Putting Off The Natural Man

From a talk given in Sacrament meeting in Charlestown, NSW, Australia.

My son Michael has a number of tasks that he is expected to complete each day. They include things like making his bed, getting ready for school, reading his scriptures, completing basic chores around the house, brushing his teeth and saying his prayers. Occasionally he is asked to do something that requires him to demonstrate a little more responsibility. Recently after failing to live up to some of his responsibilities, we had a discussion about these things. With tears in his eyes he moaned “Why do I have so many responsibilities? Why can’t I just have a break for once?” I am ashamed to admit that sometimes after attending a church meeting or being assigned “a hard thing” (as Laman and Lamuel would call it) the “natural man” in me has moaned these same things.

Other times I have left church meetings feeling inspired and motivated, having great hopes to succeed in my calling, spiritual growth and family responsibilities. However, these hopes have sometimes “gone unfulfilled, shipwrecked on the reefs of good intentions and laziness” (Steven E Snow, Hope, General Conference April 2011). At times after having failed to complete an assignment, I find myself trying to justify my failure. I’ve been busy. I’ve been tired. I’ll do it next week. That show on TV needed to be watched.

I should point out that the expectations I have for my son may not always be fair or realistic, as I am not a perfect dad. However our Father in Heaven is perfect and he knows us individually. He knows what we are capable of and he will not give us any assignments we cannot accomplish.

Brothers and sisters, if you like me have allowed the natural man in you to hinder your spiritual progression and ultimately the work of Lord, then I invite you to repent and remind you of the Book of Mormon scripture we all know well in Mosiah 3:19:

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

Heber J Grant taught "The devil is ready to blind our eyes with the things of this world, and he would gladly rob us of eternal life, the greatest of all gifts. But it is not given to the devil, and no power will ever be given to him to overthrow any Latter-day Saint that is keeping the commandments of God. There is no power given to the adversary of men’s souls to destroy us if we are doing our duty. If we are not absolutely honest with God, then we let the bars down, then we have destroyed part of the fortifications by which we are protected, and the devil may come in. But no man has ever lost the testimony of the Gospel, no man has ever turned to the right or to the left, who had the knowledge of the truth, who was attending to his duties, who was keeping the Word of Wisdom, who was paying his tithing, who was responding to the calls and duties of his office and calling in the Church."

Of all the General Authorities, Jeffery R Holland Is probably my favourite speaker. He speaks with such power and authority. Whatever he says seems to touch and motivate me. In the October 2012 General Conference he gave a talk called “The First Great Commandment”. I have probably listened to this talk five or six times since then. Throughout this talk Elder Holland shares his elaboration of what one of the conversations Jesus had with Peter may have been like. The scriptural version is found in John chapter 21. It is when the Lord is asking Peter if he loves him and to feed his sheep.

I’m going to share a modified version of this quote with you. I have done as the scriptures suggest and likened it unto myself. I have imagined the Lord having this conversation with me.....

Jesus said....."Luke, do you love me more than you love all this?” I said, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.” To which Jesus replied "Feed my lambs".

For a second time the Lord asked “Luke, do you love me?” Undoubtedly confused a bit by the repetition of the question, I replied, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee". To which Jesus replied "Feed my sheep".

For a third time the Lord asked “Luke, do you love me?” and for the third time I said.. “Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. To which Jesus responded, perhaps saying something like: “Then Luke, why are you watching the TV for the 10th hour this week when you have only read your scriptures for one hour this week? Why do you spend so much time playing with that iPhone or iPad but not enough time playing with your kids? What’s so good about that Tech Blog you read? Why are you procrastinating your ministering? What I need, Luke, are disciples—and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of the Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Luke....I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally".

Brothers and Sisters I invite you to think to think of all the worldly things that blind your eyes from the things of the Lord. If you did something spiritual or to magnify your calling in place of these things how much more time would you be giving to the Lord? Imagine what could be accomplished if we all did this. We would be unified. We would see our ward grow. We would see the temporal and spiritual needs of our members being more adequately met. We would see more ministering being done. We would see our inactive brothers and sisters coming back into the fold. We would see our youth progress in the gospel, go on missions, marry in the temple and become leaders. We would see miracles happen in God’s work!!!

