“Jesus Christ Is the Treasure”

Last updated on December 31st, 2023 at 12:18 am

General Conference Applied

S2 E12 – Sunday, December 24, 2023 | “Jesus Christ Is the Treasure” by Elder Dale G. Renlund; October 2023 General Conference

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Podcast Episode Social Media Posts

• Important Quote: Facebook | Instagram
• Invitation: Facebook | Instagram

Corresponding Talk Outline: “Jesus Christ Is the Treasure“

Podcast Episode Outline

REMEMBER THIS

If you remember nothing else from this podcast episode, remember this:

• Elder Renlund has invited us to make Jesus Christ our life’s focus.

Introduction

Doctrines, Principles, and Christlike Attributes

As we have discussed in previous episodes of General Conference Applied, it is important to identify the fundamental doctrine, principle, and Christlike attribute of each General Conference address. In “Jesus Christ Is the Treasure,” I identified Atonement of Jesus Christ as the fundamental doctrine, The Sacrament as the fundamental principle, and Virtue as the fundamental Christlike attribute. I have included a detailed breakdown of this doctrine, principle, and Christlike attribute in the talk outline, but I will share additional insights during this podcast episode.

In each episode of General Conference Applied, we are attempting to answer two questions:

1. What is the speaker inviting me to do?
2. How might I consider taking action?

What is the speaker inviting me to do?

Invitations

1: “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.”

• What This Means (in 6 words or less): “Make Jesus Christ our life’s focus.”

Overview

Jesus Christ Is the Treasure

“He is our mark. If we incorrectly imagine that there is a need for something beyond what He offers, we deny or diminish the scope and power He can have in our lives.

• President Russell M. Nelson, October 2023 General Conference, “Think Celestial!” (see General Conference Applied S2 E1):
  
  “As you think celestial, you will find yourself avoiding anything that robs you of your agency. Any addiction—be it gaming, gambling, debt, drugs, alcohol, anger, pornography, sex, or even food—offends God. Why? Because your obsession becomes your god. You look to it rather than to Him for solace. If you struggle with an addiction, seek the spiritual and professional help you need. Please do not let an obsession rob you of your freedom to follow God’s fabulous plan.”

The Sacrament

“Our spiritual foundation is strengthened through repentance and by conscientiously preparing for and worthily partaking of the sacrament.”

• See this April 2022 Liahona article: “Prepare for the Sacrament All Week Long“
• April 2016 General Conference, Elder Renlund, “‘That I Might Draw All Men unto Me’“:
  • “To draw closer to the Savior, we must increase our faith in Him, make and keep covenants, and have the Holy Ghost with us. We must also act in faith, responding to the spiritual direction we receive. All of these elements come together in the sacrament. Indeed, the best way I know of to draw closer to God is to prepare conscientiously and partake worthily of the sacrament each week.
    
    “A friend of ours in South Africa shared how she came to this realization. When Diane was a new convert, she attended a branch outside of Johannesburg. One Sunday, as she sat in the congregation, the layout of the chapel made it so that the deacon did not see her as the sacrament was passed. Diane was disappointed but said nothing. Another member noted the omission and mentioned it to the branch president after the meeting. As Sunday School began, Diane was invited to an empty classroom.
    
    “A priesthood holder came in. He knelt down, blessed some bread, and handed her a piece. She ate it. He knelt down again and blessed some water and handed her a small cup. She drank it. Thereafter, Diane had two thoughts in rapid succession: First, ‘Oh, he [the priesthood holder] did this just for me.’ And then, ‘Oh, He [the Savior] did this just for me.’ Diane felt Heavenly Father’s love.
    
    “Her realization that the Savior’s sacrifice was just for her helped her feel close to Him and fueled an overwhelming desire to keep that feeling in her heart, not just on Sunday but every day. She realized that although she sat in a congregation to partake of the sacrament, the covenants she made anew each Sunday were individually hers. The sacrament helped—and continues to help—Diane feel the power of godly love, recognize the Lord’s hand in her life, and draw closer to the Savior.”
• December 2015 Ensign article: “The Last Sacrament Cup“:
  • “Our row was last to receive the water this time, and I noticed that Doug offered the couple next to him the two remaining cups. The tray was empty, and it appeared to me that Doug was the only one in the congregation who hadn’t had the water. I wondered what he would do. Would he let it go? not worry about it this week?
    
