#26 Converted unto the Lord

Alma 23-29

We are going to start in ch 29 today with Alma because I believe that some of the versus in this chapter will give us enlightenment in the story of Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s.
Chapter 29 :1-3 Why does Alma, wishing to be an angel a sin? Because he needs to be happy with who he is now rather than constantly be looking for happiness elsewhere.
29:4 He says I shouldn’t be dwelling on these desires because the Lord presented a plan and the plan for my life is to be who I am.

*He gives us agency to choose who we are; this is “unalterable” we can’t change who we are, mortal men and women, but we can choose whether our lives are directed toward salvation or destruction-these choices change what our personality is like. It’s true when we choose one way (the way that brings us closer to God we are happy) when we choose another way it takes us further, but here is the key

29:5 Good and evil have come BEFORE all men- when did that first happen? When Adam and Eve were put here evil and good was put BEFORE (not forced upon) them. Before Eve took the fruit they were in a state of experiencing, going about life happily not knowing good from evil. Then Satan came and put it in her head that what she did in taking of the fruit was evil, bad, awful. Did the Lord tell her that taking the fruit was bad, or did He just tell her what would happen if she did. She would die right? Did she die? Yes- we are all subject to physical death now because of it. Did she die spiritually? Yes, she now took upon herself judgment,(gods job) that she was bad for taking the fruit- thanks to an evil voice, that same voice who talks to us and tries to put thoughts in our heads.
So back to the scripture:
He that knoweth-NOT good from evil is blameless. The footnotes from knoweth take me to being like God-eyes open, judging, so let’s replace knoweth with judging “he that judgeth NOT good from evil is blameless. Blameless footnote also takes us to Accountable. Are we still accountable for our choices? Yes, however He is telling us to stop judging yourself as bad or good by the choices you make. He tells us to be childlike-humble, submissive. If we are like a child-how does a child deal with life in general? Something happens and they view it as just something that happens, not necessarily good or bad until we label it for them by saying that was a horrible thing to happen and they stop and realize, yes, it was bad. But before we label it they have just had something happen and they say Hum that was what it was and move on. They don’t dwell on things that happen to them.
The Lord is saying this attitude is right. We make choices, we experience one thing or another, we learn and move on no matter our experience, we just move on. We should be childlike and not judge ourselves! That is God’s job. (remember the comment, “I’m going to stop doing the Lord’s work, that is judging others, this includes judging ourselves)

Back to scripture (v5): “He that knoweth (or rather judgeth) good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, (he continues by telling us what he means) Whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience” if we desire good we will get it, if we desire evil we will find it, if we desire to be happy be will be if we desire misery we can have that too. And remorse of conscience, means we are given the act to judge ourselves if that is what we desire.
But the best way to live, he is telling us is to get away from being God, or doing God’s job and judging, if we want to enjoy all of life’s experiences we need to become like a child and get back to the attitude of “wow, I just experienced something I didn’t like, I’m going to make a different choice next time”; whatever we do here though, we mustn’t judge and then punish ourselves with guilt or shame. Or “awesome, I loved the way that made me feel inside, how doing that brought me closer to the Love of the Lord, I’m going to do more of that.” If we want true happiness we need to stop judging our actions as good and bad, but rather something we experienced that we liked or didn’t like and go from there.

He says we have our choice, what we do but if we stay in “knowing or Judgment” we can never get back to what Adam and Eve were like in the garden of Eden (a state of innocence) just experiencing life!

29:6 Now that I know life is about choices and experiencing, I can just be happy in living the life I want to live, living the way that makes me happiest- that which brings me into Christ’s presence. That which I agreed to do when I came here.

29:9 I am happy with who I am and what the Lord commands me and I “Glory in it!”

So now, if I didn’t just lose all of you I want to take this doctrine and insert it back into the story of Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s, we know that the people under the Father of King Lamoni were converted in ch23, it lists all the cities that were converted. 2 cities weren’t Amulonites and Amalicites-people who were once people of God and fell so far that they are now servants of Satan. We know this because of another one of Mormons, thus we see passages in Chapter 24:30, which we will read in just a minute.

So the Lamanites become converted-converted in the way that Alma has just told us, they saw that life was just life, not good nor bad but just about choices and experiencing life. They now know the gospel, they now see that the lifestyle they led-(and it was a lifestyle, it was how they attained food and lodging for themselves) wasn’t a lifestyle that wasn’t as desirable as the joyful lifestyle, the one they were experiencing with the gospel in their lives.
They see now that the choices they made didn’t make them truly happy anymore. It doesn’t say that they stayed in judgment and told themselves they were bad and wicked and should feel guilty forever, but they just changed their life course.

