For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12

102:17-21

The church conducts disciplinary councils. There are three purposes for these councils:

1. To save the soul of the transgressor.

2. To protect the innocent.

3. To safeguard the Church’s purity, integrity, and good name.

I understand each of these purposes. I especially understand how a disciplinary councils can save the soul of the transgressor.

First, as it is outlined in section 102, the process is set up to be fair and balanced. There are twelve members of the high council and half of them are assigned to “stand up in behalf of the accused, and prevent insult and injustice.” This is wise. It’s hard to believe that a membership council is a kangaroo court where it’s simply a formality when half of it’s members are arguing on your behalf. If I was in the position of the accused, I would clearly see that it is set up to “prevent insult and injustice.”

“After the evidences are heard, the councilors, accuser and accused have spoken, the president shall give a decision according to the understanding which he shall have of the case, and call upon the twelve councilors to sanction the same by their vote. But should the remaining councilors, who have not spoken, or any one of them, after hearing the evidences and pleadings impartially, discover an error in the decision of the president, they can manifest it, and the case shall have a re-hearing.” Everyone gets a chance to be heard. The stake president makes a decision and asks that all twelve councilors “sanction the same by their vote.” It really does seem that this is set up to be fair and balanced.

However, if anyone has an issue, they may speak up. “But should the remaining councilors, who have not spoken, or any one of them, after hearing the evidences and pleadings impartially, discover an error in the decision of the president, they can manifest it, and the case shall have a re-hearing. And if, after a careful re-hearing, any additional light is shown upon the case, the decision shall be altered accordingly.” After that, any party can appeal that decision and be heard by a higher council. I can’t imagine a better process.

However, there are many who call this process wicked and medieval. They suggest that Jesus, who had charity for all, would never discipline his people. Whoever says this does not read the scriptures. In the standard works, there is language about how God will punish transgressors well over one-hundred times! Overall, in the Gospels alone, Jesus directly warns of judgment/punishment several dozen times — somewhere around 40–50 distinct sayings if you count unique verses. Examples include:

Sermon on the Mount

• “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” (Matthew 7:19)

• “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven … I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21–23)

Warnings of Hell

• Multiple times: “Whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matthew 5:22)

• “If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out … it is profitable … that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:29–30; repeated in Matthew 18:8–9; Mark 9:43–48)

Parables of Judgment

• Wicked servant cast into outer darkness (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).

• Sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31–46) — the wicked go into “everlasting punishment.”

• Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31) — the rich man tormented for neglecting the poor.

• Vine and branches (John 15:6) — unfruitful branches are “cast forth … and burned.”

Direct Warnings to Cities / Leaders

• Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum: “It shall be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.” (Matthew 11:21–24)

• To Pharisees: “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33)

Again, someone who says that Jesus only accepts sinners in sin is very unfamiliar with what Jesus said. Jesus loves us unconditionally but knows that there are consequences to sin. If there were no consequences then the commandments would be meaningless. Our choices wouldn’t matter. This is exactly what Satan wanted. He wanted to destroy the agency of many by removing any consequences. It was Satan who wanted to “unconditionally accept” every sinner whether they repented or not.

God wants us to repent. He wants us to change and improve. A good way to help shape humans’ behavior is to provide “punishments or consequences” in this life and not just save them for the final judgment. These punishments aren’t stoning but they do include:

• Formal probation.

• Disfellowshipment.

• Excommunication.

These are the consequences that the church provides in mortality. I’m grateful that the church isn’t involved in plucking eyes or throwing stones. These consequences may shape a human’s behavior and aid in the repentance process. To confess and receive a consequence that is temporary and lasts only until the transgressor has fully repented is an action of love. It would be the easiest thing to just ignore the sin. Much less paperwork involved. But the transgressor must feel some loss of blessings to help them have the desire to repent. To repent is to change and progress and receive grace. It’s a beautiful process that can be jumpstarted by church discipline.

D&C 103:2-3

“Being driven and smitten by the hands of mine enemies, on whom I will pour out my wrath without measure in mine own time. For I have suffered them thus far, that they might fill up the measure of their iniquities, that their cup might be full.” Why would the Lord want to wait to pour out wrath until people’s cups are full because of their iniquities?

