Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
This week our readings focus on learning from the character of Christ. Our foundation on Christ prepares us for our day's forthcoming perils and pressures. After being tossed on the water during a storm, I love Peter's experience 'in the fourth watch' of the night when he focused on Christ and went to Him on the water. Keeping our focus on Christ will help us walk triumphantly over "the swelling waves of disbelief" and remain "unterrified amid the rising winds of doubt."
“Herod, who in his lust for Salome, a dancing girl, had fallen prey to a murderous scheme of Herodias to destroy John (Mark 6:17-29).The scriptural record does not mention Salome by name, nor does it say where the prison was located, but Josephus the Jewish historian identifies her and places the prison in Herod's castle at Machaerus near the northeastern border of the Dead Sea.” ("Antiquities of the Jews.” William “Whiston, trans. The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus.)
President Russell M Nelson: “My dear brothers and sisters, these are the latter days. If you and I are to withstand the forthcoming perils and pressures, it is imperative that we each have a firm spiritual foundation built upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
“So I ask each of you, how firm is your foundation? And what reinforcements to your testimony and understanding of the gospel are needed?” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/10/47nelson?lang=eng)
Elder David A. Bednar: "There would have been no Atonement except for the character of Christ.” (Brigham Young University-Idaho Religion Symposium, January 25, 2003)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the following about the Savior’s awareness of His disciples’ toil to cross the Sea of Galilee in the storm:
“From the mountaintop where he prayed … , Jesus saw the peril and strugglings of his beloved friends as they sought the safety of the western shore of the Galilean lake. … His awareness of their plight must have come by the power of the Spirit rather than the natural eye, for they were more than four—perhaps were five or six—miles away. …
“… In some eight or ten hours they traveled less than four miles from the shore.
“Their peril was great. Even strong men cannot resist indefinitely the battering waves and the rolling power of a storm at sea. It was now the fourth watch of the night, sometime between three and six A.M. Jesus had left them to struggle and toil till their strength was spent. Now he came to the rescue” (The Mortal Messiah, 4 vols. 1979-81, 2:358-59).
S. Michael Wilcox: “The Hebrew night was divided into four watches. The first watch—six o’clock at night to nine [p.m.], second watch—nine to midnight, third watch—midnight to three in the morning, fourth watch—three in the morning to sunrise. Sometimes that creates a bit of a problem for us, certainly for me. I worship a fourth watch God. One who tends to feel that it is good to let His children toil in rowing against the wind to face a little opposition. My problem is that I am a first watch person. Now there is something inside of me that understands that it is good for me to toil in rowing against the wind. But certainly by the second watch He would come. And when the second watch has passed and He still has not come. Sometimes I forget that as Mark says, He is watching. He watched them toiling and rowing.
“I began to make some assumptions that are often dangerous to make—maybe you make the same. We begin to assume that, number one, He is not there. That is why He’s not responding. And then we calm down and understand that He is there; He is always there. Then the second assumption is if He is there, He must not be listening. And then again, in calmer times—He always listens. Well then the third assumption is He must not care. No—He’s there, He listens, He cares. Maybe the most dangerous assumption, the fourth assumption is I must not be worthy. Now that fourth assumption we are probably correct on. But when has that ever stopped Him from responding; we are as worthy as we can be. We must assume that we have not yet reached the fourth watch; and He is a fourth watch God.” (S. Michael Wilcox, BYU Hawaii Devotional, March 2009)
President Howard W. Hunter: “… while [Peter’s] eyes were fixed upon the Lord, the wind might toss his hair and the spray might drench his robes, but all was well. Only when with wavering faith he removed his glance from the Master to look at the furious waves and the black gulf beneath him, only then did he begin to sink…”
“It is my firm belief that if as individual people, as families, communities, and nations, we could, like Peter, fix our eyes on Jesus, we too might walk triumphantly over “the swelling waves of disbelief” and remain “unterrified amid the rising winds of doubt.” But if we turn away our eyes from him in whom we must believe, as it is so easy to do and the world is so much tempted to do, if we look to the power and fury of those terrible and destructive elements around us rather than to him who can help and save us, then we shall inevitably sink in a sea of conflict and sorrow and despair.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1992/10/the-beacon-in-the-harbor-of-peace?lang=eng)
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of a personal trial he faced for which there was no quick solution from the Lord:
“Though I suffered then, as I look back now, I am grateful that there was not a quick solution to my problem. The fact that I was forced to turn to God for help almost daily over an extended period of years taught me truly how to pray and get answers to prayer and taught me in a very practical way to have faith in God. I came to know my Savior and my Heavenly Father in a way and to a degree that might not have happened otherwise or that might have taken me much longer to achieve. … I learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I learned to walk with Him day by day” (“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” Church Educational System fireside, Jan. 9, 2011, LDS.org).
Elder Hallstrom: “The Lord wants the members of His Church to be fully converted to His gospel. This is the only sure way to have spiritual safety now and happiness forever.” (“Converted to His gospel through His Church”, April 2012)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "We come now to the crowning teaching of the sermon on the bread of life, which is, that men are saved by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God. …
"To eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God is, first, to accept him in the most literal and full sense, with no reservation whatever, as the personal offspring in the flesh of the Eternal Father;
“…and, secondly, it is to keep the commandments of the Son by accepting his gospel, joining his Church, and enduring in obedience and righteousness unto the end. Those who by this course eat his flesh and drink his blood shall have eternal life, meaning exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world" (Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah, 2:377–79).
