Come Unto Christ through Repentance

My topic today is “Come unto Christ through repentance.” I feel like the world’s leading authority on the subject. However, I feel this way because of how the Lord has blessed my life when I repent. I would hope that we all feel that we are each experts on the topic of repentance.
I want to repent so that I can enjoy the companionship of the Spirit, and therefore be close to God. Sometimes, I am asked the question: “Oh, you went to Taiwan on you mission! How was that?” I don’t know how it was. I’ve never been anywhere else on a mission. “How is being a member of the Church?” I don’t know. I’ve never not been a member. But, I can ask “Oh, you have the Spirit with you! How’s that?” Well, let me tell you... I’ve been without the Spirit before, and it is not pleasant. When I don’t have the Spirit, I feel lost and empty. I feel without purpose and apathetic. I feel disconcertingly content. I feel like I’ve done enough and now the universe owes me.
But when the Spirit is with me, I feel comfortable, as Enos did when testified of the following: “Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it. And I [Enos] had faith... And I knew [the preservation and coming forth of the scriptures] would be according to the covenant which [God] had made; wherefore my soul did rest.” When I have the Spirit, I am clear about what the Lord wants me to do. I remember my covenants and the protection and peace they bring, like Enos did. I realize my responsibility to other people. That responsibility, though, is filtered through my relationship with my Savior: my foremost responsibility is to the Savior. When I have the Spirit, I am close to God.
President Packer shares with us his testimony of repentance: “I would find no peace, neither happiness, nor safety, in a world without repentance. I do not know what I should do if there were no way for me to erase my mistakes. The agony would be more than I could bear.” I invite you to ask yourself: Should I feel this way? If yes, (and, by the way, you should feel this way.) then do I feel this way? How can you appreciate and respect your sins as much as President Packer does? Are you afraid to not repent? Does the thought of unforgiveable sin bring thoughts of unbearable agony? Would you feel lost and hopeless without repentance? Do you currently find peace, happiness, and safety when you haven’t repented? What if you took your own sins that seriously? How would you be changed?
I want to emphasize the passiveness of that change; I emphasize that it is not us who changes ourselves. We can change only through the grace and gift of the Atonement. We change only when we completely, 100% rely on the Lord to carry us through. And He will do just that, as long as we allow Him through our obedience. He won’t lose. Doctrine and Covenants 3:3 states: “Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men.” Remember, also, that God cannot excuse my sin, but He knows I am willing to follow him, so He will forgive my sin.
Sometimes we try to take back control of our lives; of our sins; which ironically, yet not surprisingly, leads us to lose control. We may say “Oh, I can handle it. It’s not that big of a deal. I can be rude to others or cheat or flirt with the edge of morality because I already have a strong testimony. After all, I go to church and read scriptures and pray. I’m entitled to a little fun and excitement.” If you have ever felt this way, Elder Maxwell gave you the following guidance: “Our reluctance to give away all our sins, thinking, instead, that a down payment will do keeps us from knowing and love God more. (Fall Conf. 2002)”
Can you see how we may let our temptations get out of hand, literally the most capable of hands—Christ’s hands? The poetic irony is that the holes in those hands are exactly what make them so capable to hold our pains and temptations at bay. Those holes make it possible for Christ to ‘bear our griefs and carry our sorrows.’ But, do we see those holes as something else—signs of him being stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted (Isaiah 53:4)? I hope, Hope, brothers and sisters, that we don’t see His majestic state as our Savior in the garden and on the cross and therefore pity Him, nor pity ourselves. I testify that Christ is the conqueror, and in no measure the coward. If He truly suffered and bled the way that the scriptures say he did, then we have the opportunity to say “yes” to the question: “Will we trust the Lord amid a perplexing trial for which we have no easy explanation? Do we understand—really comprehend—that Jesus knows and understands when we are stressed and perplexed? (Maxwell, Fall ’95)”
II.
Christ means “Savior.” His most important trait is the Atonement, itself. When we think of Christ, our thoughts and hearts should immediately turn toward those last few precious hours of His life: in the garden, and on the cross.
What does it mean to truly know a person? Are you defined and encapsulated by your preferences? If I know your major in school or your favorite color, your favorite food or movie or sports team or defensive scheme; or even your favorite passage of scripture, will I know who you are? What about shared experiences? Will that give me a clear insight to your individualized human nature? How many of us have not just walked one mile in the pioneers shoes, but 10 or 15 or 25 miles on handcart treks, yet we still seem to learn more about our ancestors through genealogy and reading their journals and the journals of their loved ones?
I have believed for a long time that our selves, our individual beings, the fabric of who we are, are comprised of that which the Lord deems the most important: our relationship with other people. Is that not the central focus of the Plan of Salvation, our family relationships? Preach My Gospel states that “Because families are ordained of God, they are the most important social unit in time and eternity.” The Savior invites the rich ruler, someone who has kept all the commandments and desires to have eternal life, to leave his possessions and follow Jesus Christ, his elder brother and Redeemer. Here, the Savior is de-emphasizing the man’s relationship with his riches and possessions, and emphasizing the man’s relationship with Christ. Eternal life is to know Christ and to follow Christ.
Following Christ is relatively simple and straight forward. From each of our home teaching visits this month, we know that obedience is the way that we follow Christ. I have been blessed with a strong testimony of obedience, in large part because of the home teaching my companion and I have done and the home teaching that I have received this month.
However, compared to following Him, knowing Christ can be a bit more elusive. We have a classic first impression model of getting to know someone for the first time by asking the person’s name, preferences, major in school, perhaps and plans for the future. What if we asked God these questions?
We don’t know what His favorite food is. We don’t know his favorite color, or what his major in school was. But do we care? The questions that we typically ask of each other when we first meet would have a different connotation all together with the Savior. What if we asked the Lord his name? After all, he has many, and each name is descriptive of His relationship with us: Prince of Peace, our peace; The Life, the Light, and the Way, our life, our light, our way; even ‘Savior’ is reflexive of our own salvation. Where are you from? (pause) How many brothers and sister do you have? (pause) What’s new in your life? (pause) How did your weekend go? (Could you imagine Mary Magdalene asking that question the morning after the Resurrection?)
Everything Jesus Christ has done is for us. We are his number-one priority. Therefore, to know Him is to do the same as he did: make our fellow brothers and sisters our number-one priority. Serve others with unbound charity. Help them find the peace that you have through honest introspection of their lives; which, if done with real intent, will undoubtedly lead them to repent.