The Abundant Life of Christ: An Easter Talk

I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity to share my testimony and “Talk of Christ and Rejoice in Christ” on this beautiful Easter Sunday. 

He is risen! He is risen!

Tell it out with joyful voice.

He has burst his three days’ prison;

Let the whole wide earth rejoice.

Death is conquered; man is free.

Christ has won the victory! 

 Is there anything worth celebrating more than Christ’s victory over not just His death but the death of all mankind?  “He is not here, but is risen.”  How much hope we have because of that glorious proclamation.  Death is conquered, man is free.  Christ has won the victory. 

I would like to talk for a few minutes today about what Christ’s victory means for us-each of us, not just when we die, but in this moment, right now.  Throughout the scriptures, the Savior invites us to receive the life that is available in Him because of His Atonement and Resurrection.

He says “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” John 11:25

And “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

What is this abundant life He has promised us?  We know that because of Him, we will be raised from our own physical deaths.  We also know that His Resurrection provided a “Redemption of our souls” D&C 88:16, saving us from spiritual death if we come unto Him.  These eternal promises are glorious and full of hope, but sometimes we (at least I) categorize these life saving blessings as happening only in our eternal future.  When Christ says that He is come so that we might have life more abundantly, does He only mean the life we will have after this life is over? Or He is talking about a life we can experience right here and now?  I think we know it’s both, and yet, I have thought more about the abundant life I may receive if I live worthy as opposed to the abundant life He invites us to experience each moment of each day. 

Christ says “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3

I think He is telling us that eternal life comes to us as we come to Him.  Although it is a process, the more we know our Savior, the richer and more abundant our lives become and we begin to experience the blessings of our eternal life with God and His Son whether we are on this or the other side of the veil.

In my life, I have received great blessings from my relationship with Christ.  In times of great need, I have felt of His comfort and love.  When I have repented, I have felt of His forgiveness and mercy.  When I have needed help with a great challenge, I have felt of His strength and encouragement.  When I have actively sought Him, He has been there just as He promised.  However, over the last few years and especially the last several months, I have been feeling like there is more.  He wants to give us more.  Through His Atonement and His Resurrection He opened the way for us to LIVE-and to LIVE abundantly…not just in certain moments or when we die, but always. 

As I have studied and pondered what I can do to receive this abundant life, I have found much instruction in the scriptures.  I want to focus on 2 of these points today.

First, we must be Born of God.  If we are to receive life from Christ, we must be reborn in Him.  Although baptism is a symbol of this, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee we have been reborn.  Alma was told by the Lord:

Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; and thus they become new creatures. Mosiah 27:25-26

Changed from my carnal and fallen state to a state of righteousness, becoming a new creature in Christ.  I have thought about my own rebirth, and though I feel like I have taken steps, I feel like it has not been complete.  I think of the people of King Benjamin who fell to the earth after hearing him testify of Christ. 

And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified;

 

And of Alma the younger “after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.   

My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.

These experiences are very immediate and dramatic and sometimes these kinds of accounts in the scriptures are written off as atypical (which really means to us non-applicable).  But are they so different from the experiences we must have in our own lives? 

In both cases, they were awakened to a sense of their nothingness and their worthless and fallen state (as King Benjamin puts it) “even less than the dust of the earth.”  Because they saw their own nothingness and their sinful and fallen nature, they were in a position to see the greatness of God and cry out as Alma said “O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.”

Now when they did this, they were filled with joy.  It says of King Benjamin’s people that “the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, having peace of conscience.” And Alma’s says “he could remember his pains no more, and he was harrowed up by the memory of his sins no more.  And oh what joy and what marvelous light I did behold (he says), yea, my soul was filled with joy as was exceeding as was my pain…there could be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.”

Atypical?  Or essential? What I have come to feel is that Alma is not unique.  No matter how big or small we perceive our sins to be, we all are hardened, we are all fallen and we are all lost and must perish except it be through the Atonement of Christ which is expedient should be made (Alma 34:9).  In short, we are all Alma.  We are all the people of King Benjamin and we are all in desperate need and must cry out to the Lord: “O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified.”  We must all have this experience of having our nature changed from our carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, In short, we must be born again. 

When I looked at my own experiences, I could not honestly say that I had really experienced this change or even recognized that I needed it.  I have had to ask as did Alma of the members of the church in Zarahemla, “have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?” Alma 5:14. 

