"Jesus Christ Is the Treasure" Talk Outline

Last updated on December 23rd, 2023 at 09:34 pm

General Conference Applied

“Jesus Christ Is the Treasure” by Elder Dale G. Renlund; October 2023 General Conference

Corresponding General Conference Applied episode show notes: S2 E12

Talk Outline

Invitations

“I encourage you to remember and always focus on Jesus Christ. He is our Savior and Redeemer, the ‘mark’ to whom we should look, and our greatest treasure.”

Directives (“an official or authoritative instruction”)

“Like those people in Jerusalem, and like Carter and Carnarvon, we too can be prone to look beyond the mark. We need to guard against this tendency lest we miss Jesus Christ in our lives and fail to recognize the many blessings He offers us.”
“Treasure the opportunity to repent, the privilege of partaking of the sacrament, the blessing of making and keeping temple covenants, the delight of worshipping in the temple, and the joy of having a living prophet.”

Promises

Promise: “We are promised that the Holy Ghost will be our constant companion”
Action: “if we approach the sacrament the way a new convert approaches baptism and confirmation, with a broken heart and contrite spirit and a determination to live up to that baptismal covenant. The Holy Ghost blesses us with His sanctifying power”
Promise: “so that we can always retain a remission of our sins, week in and week out.”
Action: “When we have the Holy Ghost with us,”
Promise: “we will be inspired and guided to make and keep other covenants, such as those we make in temples. Doing so deepens our relationship with God.”
Action: “When we trust God’s prophet on the earth today and act on his counsel,”
Promise: “we will find happiness, and we too can be healed.”
Action: “As you come to Him,”
Promise: “you will be rewarded with strength to face life’s challenges, courage to do what is right, and the ability to fulfill your mission in mortality.”

Doctrines

Atonement of Jesus Christ: “Jesus Christ was the only one capable of making a perfect Atonement. His Atonement included His suffering for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, His death on the cross, and His Resurrection from the tomb. In addition to suffering for our sins, He also took upon Himself our pains, sicknesses, and infirmities (see Alma 7:11–13). Jesus Christ overcame physical and spiritual death. Because of His Atonement, everyone will be resurrected (see 1 Corinthians 15:20–22). Those who repent, obey the commandments, receive the saving ordinances, and keep their covenants will receive the gift of eternal life (see Articles of Faith 1:3).”

Principles

The Sacrament: “Each time we partake of the sacrament, we renew covenants with the Lord. A covenant is a sacred promise between the Lord and His children. The covenants we make are clearly stated in the sacramental prayers. It is important to know what those covenants are and what they mean.

“We covenant that we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. By this we show we are willing to be identified with Him and His Church. We commit to serve Him and our fellowman. We promise that we will not bring shame or reproach upon that name.

“We covenant to always remember Jesus Christ. All our thoughts, feelings, and actions will be influenced by Him and His mission.

“We promise to keep His commandments.

“We take these obligations upon ourselves when we are baptized (see D&C 20:37; Mosiah 18:6–10). Thus, when we partake of the sacrament, we renew the covenants we made when we were baptized. Jesus gave us the pattern for partaking of the sacrament (see 3 Nephi 18:1–12) and said that when we follow this pattern, repenting of our sins and believing on His name, we will gain a remission of our sins (see Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 26:24).

“The Lord promises that if we keep our covenants, we will always have His Spirit to be with us. A person guided by the Spirit will have the knowledge, faith, power, and righteousness to gain eternal life.”

Christlike Attributes

Virtue: “‘We believe in being … virtuous,’ the Articles of Faith state (1:13). Virtue is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards. It is fidelity to God and others. An essential part of virtue is striving to be clean and pure spiritually and physically.

“Virtue originates in your thoughts and desires. “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly,” the Lord said (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45). Focus on righteous, uplifting thoughts. Put unworthy thoughts out of your mind rather than dwell on them.”

Attribute Activity:

“I am clean and pure in heart. (Psalm 24:3–4)”
“I desire to do good. (Mosiah 5:2)”
“I focus on righteous, uplifting thoughts and put unwholesome thoughts out of my mind. (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45)”
“I repent of my sins and strive to overcome my weaknesses. (Doctrine and Covenants 49:26–28; Ether 12:27)”
“I feel the influence of the Holy Ghost in my life. (Doctrine and Covenants 11:12–13)”

Most Important Quote

“Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to remember and always focus on Jesus Christ. He is our Savior and Redeemer, the ‘mark’ to whom we should look, and our greatest treasure. As you come to Him, you will be rewarded with strength to face life’s challenges, courage to do what is right, and the ability to fulfill your mission in mortality. Treasure the opportunity to repent, the privilege of partaking of the sacrament, the blessing of making and keeping temple covenants, the delight of worshipping in the temple, and the joy of having a living prophet.

