Thy Sins Are Forgiven Thee And Thou...

thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed." Whereupon Enos wrote: ¶

". . . I . . . knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. ¶

"And I said: Lord, how is it done? ¶

"And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, . . . wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole." ¶

(Enos 6-8.) Thereafter Enos besought the Lord to preserve a record, ". . . that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, . . . ¶

". . . and he covenanted with me [wrote Enos] that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time. ¶

"And I, Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest." ¶

(Enos 13, 16-17.) Contributing to the peace and rest that filled the soul of Enos was the accompanying assurance of eternal life in the world to come that accompanied it. This he thus expressed: ¶

"... I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen." (Enos 27.) At times numerous persons have sought and obtained this feeling of peace at the same time. Recorded in the first chapters of Mosiah is a powerful message received by King Benjamin from an angel of the Lord and delivered by him to his subjects. The message concerned the atonement of Christ, by means of which men, through faith and repentance, may obtain forgiveness of sins, which forgiveness heals the spirit and thus brings peace to the soul. Having delivered the message, Benjamin "cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them. ¶

". . . 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; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, . . . ¶

"And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ. . . ." (Mosiah 4:1-3.) Another dramatic example of a community experiencing peace in a world of tribulation concerns the people of Alma, who had covenanted with the Lord in the waters of Mormon and who were later brought into bondage by Amulon, who "put tasks upon them, and put taskmasters over them. ¶

"And ... so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God. ¶

"And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosover should be found calling upon God should be put to death. ¶

"And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; . . . ¶

"And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; . . . ¶

"And I will . . . ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, . . . while you are in bondage; . . . ¶

"And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, . . . ¶

"And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage." (Mosiah 24:9-16.) These illustrations are but samples of the many to be found in the scriptures. But each of them, as do the others, evidences the truth of our text that peace in this world always comes after the receiver has done the works of righteousness. Enos, the subjects of King Benjamin, and the people of Alma had all demonstrated, by good works, their faith in Christ before the reward came. This is the way peace comes in this world. It can be obtained in no other way. The promised peace of our text emanates from Christ. ¶

He is the source of it. His spirit is the essence of it. ¶

I bear you my witness that I know that you and I may enjoy the promised "peace in this world" and the assurance of "eternal life in the world to come" on the prescribed terms. Only those who experience such peace and assurance can appreciate how they come and the joy they bring. The thought of them, however, is associated in my mind with two scriptures. First, from the account Nephi gives of his experience on the mount with the Spirit of the Lord, who said to him: ¶

". . . Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw? ¶

"And I answered him, . . . Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. ¶

"And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul." ¶

(1 Ne. 11:21-23.) Now, such joy and peace does not come from knowing about Deity; it comes from the knowledge implied by Jesus when, thanking his Father for the power to give eternal life to his followers, he said: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3.) God bless you, my beloved brothers and sisters, that you may get your sights on coming to know God, the Eternal Father, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent: not just to talk about them, but a personal acquaintance with them. When you get such a knowledge, you will have "peace in this world." In the name of Jesus Christ. ¶

Amen. ¶