The verse means that God had allowed the persecutors of the Saints to continue for a season, but only so their wickedness could ripen fully—after which divine justice would come upon them. Why would the Lord want their wickedness to fully ripen? I think this has more to do with the Lord wanting to give us every opportunity to repent. He isn’t wanting to punish us after each and every transgression.

He gives us time to let our character form. It may be that we achieve a beautiful, amazing character with some mistakes along the way. It may also be that we ripen to the point that we desire only to do wickedness. We become a wicked person. Then, the wrath of God is needed to possibly help the transgressor to atone.

103:4

“And that those who call themselves after my name might be chastened for a little season with a sore and grievous chastisement, because they did not hearken altogether unto the precepts and commandments which I gave unto them.” It sounds like the Lord “suffered” that members of the church could be “driven and smitten” by their enemies as a chastisement because they did not “hearken altogether” to the “precepts and commandments” which the Lord gave them.

The Lord allows negative consequences to happen. Sometimes, he intervenes. I don’t know what the ratio of intervention vs. allowing is but I do know that consequences and chastisement are a necessary part of the plan of salvation. Satan was the one who didn’t want consequences. He wanted equity of outcome regardless of our faithfulness.

103:5-8

If we are obedient, we will always prevail - one way or another. The question isn’t whether we will prevail, the question is will we obey. If we are obedient, the world will not prevail against us. “But verily I say unto you, that I have decreed a decree which my people shall realize, inasmuch as they hearken from this very hour unto the counsel which I, the Lord their God, shall give unto them. Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to prevail against mine enemies from this very hour. And by hearkening to observe all the words which I, the Lord their God, shall speak unto them, they shall never cease to prevail until the kingdoms of the world are subdued under my feet, and the earth is given unto the saints, to possess it forever and ever.”

It’s interesting that the Lord says that the people will “begin to prevail against MINE enemies from this very hour.” Who is the Lord’s enemy? We learn in the temple that God and his Son’s common enemy is Satan himself. We may not prevail against every worldly enemy that we have - but we can have perfect faith that we will prevail against Satan if we are faithful. Eventually, every enemy of righteousness will be defeated. All of the kingdoms of the world will be reduced to ash.

So, will we prevail against our current wicked worldly enemies? Yes and no. Will will prevail if we are faithful in that no one on this earth will be able to push us away from our eternal inheritance. If we are faithful, we will avoid the temptations and traps set up by wicked men in this world. We will not succumb to addictions and broken homes and much of the bad things that happen in this world. In every way that matters, we will prevail.

Will that mean that wicked, conspiring men will not get the best of us at times in this world? I’m afraid not. Bad things will still happen to us. We will still be victims of wicked men with evil designs. There will still be criminals who will hurt or even murder righteous people. The wicked will win many battles. But we can rest assured that the war has already been won.

However, if we are not faithful, bad things will happen. “But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken not to observe all my words, the kingdoms of the world shall prevail against them.” We must not ignore what the Lord has said. If we stop being faithful, the kingdoms of the world will prevail against us. In mortality, we will suffer if we are unfaithful. There will be consequences in our lives for bad choices. If we string enough bad choices together, the kingdoms of the world may truly overcome our will altogether. More importantly, the kingdoms of this world may prevail And rob us of our eternal reward. This is the thing that truly matters. If we continually give into temptation and allow our character to take an unrighteous shape, we can’t expect to prevail against the kingdoms of the world. Those kingdoms prevail in that case - affecting what degree of glory we could comfortably abide.

103:9-10

The Lord expects us to be a good example to the world. “For they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the saviors of men; And inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.” As we are good examples for the world, people will be attracted to us. We are meant to be good influences. As we are, we can expect that others will be interested in why we are that way. If we are different, we stand out. This difference will allow us to be saviors of men.

If we do not stand out, we aren’t good for anything. The goal is for people to rise above the world - if we are simply participants in all of the worldly delights, we can never help others rise above ourselves.

103:12

“For after much tribulation, as I have said unto you in a former commandment, cometh the blessing.” This could sum up the mortal experience. Our lives will be full of tribulation. Without that difficulty, we wouldn’t be worthy to receive eternal blessings. If we can remain faithful and endure to the end, then the largest blessing of the universe will be ours.

