Come Unto Christ
(A talk I gave in sacrament meeting on 4/28/2019)
In summer of the year 2000, my parents took my younger siblings on a cross country trip to tour church history sights. It was while Steven and I were house sitting for them that our ten-month-old daughter Hannah took her very first unassisted steps into my outstretched arms.
When an infant is born, she is tiny and weak, and can’t move around unless she is carried. After a time, the baby is set down for some “tummy time” and gets a chance to do push ups and strengthen her muscles. Over time she learns to roll over, then to crawl. Before long she is pulling herself up to things and then starts walking along using the edge of the sofa for support. And then comes that exciting moment when she lets go and walks on her own into the arms of her loving parents who have been watching, encouraging, comforting and helping all along the way.
Brothers and sisters, we each are like an infant. In the beginning after our spirits were organized, we were cradled in our Father’s arms, until one day he set us down on this earth for a chance to strengthen our muscles and learn and grow so that one day we can walk back into his outstretched arms.
I come from a large family. I am the second oldest of eleven children. To help take care of so many kids, my parents assigned each of us older children to watch over a younger child, to rescue them from danger, to comfort them when they were hurt or sad, or to help with tasks too challenging for the younger child to do on their own. In a way, we were like a surrogate parent although my parents were always there too watching over everyone.
Our Heavenly Father has also given us an older brother, Jesus Christ, to help watch over us, to rescue us from danger, to comfort us when we are hurt or sad, and to help us with a task too challenging for us to manage on our own – to overcome death and sin and return to our Heavenly Father’s presence. Our goal is to return to our Father’s presence, and the way to do that is by coming to Christ.
The scriptures are full of invitations to come to Christ:
Matt 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
3 Nephi 12:20 Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
How do we come to Christ?
The first step is to learn of him. We need to know who he is and what he wants of us. We need to know what example he set.
In D&C 19:23 the savior invites: Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me.
In Mosiah 5:13 King Benjamin asks: For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?
Just as blind babies can take longer to learn to walk because they can’t see the example of the people around them, we need our Savior’s examples and teachings to show us how to return to our Father’s presence. We learn of him by studying the scriptures. Last October, President Nelson invited the sisters in the church to read the Book of Mormon between then and the end of the year. He then added, “As you read, I would encourage you to mark each verse that speaks of or refers to the Savior. Then, be intentional about talking of Christ, rejoicing in Christ, and preaching of Christ with your families and friends. You and they will be drawn closer to the Savior through this process. And changes, even miracles, will begin to happen.” (President Nelson, Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel, October 2018) Did we take him up on this invitation? Did we draw closer – take a step closer – to our Savior?
This year we have the opportunity to study the New Testament with Come Follow Me. We are reading and studying about the life of our Savior, about what he did when he was on the earth. We learn about his great love for his Father, in doing his work and his will and always giving him the credit and glory. We also read about the great love Jesus Christ had for his fellow men. He taught them. He healed them. He cared for them. He served them. He wept with them. And even when they put him to death, he forgave them.
Besides Christ’s example, we can also learn about his teachings throughout the scriptures. We can learn about our Father’s plan, about where we came from and where we are going. We can learn what the Father asks of us – about the commandments and covenants that we need to keep.
The next step in coming to Christ is to act on what we have learned. We have to practice, to try to do what the Lord desires of us. A baby will never learn to walk if she never tries.
As Joseph Smith said of the Book of Mormon, “A man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” (Book of Mormon Introduction) It isn’t enough just to read the Book of Mormon. We need to abide by its precepts. We need to do as it says.
We need to “bear one another’s burdens that they may be light… mourn with those that mourn… comfort those that stand in need of comfort…” (Mosiah 18:8-9)
We need to “[become] as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict…” (Mosiah 3:19)
In 3 Nephi 11:38 the Savior says, “And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.”
Several chapters later he teaches, “What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” (3 Nephi 27:27) We need to try to follow his example and his teachings. We need to keep his commandments.
The last step, perhaps the hardest one, is to let go of our crutches, our fears, our bad habits, whatever may be holding us back, and step out on our own in faith.
Matt 16:24 The Lord told his disciples “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” He didn’t mean a cross literally, but he meant to take up the burden, to repent, to make the sacrifices necessary to follow him.
You remember the story of the young man who came to Christ asking what he should do that he may have eternal life. And Jesus told him, “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments”, and he named some of the commandments, and the man said, “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” And Jesus said, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me.” (Matt 19:16-21) But the young man went away sorrowful because he wasn’t willing to take that last step. He wasn’t willing to give up the one thing that was holding him back.
