Enduring to the End

Source

Conditional Blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ: Forgiveness, salvation, exaltation, eternal families, hope, overcome weaknesses, godly character/divine attributes, self control, guidance, comfort, joy, peace, strength, healing, etc. To receive the conditional blessings of the atonement, we must live the Gospel of Jesus Christ:              ·         Faith- belief in, trust in, and commitment to obey Christ           ·         Repent- submit will to Christ and change behavior to follow Him; seek forgiveness and a change of heart           ·         Covenants- make/keep promises by priesthood authority to follow the example of Jesus Christ, such as baptism.           ·         Holy Ghost- receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, invite and follow His guidance           ·         Endure to the end- consistently grow our faith, repent, keep our covenants, and receive the Holy Ghost

This lesson will focus on enduring to the end.

1. "And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved...  For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism... and then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life...

"And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done?  Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life" (2 Nephi 31:16-20).

2. "Once we have entered the strait and narrow path by our faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, and the ordinances of baptism and confirmation, we must exert every effort to stay on the path. We do so by continually exercising faith in Jesus Christ, repenting, making commitments, and following the Spirit... We should try every day to remain free from sin so that we can always have the Holy Ghost with us. In the covenant of baptism, we promise our Father in Heaven that we will obey His commandments for the rest of our lives. If we fall short, we must repent in order to retain the blessings of the covenant. We promise to do good works, serve others, and follow the Savior’s example. In the scriptures this lifelong commitment is often called “enduring to the end.”

"By following the gospel path, we can draw closer to God, conquer temptation and sin, and enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost more abundantly. As we patiently, faithfully, and consistently follow this path throughout our lives, we will qualify for eternal life. Faith in Christ; repentance; making, renewing, and keeping covenants; and being cleansed by the Spirit become a pattern of living. Our actions in daily life are shaped and governed by these principles. Peace and joy come by following this way, and we gradually grow in Christlike attributes. Eventually, as we follow this way and “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ … and endure to the end,” we are promised, “Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20)" (Preach My Gospel).

Q What does it mean to endure to the end? What blessings come to us as we endure to the end?

Q How can we grow our faith every day? Repent? Keep our Covenants? Receive the Holy Ghost?

Consistency

3. "[Jesus] gave us His gospel, a pearl beyond price, the grand key of knowledge that, once understood and applied, unlocks a life of happiness, peace, and fulfillment.... It is not enough merely to speak of Jesus Christ or proclaim that we are His disciples. It is not enough to surround ourselves with symbols of our religion. Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessings of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes. And yet for some, “spectator discipleship” is a preferred if not a primary way of worshipping. Ours is not a secondhand religion. We cannot receive the blessings of the gospel merely by observing the good that others do. We need to get off the sidelines and practice what we preach" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2009 General Conference).

4. "In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.... the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become.... The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account.... The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan by which we can become what children of God are supposed to become. [A] spotless and perfected state will result from a steady succession of covenants, ordinances, and actions, an accumulation of right choices, and from continuing repentance" (Dallin H. Oaks, October 2000 General Conference).

Q Why is it important to consistently try to live the Gospel? What blessings are lost if we are sporadic in our efforts?  

Q How can we become more consistent in our efforts to live the Gospel?

Q What are some things God has given to help us consistently live the Gospel?

Potential Pitfalls

Q What are some things that might keep us from enduring to the end? How can we overcome these things?

5. "When things of the world crowd in, all too often the wrong things take highest priority.... Satan has a powerful tool to use against good people. It is distraction. He would have good people fill life with “good things” so there is no room for the essential ones" (Richard G. Scott, April 2001 General Conference).

6. "Except for the Lord, we have all made mistakes. The question is not whether we will trip and fall but, rather, how will we respond? Some, after making mistakes, stray from the fold. This is unfortunate. Do you not know that the Church is a place for imperfect people to gather together—even with all their mortal frailties—and become better? Every Sunday in every meetinghouse throughout the world, we find mortal, imperfect men, women, and children who meet together in brotherhood and charity, striving to become better people, to learn of the Spirit, and to lend encouragement and support to others. I am not aware of any sign on the door of our meetinghouses that reads “Restricted Entrance—Perfect People Only." .... To you who have strayed because you have been offended, can you not set your hurt and anger aside? Can you not fill your hearts with love? There is a place for you here." (Joseph B. Wirthlin, April 2008 General Conference).

7. "[Some] may look, act, think, and speak differently than those around them and that sometimes causes them to assume they don’t fit in. They conclude that they are not needed. Tied to this misconception is the erroneous belief that all members of the Church should look, talk, and be alike. The Lord did not people the earth with a vibrant orchestra of personalities only to value the piccolos of the world. Every instrument is precious and adds to the complex beauty of the symphony. All of Heavenly Father’s children are different in some degree, yet each has his own beautiful sound that adds depth and richness to the whole" (Joseph B. Wirthlin, April 2008 General Conference).

8. "Sorrowfully, on occasion, some are willing to set aside... gospel truths... because they get diverted on some historical issue or some scientific hypothesis not central to their exaltation.... They exchange the absolute certainty of the Restoration for a doubt, and in that process they fall into the trap of losing faith in the many things they do know because of a few things they do not know. There will always be some seemingly intellectual crisis looming on the horizon as long as faith is required and our minds are finite, but likewise there will always be the sure and solid doctrines of the Restoration to cling to, which will provide the rock foundation upon which our testimonies may be built" (Tadd R. Callister, October 2009 General Conference).

9. "Discipleship does not guarantee freedom from the storms of life.... There are days, perhaps even months and years, when life is just hard. We experience our fair share of adversity, heartache, loneliness, pain, grief—sometimes, it seems, more than our fair share.... At these moments of crisis and challenge, some choose to abandon faith just at the time when it most needs to be embraced.... God is forsaken in the all-too-human yet mistaken fear that He has forsaken us.... As the mists of darkness gather around us, we are only lost if we choose to let go of the iron rod, which is the word of God.

"The Savior’s parable of the wise man who built his house upon a rock has power precisely because it illustrates that life’s challenges befell the wise man too. The rains fell, the winds blew, the floods rose up. Yet he survived it all because he had built upon a sure foundation and, crucially, he stayed there when the storm came" (David S. Baxter, October 2006 General Conference).

Conclusion

10. "Every good thing depends on getting and keeping the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives. Everything depends on that.... What then shall we do? We will “take upon [us] the name of [the] Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given [us]; that [we] may always have his Spirit to be with [us].” Everything depends on that.

"One of the most popular and attractive philosophies of men is to live life your own way, do your own thing, be yourself, don’t let others tell you what to do. But the Lord said, “I am the way.” He said, “Follow me.” He said, “What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.”....

"We might think we can’t really follow Him because the standard of His life is so astonishingly high as to seem unreachable.... Don’t ever believe that. While the standard of the Lord is the highest, don’t ever think it is only reachable by a select few who are most able.... No institution, plan, program, or system ever conceived by men has access to the redeeming and transforming power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, while the Lord’s invitation to follow Him is the highest of all, it is also achievable by everyone, not because we are able, but because He is, and because He can make us able too. “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind [everyone, living and dead] may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” ....

"We have only two choices. We can either follow the Lord and be endowed with His power and have peace, light, strength, knowledge, confidence, love, and joy, or we can go some other way... and go it alone—without His support, without His power, without guidance.... Life is hard, but life is simple. Get on the path and never, ever give up. You never give up. You just keep on going. You don’t quit, and you will make it. There is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. Jesus Christ is the Way" (Lawrence E. Corbridge, General Conference October 2008).