)
Tell me what you know about
this moment

Tell me what you know about
this moment

Neal A. Maxwell,
“The Holy Ghost:
Glorifying Christ,”
Ensign, Jul 2002, 56–
61
If we understood the nature of
repentance better, there would be
more of it!
Alma 36

“Racked means ‘tortured.’
Anciently a rack was a framework
on which the victim was laid with
each ankle and wrist tied to a
spindle which could then be
turned to cause unbearable pain.
(Boyd K Packer, “The Touch of the Master’s
Hand,” Ensign, May 2001, 23).
Neal A. Maxwell,
“The Holy Ghost:
Glorifying Christ,”
Ensign, Jul 2002, 56–
61
If we understood the nature of
repentance better, there would be
more of it!
Alma 36

“A harrow is a frame with
spikes through it. When pulled
across the ground, it rips and tears
into the soil. The scriptures
frequently speak of souls and
minds being ‘harrowed up’ with
guilt. (Boyd K Packer, “The Touch of the Master’s
Hand,” Ensign, May 2001, 23).
Neal A. Maxwell,
“The Holy Ghost:
Glorifying Christ,”
Ensign, Jul 2002, 56–
61
If we understood the nature of
repentance better, there would be
more of it!
Alma 36

“Torment means ‘to twist,’ a
means of torture so painful that
even the innocent would confess”
(Boyd K Packer, “The Touch of the Master’s
Hand,” Ensign, May 2001, 23).

 We must recognize what is wrong. Read Alma 36:12–13. Define
“recognize”
 “How can we really feel forgiven until we first feel responsible? How can we learn from
our own experiences unless these lessons are owned up to?” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell)
 We must feel godly sorrow. Alma 36:14–17.

Why such painful terminology for
‘repentance’?

 We must recognize what is wrong. Read Alma 36:12–13. Define
“recognize”
 “How can we really feel forgiven until we first feel responsible? How can we learn from
our own experiences unless these lessons are owned up to?” (Elder Neal A. Maxwell)
 We must feel godly sorrow. Alma 36:14–17.
 We must confess our sins. To whom did Alma confess his sins? (Mosiah
27:35)
 We must forsake our sins. Alma 36:23–25.
 We must make restitution where possible. What did Alma do to make
restitution? (Mosiah 28:3)
What if we can’t make restitution?

“Sometimes restitution is not possible, such as when one
contributed to another’s loss of faith or virtue. Instead, a
subsequent example of righteousness provides a compensatory
form of restitution.” (Elder Maxwell, November 1991)
What if the person we wronged will not accept our apology?
“When your desire is firm and you are willing to pay the
“uttermost farthing,” the law of restitution is suspended. Your
obligation is transferred to the Lord. He will settle your
accounts.” (President Packer, “The Brilliant Morning of Forgivenss, November 1995)

Alma 36:19–21.
Do you have to sin to repent?
Alma 36

"Many of our Saints don't understand what repentance
really is. Repentance is more than just undoing the wrongs
you've done. It's a whole change of your outlook on life. You
want to think like the Lord. You want to talk like the Lord.
You want to act like the Lord. You want to believe, you want
to pray, you want to love the way the Lord does. And then
you're converted."
-Russell M. Nelson, Ensign, June 2005
Alma 36
SHUBE (Hebrew): To turn from
MATANEOEO (Greek): Change of
mind
POENITORE (Latin):
To punish, strip, cut, mutilate,
disfigure, starve or torture
Take out your cell phone
What questions do you have about Repentance?

Text “298292” and your answer to 37607
 http://www.polleverywhere.com/free_text_polls/DZqmJOl93WdWpzo
What if I still ‘remember’ my sin?
Am I not forgiven?

“Satan will try to make us believe that our sins are
not forgiven because we can remember them. Satan is a liar;
God did not promise that we would not remember our sins.
Remembering will help us avoid making the same mistakes
again.
“If we stay true and faithful, the memory of our sins
will be softened over time. This will be part of the needed
healing and sanctification process.
“It is our
responsibility to avoid anything that would bring back old
sinful memories. May we trust that God will ‘remember [our
sins] no more’” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Point of Safe
Return,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 101).
Is there really a book that angels write
that has a list of everything we’ve done?

Bruce R. McConkie: "In a real though figurative
sense, the book of life is the record of the acts of men as
such record is written in their own bodies. It is the
record engraven on the very bones, sinews, and flesh of
the mortal body. That is, every thought, word and deed
has an effect on the human body; all these leave their
marks, marks which can be read by Him who is Eternal
as easily as the words in a book can be read. (Mormon
Doctrine, p. 97.)
Is there really a book that angels write
that has a list of everything we’ve done?

“We are spinning our own fates good or evil, and never
to be undone. Every smallest stroke of virtue or of vice leaves
its ever so little scar. Down among his nerve-cells and fibers
the molecules are counting it, registering and storing it up to
be used against him when the next temptation comes.”
(Psychology, Henry Holt I Co., N. Y. 1892, p. 150.)
I feel so discouraged when I slip
up. What should I do?

“We must be careful, as we seek to become
more and more godlike, that we do not become
discouraged and lose hope. Becoming Christlike is
a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth
and change that is slow, almost imperceptible. The
scriptures record remarkable accounts of men
whose lives changed dramatically, in an instant, as
it were: Alma the Younger, Paul on the road to
Damascus, Enos praying far into the night, King
Lamoni. Such astonishing examples of the power
to change even those steeped in sin give
confidence that the Atonement can reach even
those deepest in despair.” (President Ezra Taft Benson)
Alma 36

 Oscar that lived arriva lejos
 Come to the living waters, like the ships that make their way
to Portland, and let Jesus help you remove those spiritual
barnacles.
Alma 36