This can also be said for our day to day tribulations. Anything worthwhile will be difficult. We are meant to become strong. We will never become strong if we live each day secure and safe wrapped in bubble-wrap. We’ve got to struggle and suffer and deal with hardships. As we do, we will become proven. We will receive spiritual confidence and feel comfortable in the presence of God himself. Through this mortal testing, we become progressively stronger.

If the blessing came at the beginning, what growth would there be? If I suddenly became a world-class pianist, why would I ever practice? I become world class at anything only after a long slog of tribulation from boring, repetitive practice. There would be no satisfaction and no growth if the blessing came at the beginning. There would be no motivation to work at it. There is wisdom in it being this way. It is essential and, I dare say, a law of the universe.

103:27-28

“Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake; for whoso layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again. And whoso is not willing to lay down his life for my sake is not my disciple.” This is true in a literal sense. We should all have the perspective that our mortal lives mean nothing as compared to our eternal lives. We should all easily give up our mortal lives - that only last 80 years anyway - for an eternity of glory with God.

But, we should be willing to give up our lives while alive. Very few of us will be asked to sacrifice our life - as in actually dying. But all of us are asked to lay down our will for God’s will. We should be willing to dedicate our lives to him. In some ways, this is more challenging. For us to, daily, choose to ignore what we want and replace it with what God requires a lifetime of struggle and practice. Most of us will never reach that point where our lives are completely replaced with His. That’s the struggle - that’s how we’ve got to endure to the end.

If we aren’t in the midst of that struggle, we are not truly Christ’s disciple.

104:8-9

“Therefore, inasmuch as you are found transgressors, you cannot escape my wrath in your lives. Inasmuch as ye are cut off for transgression, ye cannot escape the buffetings of Satan until the day of redemption.” There are consequences to all of our actions. A consequence to transgressing God’s laws and breaking covenants with Him is that we will experience those consequences.

God calls these consequences “my wrath” and “buffetings of Satan.” To understand what the Lord is saying we have to view mortality as the battleground that it is. In Ephesians 6:12, we read, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." We are in a real, spiritual battle. This mortal life is a battlefield, a chessboard where we don’t see all of the pieces. I imagine in the veil was taken that we would see legions of angels supporting us and demons endlessly whispering.

We would see the Holy Ghost counseling and warning and comforting. We would see those who are striving for righteousness enjoying a protective barrier from the temptations of legions of devils attempting to “buffet” us. We would see those who transgress and break covenants lose that protective shield as the Spirit withdraws and has no place in those them. We would likely see demons rush in and swarm those who are “cut off for transgression.”

I think if we could see what is happening spiritually around us - if we could see the actual battle for our souls happening, we would be humbled and our perspective would change instantly.

104:11-13

“It is wisdom in me; therefore, a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall organize yourselves and appoint every man his stewardship; That every man may give an account unto me of the stewardship which is appointed unto him. For it is expedient that I, the Lord, should make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures.” All of our blessings should be considered a stewardship. Blessings may include talents or money or time or skill or parenthood or friendships or ANYTHING that blesses us. We should see all blessings as gifts from God and that we don’t OWN any of those blessings but are caring for them for a very short time in this world.

There will come a time that we will give up every blessing existing in mortality. When we die, we leave it all behind. All mortal blessings are taken from us. It will be clear in that moment that all of the stewardship that we had for the blessings we enjoyed were truly temporary.

We should view whatever stewardships we have as opportunities to gather more of God’s children. That, along with our own character development, is all that will matter to us in the day after our death. This week, we saw Charlie Kirk be murdered at an event in Utah. He didn’t wake up that morning thinking that he was going to die. But, in an instant, all that he had built was taken from him. EXCEPT for how he had blessed others and how he had developed in his time in mortality. Charlie was blessed with specific, monumental gifts and I think that his stewardship for those gifts was nearly perfect. He used his time and his pulpit to preach the gospel of Christ and to attempt to lift others. He said, “I want to make heaven as crowded is possible.” The accounting that he gave to the Lord for his blessings was likely a very positive meeting.

104:17-18

“For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves. Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment.“ I do not worry that the earth is going to run out of resources before Christ comes. I think the earth is full.