Although for me, the experience so far has been a process instead of a one time event, I must say that I have felt Him changing me-changing my heart.  As I have come to God and admitted my true nothingness before Him and my complete need to “rely wholly upon the merits of Him who is mighty to save,” (2 Nephi 31:19) I have felt Him FREEING me of my own carnal and fallen and sinful nature and giving me new life.  I still feel like I am in the middle of this change and I have had to truly “humble myself to the dust” in order to be open to Him, but there is a growing hope in me that this change is real and that He can and will truly make me a new creature in Him. 2 Corinithians 5:17

This rebirth is individual and can happen at different times and ways for each of us, but there is a need for all once we have been reborn to continue in Him and not lose the life He has given us.  if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the songof redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?   

Once we have come to the tree of life and tasted of the fruit which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which fills our souls with exceedingly great joy (Alma 32 and 1 Nephi 8), do we stay or do are we ashamed of being seen as fanatic or over the top?  Do we wander off into forbidden paths and become lost or are we continually being filled with the love of God? 

To me, those who stay and “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ” are His true disciples. 

Which brings me to my 2^nd and final point…How do we stay?  How do we continually LIVE in Christ?  As King Lamoni’s father did, we must “give away all our sins to know Him.” (Alma 22)

The story of the Rich Young Ruler has always-if not haunted me-at least gnawed at me-because of how like him I sometimes feel.  When he asks the Savior what he should do to inherit eternal life, the Savior tells him if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments..  He says All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?  And then the Savior says:

Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he went away sorrowful: for he was very rich. ( Luke 18 and Matthew 19)

I sorrow too when I think of what he missed out on.  How could he have chosen riches over Christ?  But when I ask the Savior “what lack I yet?” I feel Him telling me the same thing and at times I know I have gone away sorrowful just as this young man because it feels too hard.   

What are we unwilling to give up for Christ?  It does not have to be physical riches.  Anything that takes our heart and our mind away from Him will do.  Is it sports, crafts, a hobby, or work, entertainment, social involvement, food, education, praise, or accumulation of stuff?  Facebook, pinterest, texting, or ice cream, or any personal comfort?  Could it be our to do lists or our desire for control, a clean house, our children, our spouse, our dreams, hopes, and desires to have it the way we want it or to be self reliant or masters of our own selves?  None of these things including riches are inherently evil, but when they keep us from total commitment and focus on Christ, they become a problem. 

This has been hard doctrine for me.  Until we give our “riches” to Him, we are limiting the relationship He wants to have with us.   Can it be said of us that we have kept the commandments from our youth up but reserved from Him our hearts?

If we have not yet given Him our all-our very lives, we are missing blessings…blessings that He says are “even more than if you should obtain treasures of the earth and corruptibleness to the extent thereof” (D&C 19:38) ALL that the earth could provide would not compare to the blessings of the abundant life He provides.  But until we give everything to Him, we are not completely free.

The exceedingly great joy Alma and the people of King Benjamin spoke of is available to each of us through the abundant life of Christ.  I do not believe the Savior will limit how close we can come to Him or how much we can know Him.  It is possible for us to experience a deep, personal and living relationship with Him that transcends this life and brings “peace which passeth all understanding.” If we are willing to give Him our all, He will give us His all and we will experience a free and abundant life. 

Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will. D&C 88

I do not believe these experiences are only for prophets or other people.  I believe Christ wants to give each of us all that He has (D&C 88).  I believe He is telling each of us that there is more-He wants to give us more.

When I was in graduate school there was a sculpture of Christ at the Mesa AZ visitors center that I would go to regularly.  Christ was walking on the water and it looked as if He was inviting me toward Him.  The waves around Him were large and ominous, but in His eyes there was a confidence and even an assurance that He could be trusted with my life.  I knew that He knew that the waves could not hurt me if I would come to Him.  His invitation was to keep my eye fixed on Him and not to look away no matter how high or dangerous the waves.  I think that is still His invitation to all of us-to look unto Him in every thought-to doubt not, fear not.  (D&C 6)

He means what He says.  I believe in Christ.  I believe Christ.  I am grateful that He would give all so that we could have all and find real and eternal life In Him.  I want to give Him my life.  He is my Savior and I rejoice with the rest of you this Easter that He is not here, but is Risen.