Ezra Taft Benson Lesson 5

Snippets for Relief Society 2015 :) Use search term Ezra Taft Benson to view more for this week or for other weeks.


The topic repentance may not inspire immediate enthusiasm, but what a rich lesson anyway.  Bless your heart for teaching this lesson.  This is your hymn today:

Help Me Teach With Inspiration #281


We all need this lesson repeatedly ~ but you never know whose soul it is who needs the extra encouragement and invitation to apply repentance at this moment in their life.

President Benson received some interesting counsel from George Albert Smith (whom I love) when he was called as an apostle:

“Your mission from now on is to find ways and means to disseminate the truth and warn the people that you come in contact with in as kind a way as possible that repentance will be the only panacea for the ills of this world.”

Panacea (pan-uh-see-ah): a remedy for all ills or difficulties : cure-all

And our mission as teachers today is the same.  To bring this topic front and center, in as kind of a way as is possible.  What luck the lesson manual does a really good job of just that for us.

REPENTANCE IS A HEART THING

This is a major focus of the lesson today.  President Benson sums up the idea like this:

"The...important principle for us to understand if we would be true members of the Church is that repentance involves not just a change of actions, but a change of heart."

So let's explore this a bit...

The following Ezra quote is one of the best descriptions ever of repentance and how it works.  This truly sums up the essence and purpose of repentance:

“The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature. …

“Yes, Christ changes men, and changed men can change the world.”

So true repentance is something which takes place on the inside first.

In this lesson, President Benson repeatedly makes a note of one of the most important aspects of real repentance - the mighty change of heart spoken of in Alma 5:12-14.

"...And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved.

These teachings set the background for the next big thought which President Ezra Taft Benson shares about just whom the Lord considers a member of His Church:

"But the Lord defines a member of His kingdom in quite a different way. In 1828, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, He said, “Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.” (D&C 10:67) To Him whose Church this is, membership involves far more than simply being a member of record."

The verse Ezra Taft Benson just cited reminds me of a very similar one in Moroni:

Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven.  (Moroni 7:3)

Again, the Lord makes a distinction of just whom He addresses as members of His Church.  This time it is the peaceable ones.  (Not the agitated, high-maintenance ones).

Apparently the condition of our heart has a lot to do with being validated as a true follower in Christ's church.  President Benson is trying to show us that one important aspect of being a true follower is experiencing the mighty change of heart which comes with repentance.

Important point here...we need to be experiencing repentance and changes of heart in order to be real Saints.  It's part of the plan.

Possible Class question:  What does a change of heart look like and feel like?

Here is President Benson's description:

"When we have undergone this mighty change, which is brought about only through faith in Jesus Christ and through the operation of the Spirit upon us, it is as though we have become a new person. Thus, the change is likened to a new birth. Thousands of you have experienced this change. You have forsaken lives of sin, sometimes deep and offensive sin, and through applying the blood of Christ in your lives, have become clean. You have no more disposition to return to your old ways. You are in reality a new person. This is what is meant by a change of heart."

Another way to look at repentance which ties all this together, comes from Colleen Harrison's book "He Did Deliver Me From Bondage."

“The mighty change of heart does not bring us to a state of perfection, but rather convinces us of our own powerlessness to be perfect, and turns us to know and trust Him who is perfect enough for us all. The word repentance means literally to ‘turn again.’ As that process of turning again to God and to the principles of truth and righteousness becomes more and more consistent and continuous, our lapses from it grow shorter and shorter. They go from being years, months, weeks, or even days in length to only hours, eventually minutes, and ultimately nothing more than the turn of a thought, which is discarded instantly.”

This may be one of my favorite short definitions of repentance..."to turn again to God." In other words, to turn and face Him and be conscious of Him and bring Him back into our life and purposely seek to align ourselves with Him.

I can picture this process and it makes sense to me.

Possible Class Questions: How would you describe repentance?  What does it feel like before and after repentance?  What happens to our heart when we repent?  (You'll get all kinds of answers, validate them, but re-emphasize the ones closest to the purpose of the lesson.)

REPENTANCE IS A MEANS TO AN END

Love this particular angle President Benson expresses:

"I would therefore like to set forth important concepts that we must understand and apply if we are to truly repent and come unto the Lord."

"One of Satan’s most frequently used deceptions is the notion that the commandments of God are meant to restrict freedom and limit happiness. Young people especially sometimes feel that the standards of the Lord are like fences and chains, blocking them from those activities that seem most enjoyable in life. But exactly the opposite is true. The gospel plan is the plan by which men are brought to a fulness of joy. This is the first concept I wish to stress. The gospel principles are the steps and guidelines that will help us find true happiness and joy."

This is one of the greatest understanding the last few decades of life have taught me.  It 's one I share with my children again and again.  "I know the gospel and the commandments feels like a bunch of restrictions right now, but someday, your vision will open up and you'll totally get they were a life preserver all along and saved you from so much grief and many wasted dead ends."

When we turn the corner and understand the gospel are wings to fly with ~ a lot of its power and majesty will make its way into our life too.

President Benson cites the best verse and wraps this thought up beautifully:

"The understanding of this concept caused the Psalmist to exclaim, “O how love I thy law! … Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies. … Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. … Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.” (Ps. 119:97–98, 105, 111.)

"If we wish to truly repent and come unto Him so that we can be called members of His Church, we must first and foremost come to realize this eternal truth—the gospel plan is the plan of happiness. Wickedness never did, never does, never will bring us happiness [see Alma 41:10]. Violation of the laws of God brings only misery, bondage, and darkness."