I have been blessed with riches in one form or another throughout my life. I am not sure that I have imparted what I should to the “poor and the needy.” In this verse, the Lord is grouping those who do not give of their abundance with those who are “wicked.” That’s saying something.

Marci and I could do more to give of our time and our abundance to the poor and needy. I want to make the most of my time and act in a way that my “stewardship accountability” meeting is as positive as possible.

104:52

“The covenants being broken through transgression, by covetousness and feigned words.” I asked ChatGPT what “feigned words” means. It said: “Feigned words” means words that are pretended, false, or insincere—speech that is crafted to deceive, flatter, or manipulate rather than to tell the truth. Feigned comes from the idea of feigning—to fake, invent, or put on an appearance. So “feigned words” are not genuine expressions, but rather counterfeit words spoken with hidden motives (like trickery, greed, or persuasion). I don’t do much by way of serious transgression. However, I may be guilty of “covetousness and feigned words.”

I probably do my share of coveting. I covet people’s skills. I have been reading a lot about Charlie Kirk and I am doing a fair amount of coveting. I have coveted his skills and platform and opportunity and work ethic and influence and many aspects of his consequential life. I covet the organization he built. I truly wish I had more of his talent. I covet nice cars. I saw a new, electric BMW that was amazing! I really want it. It’s interesting that I do so much coveting because my life is incredible. I have no room to covet - yet I do.

With feigned words, it’s not like I lie to people. But, I do my share of preaching principles that I may not be living perfectly. I do my share of attempting to appear a little better than I am. It’s possible that my motives aren’t exactly pure when I serve. I am definitely motivated by looking positive to others. In this way, my good acts are not necessarily pure. It is on my list of things to be better at.

104:80

“And inasmuch as you are diligent and humble, and exercise the prayer of faith, behold, I will soften the hearts of those to whom you are in debt, until I shall send means unto you for your deliverance.” God can soften hearts. I do not know how that happens. I know we have agency and can harden our hearts so how does God respect agency but soften the heart?

First, God does honor agency and will never do anything to remove that agency. Think of softening hearts as God inviting, influencing, or enlightening people through the Spirit. He can help people feel peace, compassion, or receptivity that they might not generate on their own. God removes stumbling blocks or provides circumstances that make openness possible. Hardened soil will remain hardened without rain from heaven coming down. Of course, we’re still required to RECEIVE that rain but God always provides the catalyst for a heart softening.

105:1-4

“Verily I say unto you who have assembled yourselves together that you may learn my will concerning the redemption of mine afflicted people— Behold, I say unto you, were it not for the transgressions of my people, speaking concerning the church and not individuals, they might have been redeemed even now. But behold, they have not learned to be obedient to the things which I required at their hands, but are full of all manner of evil, and do not impart of their substance, as becometh saints, to the poor and afflicted among them; And are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom.” The church members of the time didn’t truly support Zion’s camp:

• God wanted as many as 500 people to volunteer. Only a little over 100 did.

• God wanted them to contribute to the financial needs of Zion’s Camp. There wasn’t much donated. The members of the Camp personally financed most of the effort.

Yesterday, for our National Day of Service, we organized a project where we were refurbishing the exterior of our Senior Center in Coalville. It was announced in each ward in our stake. We were hoping for 30-40 people to show up - which you think would be possible in a stake with hundreds of members. We had about 15 show up. That included the four missionaries assigned to our stake. I think that turnout was disappointing. I’m not too quick to blame or judge or point fingers - but I think that the verve and enthusiasm for serving others in this area is less than pervasive.

I think that if there was a “Zion’s Camp” project initiated in this area, there would likely be good support. A big initiative and urgent need like that would likely attract volunteers. However, the small initiative and less than urgent need of refurbishing the Senior Center was not enough to spark enthusiasm with many church members.

We, including myself, must be better at being “obedient to the things which are required.” We must be better at being “united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom.” For us to qualify for the celestial kingdom, we must be one in Christ. We will not be able to abide the celestial law if we are not unified as a people. If we are to be a certain way in eternity, we should be getting practice now in mortality. Eternity is not disconnected from mortality.

105:6

“And my people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer.” The challenge these days is that there isn’t a lot of chastening that happens in our lives. I haven’t been chastened by an entity or person in a long time. I do not welcome a chastening but I predict that some chastening is coming for the saints. Sometimes, it is only through chastening that we learn obedience.

