His Grace Is Sufficient - Brad Wilcox
His Grace Is Sufficient - Brad Wilcox
I am grateful to be here with my wife, Debi, and my two younger children, who
currently they are at BYU, and many of our other relatives who have come to be
with us. It is an honor to have been invited to speak to you today.
Several years ago, I received an invitation to speak at a Women's Conference.
When I mentioned it to my wife, she asked me, 'What is the topic assigned to you?' I was so
excited that my words got mixed up and I said: Do you want me to talk about how
turn strengths into weaknesses. He pondered for a minute and said: well, they have the
the right person for the job!
And you are right about that. I could give a whole talk about that topic, but
I believe that today I will stick with the original topic and talk about changing.
our weaknesses into strengths and how the Grace of Jesus Christ is sufficient (see Ether
12:27, DyC 17:8, 2 Cor.12:9), sufficient to cover us, to transform us and sufficient
to help us regardless of how long that transformation takes.
In the same way, because Jesus has paid for justice, He can now turn to
us and say: 'Come follow me' (Matthew 4:19); '...keep my commandments' (John
14:15). If we consider that their requirements demand too much from us ("But why does no one
another Christian has to pay tithing, go on a mission, serve in callings, do the
"work of the temple?" Perhaps it is because we still do not see through the eyes of Christ; we do not
We have not yet understood what He is trying to make of us.
Elder Bruce C. Hafen wrote: "The great Mediator asks for our repentance not
because we should 'pay' in return for having settled our debt with justice, but
because repentance initiates a process that, along with the help of the Savior, leads us to the
"path of the holiness of character". (The Broken Heart [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989],
149; emphasis on original).
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said: "The sinner who
the repentant must suffer for their sins, but that suffering has a purpose different from that of
be a punishment or a payment; its purpose is change” (The Lord’s Way, [In the Way of
Sir, 1991, p. 223; italics in the original). Let's apply that to the child pianist: the child has
to practice piano, but practicing has a different purpose than being a punishment or a
payment. Its purpose is change.
I have Christian friends who tell me: 'You Mormons are trying to deceive us.'
way to heaven
Yoles replied: "No, we are not earning heaven. We are not...
learning how the sky is. We are preparing for it (DyC 78:7), we are
practicing for it.
Then they ask me: "Have you been saved by grace?"
My answer: "Yes, absolutely, totally, completely, gratefully, yes."
So I ask you something that you may not have fully considered: "Have you gone
changed by grace? They are so excited to be saved that they may not have thought
what comes next. They are so happy that the debt was paid that they have not
considered why the debt existed in the first place. The Latter-day Saints
We know not only what Christ saved us from, but also for what He saved us.
friend Brett Sanders says: “A life impacted by grace eventually begins to
You can see the life of Christ.” Also as my friend Omar Canals has said: “While
many Christians only see Christ's suffering as a great favor he did for
we, the Saints of the Last Days also recognize it as a great investment
what it did in us." In the words of Moroni, grace is not just about being
save, but in becoming like the Savior (Moroni 7:48).
The miracle of Atonement is not simply that we can live after dying, but that
we can live more abundantly (see John 10:10). The miracle of the Atonement is not
simply that we can be cleansed and comforted, if we can be transformed
(see Romans 8). The Scriptures make it clear that no unclean thing can dwell with
God (see Alma 40:26), but brothers and sisters, nothing remains unchanged.
he really will want to do it.
I know a young man who just got out of prison, again. Whenever there are two paths
to choose, one always goes for the wrong one. When I was a teenager dealing with each
One of the habits that a young person his age faces, I told his father: 'We need to
take it to EFY.” I have been working with this program since 1985, I know how good it can be.
to do.
His dad told me: "I can't pay for it."
I said: "Me neither, but you put in a little and I'll put in another, then we'll go with my mom because
it can really help us.
We finally got the young man to go to EFY. But how long do you think it lasted? Not even
At least one day. At the end of the breaking day, he called his mom and said, 'Get me out of here.' The sky
There will be no heaven for those who have not chosen to be celestial.
In the past, I had always imagined in my mind what the day of judgment would be like, it was more
or at least like this: Jesus Christ, standing in front with a clipboard and I standing on the other side of the
living room nervously watching Christ.
Cristo sees the results on his clipboard and says: 'Oh, darn Brad, you missed it by two.'
Brad begging Christ: "please review the essay question once more,
there must be two points around that can be squeezed from that essay.” That’s how
I always saw it.
But the older I get, and the more I understand this wonderful plan of redemption,
but I realize that in the final judgment it will not be the repentant sinner asking Jesus,
Let me stay.
character of Christ, I believe that if someone is going to be pleading on that occasion, probably
it would be Jesus pleading with the repentant sinner, 'Please, choose to stay. Please, use my
Atonement, not only to be cleansed, but to be changed and to want to stay.
The miracle of Atonement is not simply that we can return to our home, but that,
miraculously, we can feel at home there. If the Heavenly Father and His Son do not
If they required faith and repentance, then there would be no desire to change. Think about
your friends and relatives who have chosen to live without faith and without repentance. They do not want
they are not trying to abandon sin and feel comfortable with God; rather,
they are trying to abandon God and feel comfortable with sin. If the Father and the Son
they would not require agreements nor grant the Holy Spirit, then there would be no way to
We would remain forever with only our own will, without access to His power.