    “Assuming that everyone had now received the water, those who were passing the sacrament partook of the water themselves, using all the remaining cups. But the bishop asked one more time if anyone had not received the water, and Doug raised his hand. He was, as I suspected, the only one. He looked at me and we smiled, conscious of the craned necks and curious eyes.
    
    “The brethren returned to the table for a third prayer on the water. And suddenly, as I heard that phrase ‘to bless and sanctify this water to the souls of all those who drink of it’ (D&C 20:79), a realization crept into my heart—an understanding so keen it pried me clear open and God’s Spirit swept in. It was a reverence I hadn’t felt in too long.
    
    “They were praying over one cup. For one person. One soul.
    
    “The sacrament mattered. Even for one. Just as the Atonement mattered. For one.
    
    “For everyone.
    
    “Hundreds of members waited for the ‘amen.’ Dozens watched as the last cup was delivered to my husband, and he put it to his lips, and drank.
    
    “I had to look away, my eyes were so wet.
    
    “I looked up in time to see these sweet men in suits cover the trays with white linen. Just as Christ’s body, broken for us, was covered. Just as His Atonement covers us. All of us.
    
    “You and I are indisputably tied to Christ’s suffering. All our sins, grief, hurts, and losses are held in the drops of His blood. He said He has ‘graven [us] upon the palms of [His] hands’ (Isaiah 49:16).
    
    “The emotion of watching Doug take the last sacrament cup changed me, changed my understanding of the Atonement.
    
    “Our Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel, broke not just bread, but body and soul. For me. For you. As if we were the only ones who mattered.”

Connection

“Solemn and Sure Witness”

“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.”

• When I first heard Elder Renlund say this during General Conference weekend, I thought to myself: Has Elder Renlund ever said this before? Or has he experienced something that now allows him to make this statement?
• I checked, and Elder Renlund has never concluded a General Conference address in this manner.

How might I consider taking action?

Invitations

1: “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.”

• What This Means (in 6 words or less): “Make Jesus Christ our life’s focus.”
• In his October 2023 General Conference address entitled “Kingdoms of Glory” (see General Conference Applied S2 E2), President Dallin H. Oaks stated:
  
  “The Apostle Paul taught that the Lord’s teachings and commandments were given that we may all attain ‘the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.’ (Ephesians 4:13) That process requires far more than acquiring knowledge. It is not even enough to be convinced of the gospel; we must act so that we are converted by it. In contrast to other preaching, which teaches us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.
  
  “From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is based on the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. We qualify for eternal life through a process of conversion. As used here, this word of many meanings signifies a profound change of nature. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. 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 a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”

Directives (“an official or authoritative instruction”)

1. “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.”
   • In his April 2023 General Conference address entitled “Remember What Matters Most” (see General Conference Applied S1 E5), President M. Russell Ballard stated:
     
     “When Barbara passed away, our children put on her headstone several lessons that Barbara wanted them to remember. One of those lessons is ‘what matters most is what lasts longest.’
     
     “Today I will share from my heart a few feelings and thoughts on what matters most.
     
     “First, a relationship with our Heavenly Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is most important. This relationship matters most now and in eternity.”
2. “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.” (Focus on each of these five items in the section below)

Other Ideas

• “Treasure the opportunity to repent.”
  • Study the many resources available that teach about repentance, including the Bible Dictionary and President Russell M. Nelson’s April 2019 General Conference address entitled “We Can Do Better and Be Better“.
  • Elder Renlund shared: “The Savior has given us many ways to focus on Him intentionally, including the daily opportunity to repent. Sometimes we undervalue how great this offered blessing is. 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 and 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.”
  • Mistakenly believing that the waters of baptism wash away sin reminds me (inspiration came to me as I was kneeling in prayer the morning of 12/23/2023) of what President Russell M. Nelson stated in his April 2017 General Conference address which was entitled “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ Into Our Lives“:
    
    “It is doctrinally incomplete to speak of the Lord’s atoning sacrifice by shortcut phrases, such as ‘the Atonement’ or ‘the enabling power of the Atonement’ or ‘applying the Atonement’ or ‘being strengthened by the Atonement.’ These expressions present a real risk of misdirecting faith by treating the event as if it had living existence and capabilities independent of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
    
    “Under the Father’s great eternal plan, it is the Savior who suffered. It is the Savior who broke the bands of death. It is the Savior who paid the price for our sins and transgressions and blots them out on condition of our repentance. It is the Savior who delivers us from physical and spiritual death.
    