There were other people who desired to come to Christ, but who struggled with the courage to take that last step. One said, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father” Maybe his father opposed him following Christ and he wanted to wait until his father was dead. Another said “Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.” Maybe he wanted to have one last fling with his non-believing friends before he committed to follow Christ. Brothers and sisters, we can’t fully come to Christ if we are always looking behind us with regret about the things we are leaving behind. The Lord’s response to this man was, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) That doesn’t mean that he would never be fit, but just that he wasn’t ready yet.
I’m reminded of Peter, who late one night as he and the other apostles navigated their boat through a contrary wind, saw a figure walking on the choppy water towards.his ship. He and the other apostles were scared and cried out, but then they heard the voice of the master, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” And Peter answered him and said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come.” (Matt 14:27-29) And then Peter came down out of the ship. He let go of his security, his safe haven, his comfort zone, and in faith he walked on the water to come to Christ. What incredible bravery! What a tremendous example he set for us!
Now you remember that it was a very windy night. At some point - we don’t know how far he went or how many steps he had taken, he was far enough from the ship that it wasn’t within easy reach and I imagine he had drawn fairly close to the Savior - but at some point Peter lost his focus on Christ. He was distracted by the gusts of wind and he got scared and he began to sink. But even at that moment he cried out, “Lord, save me.” and immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him.
Brothers and sisters, we aren’t expected to be perfect yet. Like a baby, we start by simply pushing up off the floor and rolling. Eventually, we learn to crawl. The Lord knows that we each will develop at our own pace, some slower and some faster. He knows that sometimes we will pull ourselves up only to lose our balance and fall, and he understands that and he is always there to catch us, to help us back up - if we will turn to him, if we will cry as Peter did, “Lord, save me.” He is always encouraging us and beckoning to us, and he has the power to save us.
In the final chapter of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Moroni entreats us, “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. (Moroni 10:32-33)
Only our Savior has the power to save us. Through his atonement, our sins can be forgiven and we can become pure and holy so we can return to our Heavenly Father’s presence, to walk back into his outstretched arms. But we need to come to Christ first. He is there; the power of his atonement is real, but we need to learn of him, to follow him, to let go of the things that keep us from him.
I know this is true. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
In summer of the year 2000, my parents took my younger siblings on a cross country trip to tour church history sights. It was while Steven and I were house sitting for them that our ten-month-old daughter Hannah took her very first unassisted steps into my outstretched arms.
When an infant is born, she is tiny and weak, and can’t move around unless she is carried. After a time, the baby is set down for some “tummy time” and gets a chance to do push ups and strengthen her muscles. Over time she learns to roll over, then to crawl. Before long she is pulling herself up to things and then starts walking along using the edge of the sofa for support. And then comes that exciting moment when she lets go and walks on her own into the arms of her loving parents who have been watching, encouraging, comforting and helping all along the way.
Brothers and sisters, we each are like an infant. In the beginning after our spirits were organized, we were cradled in our Father’s arms, until one day he set us down on this earth for a chance to strengthen our muscles and learn and grow so that one day we can walk back into his outstretched arms.
I come from a large family. I am the second oldest of eleven children. To help take care of so many kids, my parents assigned each of us older children to watch over a younger child, to rescue them from danger, to comfort them when they were hurt or sad, or to help with tasks too challenging for the younger child to do on their own. In a way, we were like a surrogate parent although my parents were always there too watching over everyone.
Our Heavenly Father has also given us an older brother, Jesus Christ, to help watch over us, to rescue us from danger, to comfort us when we are hurt or sad, and to help us with a task too challenging for us to manage on our own – to overcome death and sin and return to our Heavenly Father’s presence. Our goal is to return to our Father’s presence, and the way to do that is by coming to Christ.
The scriptures are full of invitations to come to Christ:
Matt 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
3 Nephi 12:20 Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
How do we come to Christ?
The first step is to learn of him. We need to know who he is and what he wants of us. We need to know what example he set.
In D&C 19:23 the savior invites: Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me.
In Mosiah 5:13 King Benjamin asks: For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?
Just as blind babies can take longer to learn to walk because they can’t see the example of the people around them, we need our Savior’s examples and teachings to show us how to return to our Father’s presence. We learn of him by studying the scriptures. Last October, President Nelson invited the sisters in the church to read the Book of Mormon between then and the end of the year. He then added, “As you read, I would encourage you to mark each verse that speaks of or refers to the Savior. Then, be intentional about talking of Christ, rejoicing in Christ, and preaching of Christ with your families and friends. You and they will be drawn closer to the Savior through this process. And changes, even miracles, will begin to happen.” (President Nelson, Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel, October 2018) Did we take him up on this invitation? Did we draw closer – take a step closer – to our Savior?
