Jesus Christ: The Mighty God
I
love this time of year as our hearts and minds turn to our savior, Jesus
Christ.
The
Psalmist
sang “Know ye that the Lord he is God…
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be
thankful unto him, and bless his name.” (Psalms 100:3-4)
As
I contemplate giving thanks and praise to the Savior I pondered Who He is and
What He has done for me.
My
mind first went to the beautiful prophecies of
Isaiah:
“For
unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be
upon his shoulders: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The
mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
And
then to Alma
in the Book of Mormon
“And
he shall go forth, suffering the pains and afflictions and temptations of every
kind and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon
him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.” (Alma 7:11)
These
two great prophets give us a wonderful description of Who the Savior is and What He does for us.
Using
these two scriptures may we consider How
the Savior truly fulfills these roles in our lives.
“A child is born, a
son is given”
John 3:16 “For God
so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…”
How
thankful I am that my elder brother, Jesus Christ, the creator of the world,
descended from His throne on high.
He
came willingly and lovingly into this world. A newborn babe in a manger – the
most humble of circumstances for a King, the promised Redeemer, Savior of
mankind, Son of God! And yet, to these
humble circumstances He came.
He
walked the dusty roads of Palestine, healed the sick, raised the dead, and taught
the Gospel.
This
newborn babe… this child was born to change the world.
For
this I sing praises unto Him.
“Wonderful”
But
He was rejected, mocked, and beaten. And He gave His life that we might live!
On
the third day after His crucifixion He was resurrected – to break the bands of
death that all might live again. Wonderful indeed!
No
words in Christendom are more meaningful and significant than the words which
the angel spoke that sacred morning in the garden “He is not here, but is risen.”
President Thomas S. Monson said
“Our Savior lives again. The most glorious, comforting and reassuring of
all events of human history had taken place- victory over death. The pain and
agony of Gethsemane and Calvary had been wiped away. The salvation of mankind
had been secured.” (General Conference,
April 2010)
Perhaps
one of my most favorite testimonies of the living Christ is from the Prophet Joseph
Smith who declared:
“And now, after the many testimonies which
have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of
him: That he lives!
For we saw him, even on the right hand
of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of
the Father.”
(D&C 76:22-23)
If
for no other reason I would sing praises to my Savior for that Wonderful
news.
“Counselor”
As
a Counselor
He pleads our case for mercy thus becoming our advocate with the Father. He is the champion of our cause
like no other can be.
On
more than one occasion, a devoted mother pleaded with Abraham Lincoln for the life of a son who had committed a serious
offense while serving in the Union forces. Often, touched by the mother’s own
sacrifice and pleading, Lincoln granted the pardon. Perhaps he thought “Not for
your son’s sake, but for your sake I will pardon him.” Likewise, our Heavenly
Father must be deeply moved by the incomparable sacrifice and pleading by our
Savior on our behalf.
Because
I – like those boys in the Union Army - make mistakes and I desperately need
His pleading as my Counselor.
Because
He is my Counselor on Judgment Day, when my eternal fate hangs in the
balance I will be ever grateful that, as Abinadi taught, the Savior stands “betwixt
me and justice.”(Mosiah 15:9) I will
beg for mercy as He “makes an intercession for the children of
men” (Mosiah 15:9)
He
is my Counselor!
“The Mighty God”
He
truly is the Mighty God.
Everything
in this world bears testimony of Him. Like Alma testified to Korihor “All things denote there is a God, yea even
the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it… motion & planets…”
(Alma 30:44)
We
have had the opportunity to visit church historical sites a couple of times as
a family. One of my favorite spots is Palmyra.
I
had a very moving experience one time while at Palmyra. In the visitor’s center
in Palmyra there is a large Christus – like the one at the Salt Lake Temple
visitor’s center.
In
Salt Lake the Christus is surrounded by the universe – planets and stars
swirling around Christ. Which is very appropriate as He is the Mighty
God – creator of heaven and earth – the planets and stars and all
things in them!
But
in Palmyra
the Christus is surrounded by a mural of a grove of trees.
It
is a beautiful reminder that it was in a grove of trees that He appeared to the
young Joseph
Smith. As I sat in that Visitor’s Center and looked at the statue
and the trees I was overcome with the most amazing Spirit and was reminded that
He is not only the Mighty God who created the heavens and earth and all things in
them - which He did. Or, He Who has all power and all wisdom - which He does!
But
He is a very tender and personal God who appeared in a grove of
trees.
And
if He can appear in a Grove of Trees in Upstate New York to a young farm boy to
answer his prayer… then He also knows me and can answer the prayers of a mother
in *@*.
He
is the Mighty God! He is also a very tender and personal God.
“Everlasting Father”
King
Benjamin teaches us HOW he becomes our Everlasting Father.
King Benjamin said: “Because of
the covenant ye shall be called the children of Christ.” (Mosiah 5:7)
As
we make and keep sacred covenants,
at baptism and in the temple, we take His name upon us. We become His covenant
Children.