    “There is no amorphous entity called ‘the Atonement’ upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source. Sacred terms such as Atonement and Resurrection describe what the Savior did, according to the Father’s plan, so that we may live with hope in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come. The Savior’s atoning sacrifice—the central act of all human history—is best understood and appreciated when we expressly and clearly connect it to Him.”
• “Treasure the privilege of partaking of the sacrament.”
  • During your daily study of the scriptures, focus on the principle of The Sacrament. In particular, focus on how this weekly ordinance is helping you strengthen your relationship with your Heavenly Father and with your Savior Jesus Christ, and how it is helping you to become like Them.
  • Read the Sacrament Prayers in the first person (my Stake President read one of these prayers in the first person in a December 10, 2023, Stake Conference).
    • “O God, the Eternal Father, [I] ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to [my soul], that [I] may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that [I am] willing to take upon [me] the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given [me]; that [I] may always have his Spirit to be with [me]. Amen.”
  • Elder Renlund stated: “Our spiritual foundation is weakened when we voluntarily skip sacrament meeting or when we do not focus on the Savior during the sacrament.”
  • See Elder Renlund’s December 3, 2019, BYU Speech which was entitled Experience God’s Love:
    
    “In my experience, receptor dysfunction for God’s love happens slowly and imperceptibly over time—not all at once. I will relate an embarrassing experience that I did not tell my wife for years. I learned for myself that I was vulnerable. Because I suspect you might be at risk too, I will share my cautionary tale. It highlights this warning by the Savior:
    
    “‘But there is a possibility that man may fall from grace and depart from the living God;
    
    “‘Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation;
    
    “‘Yea, and even let those who are sanctified take heed also. (D&C 20:32-34)
    
    “After I finished medical school, my wife, daughter, and I moved to Baltimore, Maryland, for further training at Johns Hopkins Hospital. At that time the training years were brutal, time intensive, and exhausting.
    
    “Toward the end of my first year, I was weary. Because interns worked every day and every second or third night, I worked every Sunday and was able to attend church only about half the time. Our ward met in a suburb of Baltimore at 2:30 in the afternoon. We lived across the street from the hospital and had only one car. Some Sundays I could finish my work and join my wife and daughter as they left for the meetings at 2:00 p.m. Other Sundays I could not.
    
    “One Sunday I could tell that if I really hurried with my work, I would be able to go with my wife and daughter to church. But then I had this thought: If I slowed down a little bit and waited, I would not get home until after my wife and daughter had departed. Then I could skip church and take a nap. It mortifies me to say that I did exactly that.
    
    “I walked home at 2:15 and laid down on the couch. But I could not sleep. I was profoundly disturbed. I had always loved going to church. I had always felt a burning testimony of Christ’s living reality. But on that day the intensity was not there.
    
    “It was not so hard to figure out why. I had stopped consistently doing some personal, private acts of devotion. My routine was that I would get up in the morning, say a prayer, and go to work. Sometimes there would be no distinction between the end of the day and the beginning of the next. I would work through the night and the next day, come home late that second day, and fall asleep without a prayer and without reading anything in the scriptures. The following day the cycle started again. I had allowed my receptors for God’s love to become dull, so that the things of the Spirit were less urgent and less important.
    
    “With this realization, I got off the couch, knelt on the floor, and pleaded with God for forgiveness. I begged for help. As I did, a plan formulated in my mind and heart to change the pattern of behavior.
    
    “I began with simple reminders to myself. On my daily to-do list, I started including morning and evening prayers. I brought a paperback Book of Mormon to my cubicle in the hospital and included scripture reading on that to-do list. Some nights the scripture reading was short, just a few verses before midnight. Sometimes my prayers were offered in unusual locations. But I read the scriptures daily. I prayed daily. My plan included a commitment that I would never miss an opportunity to partake of the sacrament. Never.
    