This year we have the opportunity to study the New Testament with Come Follow Me. We are reading and studying about the life of our Savior, about what he did when he was on the earth. We learn about his great love for his Father, in doing his work and his will and always giving him the credit and glory. We also read about the great love Jesus Christ had for his fellow men. He taught them. He healed them. He cared for them. He served them. He wept with them. And even when they put him to death, he forgave them.
Besides Christ’s example, we can also learn about his teachings throughout the scriptures. We can learn about our Father’s plan, about where we came from and where we are going. We can learn what the Father asks of us – about the commandments and covenants that we need to keep.
The next step in coming to Christ is to act on what we have learned. We have to practice, to try to do what the Lord desires of us. A baby will never learn to walk if she never tries.
As Joseph Smith said of the Book of Mormon, “A man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” (Book of Mormon Introduction) It isn’t enough just to read the Book of Mormon. We need to abide by its precepts. We need to do as it says.
We need to “bear one another’s burdens that they may be light… mourn with those that mourn… comfort those that stand in need of comfort…” (Mosiah 18:8-9)
We need to “[become] as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict…” (Mosiah 3:19)
In 3 Nephi 11:38 the Savior says, “And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.”
Several chapters later he teaches, “What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” (3 Nephi 27:27) We need to try to follow his example and his teachings. We need to keep his commandments.
The last step, perhaps the hardest one, is to let go of our crutches, our fears, our bad habits, whatever may be holding us back, and step out on our own in faith.
Matt 16:24 The Lord told his disciples “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” He didn’t mean a cross literally, but he meant to take up the burden, to repent, to make the sacrifices necessary to follow him.
You remember the story of the young man who came to Christ asking what he should do that he may have eternal life. And Jesus told him, “if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments”, and he named some of the commandments, and the man said, “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” And Jesus said, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me.” (Matt 19:16-21) But the young man went away sorrowful because he wasn’t willing to take that last step. He wasn’t willing to give up the one thing that was holding him back.
There were other people who desired to come to Christ, but who struggled with the courage to take that last step. One said, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father” Maybe his father opposed him following Christ and he wanted to wait until his father was dead. Another said “Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.” Maybe he wanted to have one last fling with his non-believing friends before he committed to follow Christ. Brothers and sisters, we can’t fully come to Christ if we are always looking behind us with regret about the things we are leaving behind. The Lord’s response to this man was, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) That doesn’t mean that he would never be fit, but just that he wasn’t ready yet.
I’m reminded of Peter, who late one night as he and the other apostles navigated their boat through a contrary wind, saw a figure walking on the choppy water towards.his ship. He and the other apostles were scared and cried out, but then they heard the voice of the master, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” And Peter answered him and said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come.” (Matt 14:27-29) And then Peter came down out of the ship. He let go of his security, his safe haven, his comfort zone, and in faith he walked on the water to come to Christ. What incredible bravery! What a tremendous example he set for us!
Now you remember that it was a very windy night. At some point - we don’t know how far he went or how many steps he had taken, he was far enough from the ship that it wasn’t within easy reach and I imagine he had drawn fairly close to the Savior - but at some point Peter lost his focus on Christ. He was distracted by the gusts of wind and he got scared and he began to sink. But even at that moment he cried out, “Lord, save me.” and immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him.
Brothers and sisters, we aren’t expected to be perfect yet. Like a baby, we start by simply pushing up off the floor and rolling. Eventually, we learn to crawl. The Lord knows that we each will develop at our own pace, some slower and some faster. He knows that sometimes we will pull ourselves up only to lose our balance and fall, and he understands that and he is always there to catch us, to help us back up - if we will turn to him, if we will cry as Peter did, “Lord, save me.” He is always encouraging us and beckoning to us, and he has the power to save us.
In the final chapter of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Moroni entreats us, “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. (Moroni 10:32-33)
Only our Savior has the power to save us. Through his atonement, our sins can be forgiven and we can become pure and holy so we can return to our Heavenly Father’s presence, to walk back into his outstretched arms. But we need to come to Christ first. He is there; the power of his atonement is real, but we need to learn of him, to follow him, to let go of the things that keep us from him.
I know this is true. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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