Teaching Thoughts:
“Herod, who in his lust for Salome, a dancing girl, had fallen prey to a murderous scheme of Herodias to destroy John (Mark 6:17-29).The scriptural record does not mention Salome by name, nor does it say where the prison was located, but Josephus the Jewish historian identifies her and places the prison in Herod's castle at Machaerus near the northeastern border of the Dead Sea.” ("Antiquities of the Jews.” William “Whiston, trans. The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus.)
President Russell M Nelson: “My dear brothers and sisters, these are the latter days. If you and I are to withstand the forthcoming perils and pressures, it is imperative that we each have a firm spiritual foundation built upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
“So I ask each of you, how firm is your foundation? And what reinforcements to your testimony and understanding of the gospel are needed?” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/10/47nelson?lang=eng)
Elder David A. Bednar: "There would have been no Atonement except for the character of Christ.” (Brigham Young University-Idaho Religion Symposium, January 25, 2003)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the following about the Savior’s awareness of His disciples’ toil to cross the Sea of Galilee in the storm:
“From the mountaintop where he prayed … , Jesus saw the peril and strugglings of his beloved friends as they sought the safety of the western shore of the Galilean lake. … His awareness of their plight must have come by the power of the Spirit rather than the natural eye, for they were more than four—perhaps were five or six—miles away. …
“… In some eight or ten hours they traveled less than four miles from the shore.
“Their peril was great. Even strong men cannot resist indefinitely the battering waves and the rolling power of a storm at sea. It was now the fourth watch of the night, sometime between three and six A.M. Jesus had left them to struggle and toil till their strength was spent. Now he came to the rescue” (The Mortal Messiah, 4 vols. 1979-81, 2:358-59).
S. Michael Wilcox: “The Hebrew night was divided into four watches. The first watch—six o’clock at night to nine [p.m.], second watch—nine to midnight, third watch—midnight to three in the morning, fourth watch—three in the morning to sunrise. Sometimes that creates a bit of a problem for us, certainly for me. I worship a fourth watch God. One who tends to feel that it is good to let His children toil in rowing against the wind to face a little opposition. My problem is that I am a first watch person. Now there is something inside of me that understands that it is good for me to toil in rowing against the wind. But certainly by the second watch He would come. And when the second watch has passed and He still has not come. Sometimes I forget that as Mark says, He is watching. He watched them toiling and rowing.
“I began to make some assumptions that are often dangerous to make—maybe you make the same. We begin to assume that, number one, He is not there. That is why He’s not responding. And then we calm down and understand that He is there; He is always there. Then the second assumption is if He is there, He must not be listening. And then again, in calmer times—He always listens. Well then the third assumption is He must not care. No—He’s there, He listens, He cares. Maybe the most dangerous assumption, the fourth assumption is I must not be worthy. Now that fourth assumption we are probably correct on. But when has that ever stopped Him from responding; we are as worthy as we can be. We must assume that we have not yet reached the fourth watch; and He is a fourth watch God.” (S. Michael Wilcox, BYU Hawaii Devotional, March 2009)
President Howard W. Hunter: “… while [Peter’s] eyes were fixed upon the Lord, the wind might toss his hair and the spray might drench his robes, but all was well. Only when with wavering faith he removed his glance from the Master to look at the furious waves and the black gulf beneath him, only then did he begin to sink…”
“It is my firm belief that if as individual people, as families, communities, and nations, we could, like Peter, fix our eyes on Jesus, we too might walk triumphantly over “the swelling waves of disbelief” and remain “unterrified amid the rising winds of doubt.” But if we turn away our eyes from him in whom we must believe, as it is so easy to do and the world is so much tempted to do, if we look to the power and fury of those terrible and destructive elements around us rather than to him who can help and save us, then we shall inevitably sink in a sea of conflict and sorrow and despair.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1992/10/the-beacon-in-the-harbor-of-peace?lang=eng)
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of a personal trial he faced for which there was no quick solution from the Lord:
“Though I suffered then, as I look back now, I am grateful that there was not a quick solution to my problem. The fact that I was forced to turn to God for help almost daily over an extended period of years taught me truly how to pray and get answers to prayer and taught me in a very practical way to have faith in God. I came to know my Savior and my Heavenly Father in a way and to a degree that might not have happened otherwise or that might have taken me much longer to achieve. … I learned to trust in the Lord with all my heart. I learned to walk with Him day by day” (“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” Church Educational System fireside, Jan. 9, 2011, LDS.org).
Elder Hallstrom: “The Lord wants the members of His Church to be fully converted to His gospel. This is the only sure way to have spiritual safety now and happiness forever.” (“Converted to His gospel through His Church”, April 2012)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "We come now to the crowning teaching of the sermon on the bread of life, which is, that men are saved by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God. …
"To eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God is, first, to accept him in the most literal and full sense, with no reservation whatever, as the personal offspring in the flesh of the Eternal Father;
“…and, secondly, it is to keep the commandments of the Son by accepting his gospel, joining his Church, and enduring in obedience and righteousness unto the end. Those who by this course eat his flesh and drink his blood shall have eternal life, meaning exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world" (Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah, 2:377–79).
Teaching Thoughts:
- Learning from the character of Christ.
- Our foundation on Christ prepares us for “he forthcoming perils and pressures.”
- Seeking solace in times of mourning.
- The God of the ‘fourth watch.’
- Keeping your focus on Christ.
- Staying with Christ.