If the Heavenly Father and His Son did not require perseverance until the end, then those changes
they would not merge over time, they would be superficial and seemingly forever in place
to have a deep effect and become part of us, part of who we are. Said in
In a simple way: if Jesus Christ did not require practice, we would never become pianists.
Many renounce the Church because they are tired of constantly feeling that they do not
they manage to live up to what is expected of them. They have tried in the past, but
they continuously feel that they are not good enough. They do not understand what it is
thank you.
There are young women who know that they are daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves them and they...
man to Him. Then they graduate from high school and the values they have memorized are
put to the test. They make a mistake, let things go too far and then think
that everything is over. These young ladies do not understand what grace is.
There are young men who grow up singing 'To the mission when I grow up.'
In fact, they try to be ready and then completely ruin it. They get their medal.
From my duty to God, they graduate from high school and go to university. After this
young people realize how easy it is not to be reliable, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous,
kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean or reverent. They are wrong and say:
"I will never do it again" and then they do it again. They say again: "Never
but I will do it again and they do it once more. They say: 'This is stupid, I will never do it again.'
do it" and they do it again. The guilt is almost impossible to bear, they dare not go with him.
bishop, instead of that, they hide. Finally, they say: "He could not do this of the
Mormons, I have tried but the expectations are too high.” Then they resign.
These young people do not understand what grace is.
I know returned missionaries who go back to their homes and revert to bad habits that
they thought they had left behind. They break promises made before God, angels, and witnesses, and they
They are convinced that there is no hope for them now. They say: 'I have ruined everything.'
It doesn't make sense to even try. "Really? These young people have completed missions.
You are teaching people about Jesus Christ and His atonement, and now do you believe that there isn't
Hope for them? These returned missionaries do not understand what grace is.
I know young marriages that discover after the sealing ceremony that the
Marriage requires making adjustments. The pressures of life and stress start to take their toll.
financially, spiritually, and even sexually. Mistakes are made. The
walls go up. And very soon these husbands and wives are talking to their lawyers about
divorce instead of talking to each other. These couples do not understand the joke.
In all these cases, there should only be two options: perfection or giving up.
defeated. When you learn to play the piano, are the only options to play in a theater
famous or stop playing? No. Growing and improving takes time; learning takes time. When
we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process and
that repentance is a model to follow in our lives. When we understand grace,
we understand that the blessings of Christ's atonement are constant and that His power is
perfects in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). When we understand grace,
we can, as stated in the Doctrine and Covenants, "[continue] with patience until
[to perfect ourselves]” (D. and C. 67:13).
A young man wrote me the following email: "I know that God has all power, and I know that He will help me.
I am worthy, but I am never worthy enough to ask for His help. I wish to have the
grace of Christ, but I always find myself trapped in the same impossible position of
self-defeat: no job = no grace.
I replied to him and testified with all my heart that Christ is not waiting for us on the line.
from the final goal after having done 'all we can do' (2 Nephi 25:23). He is
at every step of that path.
Elder Bruce C. Hafen wrote: "The gift of the Savior's grace towards us is not
limited only to a time 'after all that we can'. We can receive His
grace before, during, and after the time in which we are doing our
own efforts. (The Broken Heart [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989], 155).
Grace is not a booster engine that works when our energy source is
it is not the light at the end of the tunnel, but the
light that moves us through that tunnel. Grace is not obtained somewhere in the future;
it is received here and now. It is not a final touch, it is the touch of the one who is the consummator of the
faith. (Hebrews 12:2).
In twelve days we celebrate Pioneer Day. The first company of the Saints entered into
the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Their journey was difficult and challenging; however,
they sang:
Saints, come, without fear, without dread,
but walk with joy.
Although this is a cruel journey,
God gives us His goodness.
Conclusion
The grace of Christ is sufficient (see Ether 12:27; D&C 17:8); sufficient to settle
our debt, sufficient to transform us and sufficient to help us the time that
during the transformation process. The Book of Mormon teaches us to trust only in
the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8). In doing so, not
we discovered —as some Christians believe— that Christ requires nothing from us.
Rather, we discover the reason why He requires so much and the strength to do everything.
that He asks (see Philippians 4:13). Grace is not the absence of high expectations.
from God; grace is the presence of the power of God (see Luke 1:37).
Together with Elder Maxwell, I testify that the grace of God is sufficient; the grace of Jesus is
sufficient. It is sufficient; it is all we need. Don't give up; keep going.
trying. Do not look for escapes or excuses; seek the Lord and His perfect strength. Do not
look for someone to blame; look for someone to help you. Look for Christ and, when you
I promise you will feel the enabling power and divine help that we call His
sublime grace.
I leave you this testimony and all my love, because I truly love you. As God is my
I witness, I love the youth of the church. I believe in you, I am pulling hard for
you and I am not the only one. Your parents, your church leaders and the prophets are.
doing. Above all, Jesus Christ is doing it too In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.