Ch 24:13 They lay down their swords- they gave up their way of life! They chose not to fight. They knew that for them killing was an addiction. If they picked up their swords again they might easily fall back into a lifestyle they they don’t enjoy anymore. So they say if we pick up our swords again and fall back into addiction we may not be washed bright, not because the Savior doesn’t forgive over and over but because like the Amulonites and Amalacites, (24:30) they saw that once they fell they fell far and hard and they didn’t want that to happen to them. They weren’t judging those people, they could just see that they didn’t want to live like they were living.

24:15-16 We want our swords to stay bright that we can show God at the last day that we kept our covenants. They realized that they love and desire to stay in happiness.

24:16 we know that if we keep our covenants and die rather that go back to addiction we will be better off.
Are they judging? No they are just stating the facts! These people understand and see how important their covenants are and the blessings they receive.
24:19 mormon gives us another thus we see… Anti-nephi-lehi’s would rather die than to sin-why is it a sin now for them where before is wasn’t? They believed-lived the gospel now where before they were raised that killing Nephites was okay, just part of life, now they KNOW that living the gospel is a better life.

24:24 So the lamanites (those who weren’t converted) came to slaughter Anti’s v23 says they killed 1005 because they(anti’s) layed down to be slaughtered. As the Lamanites were slaying their hearts were being softened, their “hearts were swollen” with compassion.
24:27 there were more than a thousand brought to truth and knowledge of gospel because Anti’s kept their covenants.
*mormon again says thus we see… Lord worketh in many ways

So now that we know that keeping, or not keeping, our covenants and going through life’s experiences teaches us and brings us closer or takes us farther from Christ-this story teaches us what burying weapons (or making covenants) can do for us!

**Pass out knives- What “weapon” is holding you back? Yours is obviously not killing because I haven’t heard of any seriel killings in the area lately, so what is your weapon that is holding you back from enjoying the gospel to it’s fullest? Guilt, fear of life unknown, shame for choices you made that you are judging as bad rather then just seeing them as choices? Write it on your knife- I have to tell you though now that you’ve got the knowledge that life’s choices aren’t good/bad but just choices that direct which way your life goes, you will be held accountable for that knowledge. Once you write on your knife what weapon you are burying you have acknowledged that you will rid yourself of that – so if is comes up again, say it’s guilt and your spirit screams at you “hey you are feeling guilt again, and you don’t immediately stop judging change your thought process, that this is just another new experience that took me away from Christ, you will be held accountable for that guilt.

When we make covenants like this we open ourselves up to freedom and other blessings such as in 26:6 They (Anti’s/Lords covenant people) shall not be beaten down-storms come and we see them as another experience, one we can go with and get through with choices that bring happiness or not.
26:12 “in Lord’s strength I can do all things” (because Lord keeps his part of the covenant) if we see choices as just experiences we can put that into perspective and with Lord as our guide in life we can do all things we were foreordained to do.
26:22 We will be given mysteries or the knowledge of our foreordaination as we are open to life’s experiences.
26:32 bury weapons because of love of brethren. When we let go of our weapons we not only free ourselves of that weapon but we free our brethren. We say-I’m free of guilt then I know that I don’t need to send my brothers and sisters on guilt trips because I see this as an experience they will learn from sooner or later!
27:12 The Lord will preserve his people and protect his covenant people from destroyers!
27:27 Zeal in gospel-makes us honest and upright, firm in the faith till the end.
27:30 beloved people of Lord, highly favored.
28:14 Mormon again we a thus we see…The GREAT CALL OF DILIGENCE OF MEN TO LABOR IN VINEYARDS OF LORD THUS WE SEE…GREAT REASON OF SORROW AND ALSO OF REJOICING-SORROW BECAUSE OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION (destruction through our weapons of guilt, sorrow, sham, prejudices, etc.) AMONG MEN AND JOY BECAUSE OF LIGHT OF CHRIST UNTO LIFE, JOY THAT WHEN WE ARE FREE TO LIVE AND ALLOW OTHERS TO DO THE SAME WITHOUT GUILT, SHAME, FEAR, ETC. Then we are free to just be us! The us that we were in God’s presence! In the Name of Jesus Christ AMEN.