“I bear my solemn and sure witness that God, the Eternal Father, is our Heavenly Father and that He lives; Jesus is the Christ; He is our kind, wise heavenly Friend; and this is His restored Church.”

Powerful Stories

1: “In 1907 a wealthy Englishman named George Herbert, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, moved to Egypt and took up an interest in archaeology. He approached a well-known Egyptologist, Howard Carter, and proposed a partnership. Carter would oversee their archaeological excavations, and Carnarvon would provide the funding.

“Together they successfully explored a variety of locations. Then they received permission to excavate in the Valley of the Kings, located near modern-day Luxor, where the tombs of many pharaohs had been found. They decided to look for the tomb of King Tutankhamun. Tutankhamun had ascended to the throne of Egypt more than 3,000 years earlier and reigned for 10 years before his unexpected death. He was known to have been buried in the Valley of the Kings, but the location of his tomb was unknown.

“Carter and Carnarvon spent five years unsuccessfully searching for Tutankhamun’s tomb. Eventually Carnarvon informed Carter that he was finished with the fruitless quest. Carter pleaded for just one more season of excavation, and Carnarvon relented and agreed to the funding.

“Carter realized that the entire floor of the Valley of the Kings had been methodically excavated—except the area of their own base camp. Within a few days of digging there, they found the first steps leading down to the tomb.

“When Carter eventually peered into the antechamber of Tutankhamun’s tomb, he saw gold everywhere. After three months of cataloging the contents of the antechamber, they opened the sealed burial chamber in February 1923—100 years ago. This was the most famous archaeological find of the 20th century.

“During those years of ineffectual searching, Carter and Carnarvon had overlooked what was literally under their feet. Some five centuries before the Savior’s birth, the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob referred to taking for granted or undervaluing what is nearby as ‘looking beyond the mark.'”

2: “When I was eight years old, I was baptized by my father. Afterward, I held his hand as we were going to cross a busy street. I was not paying attention and stepped from the curb just as a big truck came rumbling by. My father jerked me back, out of the street and onto the curb. Had he not done so, I would have been hit by the truck. Knowing my own mischievous nature, I thought, ‘Maybe it would have been better for me to be killed by the truck because I’ll never be as clean as I am now right after my baptism.’

“As an eight-year-old, I had mistakenly presumed that the water of baptism washed away sins. Not so. In the years since my baptism, I have learned that sins are cleansed by the power of Jesus Christ through His atoning sacrifice as we make and keep the baptismal covenant. (Doctrine & Covenants 76:52) Then, through the gift of repentance, we can remain clean. I have also learned that the sacrament brings a powerful virtuous cycle into our lives, enabling us to retain a remission of our sins.” (David A. Bednar, “Teach to Build Faith in Jesus Christ” (address given at the seminar for new mission leaders, June 23, 2023))

3: “As recorded in the Old Testament, when Naaman sought a cure for his leprosy, he was indignant at being asked to dip himself seven times in a nearby ordinary river. But he was persuaded to follow the prophet Elisha’s counsel rather than rely on his own preconceived notions of how the miracle should occur. As a result, Naaman was healed. (2 Kings 5:9-14) When we trust God’s prophet on the earth today and act on his counsel, we will find happiness, and we too can be healed. We need to look no further.”

The Best Footnote

Footnote 15: “President Russell M. Nelson said: ‘God has a special love for each person who makes a covenant with Him in the waters of baptism. And that divine love deepens as additional covenants are made and faithfully kept’ (“Choices for Eternity” [worldwide devotional for young adults, May 15, 2022], Gospel Library). The multiple covenants on the covenant path are not just sequential but additive and even synergistic. They facilitate a closer and stronger connection with God. Such a connection allows us to be transformed to the point that His image is in our countenances and our hearts have been mightily and permanently changed (see Alma 5:14).”

Questions for Reflection Asked by the Speaker

None.

“Jesus Christ Is the Treasure” Talk Outline