105:9-12

The Zion’s Camp effort was canceled. They were to return to their homes without “redeeming Zion” and returning the people to their lands. “Therefore, in consequence of the transgressions of my people, it is expedient in me that mine elders should wait for a little season for the redemption of Zion-  That they themselves may be prepared, and that my people may be taught more perfectly, and have experience, and know more perfectly concerning their duty, and the things which I require at their hands. And this cannot be brought to pass until mine elders are endowed with power from on high. For behold, I have prepared a great endowment and blessing to be poured out upon them, inasmuch as they are faithful and continue in humility before me.”

The redemption of Zion had to wait. The elders of the church needed to be more prepared. They had to be taught more. They needed more experience and know their duty more intimately. This teaching, experience and knowledge wasn’t going to come from their own wisdom and cunning. It was going to come from heaven. Their only responsibility was to be “faithful and continue in humility.” If we have faith in Christ and are humble and ready to receive knowledge and learn from experience, God will prepare us for what is to come.

105:17-19

“But the strength of mine house have not hearkened unto my words.” Those who were “strong” were not heartening to Christ’s words in revelation through Joseph Smith. Unfortunately, this is often how it goes. Those who are strong are not as teachable. The strong generally consider themselves as self-sufficient. We must actively fight our human nature to be less teachable and humble when we are “spiritually strong” or consider ourselves so.

If we rely on God through faith and humility, we will be endowed. “But inasmuch as there are those who have hearkened unto my words, I have prepared a blessing and an endowment for them, if they continue faithful.” The key is to be faithful and teachable.

We must remember that what will help us be spiritually strong is to endure trials. None of us will be especially proven through the easy path. “I have heard their prayers, and will accept their offering; and it is expedient in me that they should be brought thus far for a trial of their faith.” Their offering wasn’t was expected. They expected to return the saints to their lands. That didn’t happen. All of our effort won’t be successful. We didn’t have hundreds of people show up for our recent service project. We didn’t even get the project done. We’re going to have to show up again for part two. You could say that the project was a failure.

But, God does accept our offering. We tried. We did some good. We had one volunteer tell us that they were grateful for the opportunity to show their children how to show up and serve. That’s a blessing. We cannot see what God sees and must have faith that, even when things don’t work out how we planned, there still can be God’s purposes fulfilled. It may be that a failed effort can be a simply trial of faith. As we know, we do not generally receive blessings until after the trial of our faith.

105:24

“Talk not of judgments, neither boast of faith nor of mighty works, but carefully gather together, as much in one region as can be, consistently with the feelings of the people.” This verse is a lesson in humility and patience and wise coexistence with other communities. Specifically:

• Don’t stir up contention by threatening judgment or boasting of power. As a people, we shouldn’t be flexing on others. We shouldn’t be threatening other.

• Focus instead on unity and building Zion quietly and respectfully. The key is for us “gather together.”

• Respect the feelings and concerns of surrounding communities - but still carrying out God’s purposes.

105:35

"There has been a day of calling, but the time has come for a day of choosing; and let those be chosen that are worthy." This reminds me of a scriptures “many are called but few are chosen.” I think this is true. How many members aren’t active? How many members are active but not valiant? It may be true that most members aren’t active and most active members aren’t valiant. The verse says that many are called but few are chosen - this is illustrating the point that is it the minority of people who have been called who are actually chosen.

Even if your calling is big. You may be called as a bishop or a stake president or a relief society president, it doesn’t mean you’re automatically chosen. You may be a member of this church who attends church every Sunday - that doesn’t mean that you are chosen.

To be chosen is to be worthy. To be chosen is to live as a disciple of Christ - every day, every hour. To be chosen is to rely on Christ and remain faithful. To be chosen is to work to get to know the Savior. To be chosen is to listen for and follow promptings of the Holy Ghost. In the end, to be chosen is to be Christlike. We can be called to whatever, but if we are not Christlike, it means nothing.

The good news is that it doesn't take a big calling to be chosen. It doesn't mean you have to have a list of accomplishments. It doesn't mean you have to check more boxes each day for your good deeds. All it requires to be chosen is to come unto Christ and be faithful. Thank God.