    “As I enacted my new course of action, the intensity returned, and my testimony burned brightly again. I shudder to think what would have happened if I had not gotten off that couch that Sunday afternoon. My life would have been very different. Instead, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ became central to my life again. My receptors for God’s love and my affinity for the Spirit improved.”
• “Treasure the blessing of making and keeping temple covenants.”
  • Ponder this statement from President Emily Belle Freeman‘s October 2023 General Conference address entitled “Walking in Covenant Relationship with Christ“:
    • “When I returned home from Israel, I listened more closely to the conversations around me regarding covenants. I noticed people asking, Why should I walk a covenant path? Do I need to enter a house for making covenants? Why do I wear the holy garment? Should I invest in a covenant relationship with the Lord? The answer to these good and important questions is simple: it depends on what degree of relationship you want to experience with Jesus Christ. Each of us will have to discover our own response to those deeply personal questions.”
  • In your journal, write down your responses to the four questions from President Freeman’s statement.
• “Treasure the delight of worshipping in the temple.”
  • Always have a future temple appointment scheduled (counsel from my former Stake President).
  • Elder Renlund stated: “You may have noticed that many new temples have been announced in recent years, bringing temples ever closer to members. Paradoxically, as temples become more accessible, it may be easier for us to become more casual about temple attendance. When temples are distant, we plan our time and resources to travel to the temple to worship there. We prioritize these journeys.
    
    “With a temple close at hand, it can be easy to let little things get in the way of attending, saying to ourselves, ‘Well, I’ll just go another time.’ Living close to a temple does bring greater flexibility in scheduling time in the temple, but that very flexibility can make it easier to take the temple for granted. When we do, we ‘miss the mark,’ undervaluing the opportunity to draw closer to the Savior in His holy house. Our commitment to attend should be at least as strong when the temple is nearby as when it is distant.”
  • There are other things which we tend to undervalue because of their proximity or convenience. For example, each of us has easy access to the words of ancient and living prophets, yet we don’t prioritize scripture study. Each of us has free access to thousands or even millions of books and audiobooks at our local library, and yet as author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said:
    
    “Everything you need for your better future and success has already been written. And guess what? It’s all available. All you have to do is go to the library. But guess what? Only three percent of the people in America have a library card. Wow, they must be expensive! No, they’re free. Probably in every neighborhood. Three percent!”
• “Treasure the joy of having a living prophet.”
  • Commit to seeking out and listening to what the living prophet has to say, and then taking action on his invitations (no matter how insignificant they seem).
  • Elder Renlund shared: “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.”

Report on Prior Week’s Action Item

Last week I committed to the following: “At least once per day each day this week, I will look in the mirror and state aloud the following: ‘Wow, look at me! I am awesome! I am a child of God! He knows me! He loves me! I am gifted—gifted with the Holy Ghost as my constant companion!'”

I kept this commitment. It was a small commitment, but it helped me to focus on my relationship with my Heavenly Father and to cut myself some slack. Sometimes I do a better job of remembering that others are children of God, and choose to forget that I’m a child of God. I know that He knows me and loves me perfectly. And I know that He knows you and loves you perfectly as well!

This Week’s Action Item

“That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially.”

Karl Pearson, an early 20th-century British mathematician

“Those who measure their progress improve. Those who measure and report their progress improve exponentially.”

Dan Sullivan, founder and president of The Strategic Coach Inc.

“Do something, do anything! But to start, just do ONE thing.”

Mitch Peterson

This week, during my daily study of The Book of Mormon, I will focus on the principle of The Sacrament. In particular, I will focus on how this weekly ordinance is helping me strengthen my relationship with my Heavenly Father and with my Savior Jesus Christ, and how it is helping me to become like Them.

Let Me Know

How will you take action on this General Conference address? Let me know on social media or email me.

REMEMBER THIS

If you remember nothing else from this podcast episode, remember this:

• Elder Renlund has invited us to make Jesus Christ our life’s focus.

Tags

Atonement | Jesus Christ | Repentance | Sacrament | Temples