As men and women strive to put off the natural man you can see changes occur in their lives. Throughout my life I have seen people change. I have seen a young man return from inactivity, receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and go on a mission. I have seen another man return from inactivity, receive the Melchizedek priesthood and although he was unable to serve a full time mission, he sets an example of member missionary work. I have seen new members grow in the priesthood and faith.

I have seen changes in my life come from the desire to be better, to become someone and to love the Lord. When I was a teenager I dropped out of high school, stopped going to church, moved out of home and satisfied many of my worldly desires. I can tell you that my church leaders and school teachers thought I was a lost cause. My mum tells me she always had great hopes for me though. After endless days of skateboarding and doing nothing much, you get bored. If you have a large mohawk and haven’t finished school it's not easy to find a job. After a lot of encouragement from my mother, I eventually decided to do something worthwhile and enrolled in a cabinet making/carpentry TAFE course. I think enrolling in this TAFE course was the single most important decision I have made in my life because things happened there that helped me to gain a testimony of the atonement of Jesus Christ and also realise my talents and potential.

Towards the end of the TAFE course a young man stopped coming. He stopped coming because everyone was making fun of him. I remember laying in bed one night thinking about that kid. Thinking about how he must have felt. I thought of the times that I had been made fun of through out my life and how it made me feel. I thought of my sister Angela and the torment she has gone through because she has Down syndrome. Anyone who has been made fun of will know how it makes you feel - not very good. I thought "why are people so mean?"

As I was thinking these things all of a sudden my mind raced to the Saviour and his Atonement. He was spat upon, beaten and humiliated. He was made to carry his cross through the streets as crowds scourged him. I thought of the pain he must have felt as he was nailed to the cross. Why did this happen to him? I then thought of my Heavenly Father and how much he must love me. I had seen this reflected in the love my parents have for me. The Spirit testified to me that Christ made these sacrifices for me that my sins may be forgiven. As I thought of our Heavenly Father’s love I was overwhelmed with the Spirit and knew without a doubt that my Heavenly Father was real. I knew that the Saviour’s Atonement was real and that my sins could be forgiven.

Since that day I have served a mission, completed an undergraduate degree and a master's degree. I have married in the temple. I have brought kids into the world and I am striving to help them get to the Celestial Kingdom. However, even after having seen such great miracles in my life, I still fail “because of my flesh and my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities” (2 Nephi 4:17).

If our inactive brothers and sisters or youth are anything like I was, the Atonement can save them. If non-members are anything like I was they can be saved.
Brothers and sisters we have a work great work to do. We need to put off the natural man. We need to keep our covenants and do as the Lord has asked of us, to feed his sheep.

Some people may feel their calling is insignificant or not important. Some may only be called as a ministering brother or sister. Every calling is important in the Lord's eyes. Each and every call to serve contributes to the building up of the Lord's Kingdom. Whatever you have been called to do, give it your best effort to serve diligently.

We may not completely put off the natural man and obtain a state of perfection in this life, but we can and should press forward with faith in Christ along the strait and narrow path and make steady progress toward our eternal destiny. Elder Bednar has taught “The Lord’s pattern for spiritual development is “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little”. Small, steady, incremental spiritual improvements are the steps the Lord would have us take. Preparing to walk guiltless before God is one of the primary purposes of mortality and the pursuit of a lifetime; it does not result from sporadic spurts of intense spiritual activity.”

The path to exaltation is not easy and requires sacrifice. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life”

Brothers and Sisters I invite you to make changes in your life that will allow you to put off the natural man and to serve God with all your heart, might, mind and strength that you may be found blameless before Him at the last day.

In my experience I have found that I always have enough time to do the things I want to do, but never enough time to do the things I need to do. I guess my life goal is to make the things the Lord needs me to do, the things I want really want to do.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.