We repent in order to align ourselves more with the gospel and the commandments.  They were the more powerful, happier path all along.  Sometimes it takes life to knock us or loved ones around before we start to fully realize these truths.

WHAT REPENTANCE IS NOT

I thought Ezra Taft Benson did a lovely job laying out the definition of godly sorrow, or the right kind of sorrow which leads to the more lasting kind of repentance:

"The fourth concept I would like to stress is what the scriptures term “godly sorrow” for our sins. It is not uncommon to find men and women in the world who feel remorse for the things they do wrong. Sometimes this is because their actions cause them or loved ones great sorrow and misery. Sometimes their sorrow is caused because they are caught and punished for their actions. Such worldly feelings do not constitute “godly sorrow.”

Well, that's a pretty strong statement. We certainly will have these kinds of emotions and sorrow, but true godly sorrow doesn't end there.  Next, Ezra gives us all something to ponder about godly sorrow. It's quite thought-provoking:

"Godly sorrow is a gift of the Spirit. It is a deep realization that our actions have offended our Father and our God. It is the sharp and keen awareness that our behavior caused the Savior, He who knew no sin, even the greatest of all, to endure agony and suffering. Our sins caused Him to bleed at every pore. This very real mental and spiritual anguish is what the scriptures refer to as having “a broken heart and a contrite spirit." Such a spirit is the absolute prerequisite for true repentance."

Possible Class Discussion: What happens to our heart and our resolve when we experience the kind of godly sorrow President Benson just described? How does this compare to being sorry or embarrassed we got caught?  Which kind of "sorry" will have the most lasting impact?

REPENTANCE IS A PERSONABLE AND INTIMATE EXPERIENCE

Although repentance has its moments of remorse and sorrow, it is an empowering process.  One of  resolve, fortitude and of renewing our acquaintance with God.

I love this thought from President Benson:

"The next principle I would like to discuss is this: No one is more anxious to see us change our lives than the Father and the Savior. In the book of Revelation is a powerful and profound invitation from the Savior. He says, “I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.” (Rev. 3:20.) Note that He does not say, “I stand at the door and wait for you to knock.” He is calling, beckoning, asking that we simply open our hearts and let Him in."

Ezra then quotes Ether 12:27 and opens the verse up in a wonderful, personal way:

"In Moroni’s great sermon on faith, the principle is even more clearly taught. He was told by the Lord, “If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men.” It matters not what is our lack or our weakness or our insufficiency. His gifts and powers are sufficient to overcome them all."

"Moroni continues with the words of the Lord: “My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”

"What a promise from the Lord! The very source of our troubles can be changed, molded, and formed into a strength and a source of power."

We have a partner in our repentance process, one who will come to our side and to our aid once we have the determination to repent.  He comes to us with such an abundance of love and joy in His heart over our repentance, it's powerful enough to spill right into ours.

Going through the repentance process is cleansing, liberating and brings us the gifts of resolve and fortitude.  The whole process reminds me of the Phoenix rising from the ashes.

President Benson sums this process up:

"Brothers and sisters, we must take our sins to the Lord in humble and sorrowful repentance. We must plead with Him for power to overcome them. The promises are sure. He will come to our aid. We will find the power to change our lives."

REPENTANCE IS HOPE

The road to perfection is long and slow and we'll be at it our entire lives.  Repentance is the way we travel along that road successfully.  There is no stigma in having to re-set ourselves occasionally.  President Benson sweetly reminds us we're a work in progress:

"The sixth and final point I wish to make about the process of repentance is that we must be careful, as we seek to become more and more godlike, that we do not become discouraged and lose hope. Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible."

So don't give up...ever!

"We must not lose hope. Hope is an anchor to the souls of men. Satan would have us cast away that anchor. In this way he can bring discouragement and surrender. But we must not lose hope. The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him. Though we may see that we have far to go on the road to perfection, we must not give up hope."

Sometimes we could just kick ourselves all the way around the block.  Have you ever looked back with your 20/20 hindsight and said the words "should have" or "if only"?  We WILL do things we deeply regret, and make choices we wish we could reverse.  It's part of being mortal.  So I love this closing thought as President Benson counsels us not to be our own whipping post:

"I hope we will not live in the past. People who live in the past don’t have very much future. There is a great tendency for us to lament about our losses, about decisions that we have made that we think in retrospect were probably wrong decisions. There is a great tendency for us to feel badly about the circumstances with which we are surrounded, thinking they might have been better had we made different decisions. We can profit by the experience of the past. But let us not spend our time worrying about decisions that have been made, mistakes that have been made. Let us live in the present and in the future."

Wise, sage advice from a dear old soul!

Our intimate and personalble Savior can make a triumph out of any starting point we finally decide to give to Him. He is above any circumstance we can create. Repentance is another way of saying "I've made a mess, I need help, I'm laying it at your feet and I'm determined to do it Your way now."

Heart-changing repentance is a crucial moment we all need in our lives.  Very, very few of us will not need it on some issue or another right now...today.  Repentance is the process by which we work our way back to the Father.  It's how we grow and increase in stature.

Repentance carves out beautiful souls.

Good luck with this valuable lesson.  And thank you for sharing time and thought space too.

Possible Hymns:

Lead Kindly Light  #97

How Gentle God Commands  #125

With Humble Heart  #171 (This is a Sacrament hymn, but the words are so perfect.)

Handout Ideas:

"God doesn't care" quote

Light-hearted and cute

President Benson Quotes to share:

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Excellant Video: Come Unto Christ