This
is one of my favorite doctrines of the Gospel. We are His chosen children. If
we are true and faithful all the promises and blessings of the Fathers:
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob can and will be ours as we keep and honor those
covenants.
“Prince of Peace”
In
a world filled with wars, sadness, natural disasters, and turmoil I am so
thankful for the Prince of Peace.
I
realize everyone has at one time or another, for some reason or another, faced
difficult challenges. Be they financial pressures, health issues, troubles with
a marriage or child.
We
have all had feelings of sorrow and discouragement. But the Lord offers peace!
In
yet another powerful and moving message from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in Conference this past October he addressed this
very topic of sorrow and discouragement. He said “In striving for some peace
and understanding in these difficult matters it is crucial to remember that we
are living in a fallen world. Of greatest assurance in God’s plan is that a Savior
was promised, a Redeemer, [I would add Prince of Peace] who through our faith
in Him would lift us triumphantly over those tests and trials.” (Conference, Oct 2013)
One
of my favorite scriptures comes from the story of Moses
and the Children
of Israel. When they arrived at the Red Sea they were faced with a
seemingly impossible situation. They had a great sea in front of them, hot dry
dessert on each side and Pharaoh’s army approaching behind them! They began to murmur. I probably would have
done the same. But, the great prophet Moses said:
“Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation
of the Lord.”
I
LOVE that!
Fear
not, be still and watch how I will save you!
When
faced with difficulties & trials we need not panic but be still and have
peace. He truly is the Prince of Peace.
Then
we go to the verse from Alma. Alma tells us He will suffer pains and afflictions.
“Pains and Afflictions”
I
love this verse in Alma because as he describes the Savior and lists these
wonderful things the Savior will do he never even mentions sins.
Now,
I (and we all) will definitely NEED our Savior’s mercy to be forgiven of our
sins. But this verse reminds us that He
does even
more!
The
Savior
also eases
our pains & afflictions.
In
our most recent conference President Monson sweetly
reminded us
“From the bed of pain, from the
pillow wet with tears, we are lifted heavenward by that divine assurance and
precious promise: ‘I will not fail thee,
nor forsake thee.’ President Monson adds “Such comfort is
priceless.” (October 2013)
Several
years ago I was going through a very difficult time. Without going into
personal detail it was a time that I truly felt pain, discouragement and often wet my pillow with tears. One
particular day I needed extra help and so I went to the temple. Now, please know that every time I attend the
temple I feel peace and my Savior’s love. But this time, when I needed Him so
desperately, as I stood for a particular part of the ceremony I literally felt His Arms enfold me. It was as if He was right there in person. I felt
as if I had opened my eyes I would have seen Him. I have never quite felt those
arms the same way since. But on that day, when I needed Him, He eased
my pains.
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
heavy laden, and I shall give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For
my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30)
How
thankful I am for a loving Savior Who eases my pains and afflictions
“Temptations”
Next,
the Atonement not only gives us the opportunity to be forgiven for our sins… But
it gives us the POWER to overcome those
temptations
that so easily beset us.
Elder David A. Bednar said: “The
enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement helps us see and do and to
become good in ways that we could never recognize or accomplish with our
limited mortal capacity. I testify and witness that the
enabling power of the Savior’s Atonement is real.” (General Conference,
Oct 2004)
That
is absolutely a reason to not only sing but shout praises unto the Lord. Is it enough to just sing or shout
praises to the Lord? No!
The
Lord said “There are many who draw near
unto me with their lips… but their hearts are far from me.” (2 Nephi 27:25)
This
being the Christmas season, if you could give a Gift to the Savior what
would you give?
The
Savior
gives us the best answer. He has actually given us His Christmas
Wish List. He said “If ye love me,
keep my commandments” (John 14:15)
Also,
“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of
the least of these y brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matt 25:40)
One
day the people came to the Savior and asked what the way to Eternal Life was. The
Lord told them to love God with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind. He
then added AND… “Love thy neighbor.”
The people asked “Who is our neighbor?” And Lord gave the beautiful parable of the
Good Samaritan. As the man lay
at the side of the road robbed, beaten and left for dead many passed him by.
But the Samaritan stopped. He bound his wounds and cared for the man. Then the
Savior said “Go and do likewise.” (Luke
10:25, 30-36)
As
we faithfully keep the commandments. As we lift
each other’s burdens. As we comfort those who stand in need of
comfort… and mourn w/those who mourn. As we stand as a witness at all time and in all things and in all places.
As we share our testimonies with
others… These are the greatest gifs we could give the Savior. This is His Christmas Wish List.
May
we, not
only during this Holiday Season, but always in our lives
recognize and be thankful for His Atoning sacrifice and for the eternal and divine
works He does on our behalf. And give a Gift to the Savior through
our actions of love
and service
to others.
I
praise Him. Like the angels on that first
sacred Christmas night who sang praises: “Glory to God in the highest”
