Some things are more important than life itself, and the most selfless act is when one gives his life for others. In this video, ben McClintock shares several scriptural examples.
This is an excerpt from “Sacrifice For Liberty,” which you can watch in full, for FREE, here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/rpmwrtzoenrlu7u0dsszp/June-20-2022-sacrifice-for-liberty.mp4?rlkey=nvuwapub63dy1yn7oqpyxwna7&st=90rabdzu&dl=0
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TRANSCRIPT
And so we see how—one of the important things—we mentioned this a few weeks ago about mothers teaching their children this principle. Being taught either in our families growing up, or learning this principle now and applying it and teaching it to others—this was the sons of Helaman.
And it says that now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death. And they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives. So they understood this principle as well. They didn’t think about the short term. And that’s, I think, where our society today is really focused—so much on not only short-term gratification, but what is the short-term result of what’s being done, as opposed to the long term.
Those excuses that I mentioned earlier are all thinking short term: what’s going to happen to me right now? Not thinking about what’s going to happen long term if I don’t do the right thing.
And so these sons, that had never fought in war, didn’t know the horrors of war—they were not afraid. They knew that liberty was more important. There were certain things that were worse than death, and they wanted to make sure that even if it cost them their lives, that was a price they were willing to pay for a greater cause: the liberty of their fathers.
And so in Daniel, we hear ancient prophets—this is talking about the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel chapter 3 says:
“Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer”—I’m going to probably mispronounce all of those—“and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image.”
So this is the order from the government to captured Israel. And they were commanded to all get down and worship the golden image:
“And whoso falleth not down and worshipeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”
“There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—these men, O king, have not regarded thee. They serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
So they openly rebelled. They openly said, you know what? There are certain things—they knew what the consequence was, that they would be killed, that they would be burned alive in a furnace if they did not do this thing the government told them to do—and they went against it.
And it says:
“Then they brought these men before the king. So Nebuchadnezzar spake and said to them, ‘Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?’”
So he’s furious, brings them forward, and asks them again—gives them an opportunity to deny, kind of deny the Christ, basically, in that situation. And so they admitted it. They said, “Yeah, I’m willing to pay the price.”
Their response to the king was:
“If it be so, our God whom we serve—meaning if it be so that we get burned—our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
So we know the story—kind of hindsight is 20/20—but here they’re saying, “We believe that God will protect us. But even if He doesn’t deliver us out of your hands—it’s okay. It doesn’t matter. If it’s God’s will to protect me, that’s great. If it’s not, we’re still not going to worship this golden image. We’re not going to violate our conscience. We’re going to do the right thing, no matter what the consequence is.”
They knew that there were circumstances that they could be delivered. But they also recognized that maybe they wouldn’t be delivered. That was irrelevant. The deliverance from the harm was irrelevant. And we know the history that they were protected, but that doesn’t always happen.
There’s Daniel in chapter 6:
“All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors and the princes, the counselors and the captains have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days—save thee (except thee)—shall be cast into the den of lions.”
So no praying to anybody but the king. And so Daniel, knowing the writing was signed—this was a law that was passed—he went into his house, and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime.
So he didn’t change. He didn’t make an excuse and say, “You know, I’m going to go do this in secret. What they don’t know won’t hurt them.” He didn’t pretend like he was obeying them. No—with his windows open—he prayed so everyone could hear and see him.
And so these men assembled and found Daniel praying, making supplication before his God. So he was seen. And we all know the story about how he was brought, but it goes to show us that Daniel wasn’t worried about what was going to happen to him right then. He wasn’t worried about not being able to provide for those—or, you know, the rest of Israel.
We don’t know what the rest of Israel did, but I tend to think that probably the rest of the Israelites were going along with it—or at least maybe pretending and only praying in secret—because the only record we have of someone going against it and going into the lions’ den was Daniel.
And so the rest of the “members of the church” at the time were going along with it—or at least pretending to. And it was only Daniel that was going against the grain, going against what everybody else was doing.
And he didn’t say, “Well, everybody else is doing it. What is this going to benefit? If I’m dead, how is this going to help other people?” He just knew he had to do the right thing. And whatever—do what is right, let the consequence follow. That’s what he was worried about.
We learn about this with Abinadi in Mosiah chapter 13:
“Ye see that ye have not power to slay me. Therefore, I finish my message.”
So at that point, he was being protected. They could not grab him. They could not hurt him. And so he finished his message:
“Yea, and I perceive that it cuts you to your hearts because I tell you the truth concerning your iniquities. Yea, and my words fill you with wonder and amazement—and with anger.”
It’s always what happens when you’re telling the truth: the guilty find the truth to be hard.
“But I finish my message. And then it matters not whether I go—if it so be that I am saved.”
Meaning saved—his soul, not his body. Because he goes on to say, whatever you’re going to do to me after I’m done giving this message that I was commanded by God to give—whatever happens after that, that’s not my problem. Because doing what I was told, no matter the consequence, is what matters. He didn’t fear man; he feared God. And he was willing to do the right thing, no matter what the short-term outcome would be.
So we go to Alma 46. This is about the Title of Liberty. And you have Moroni seeing that there’s this conspiracy going on where these people want to take away the liberty of the people. And so Moroni says:
“It came to pass that he rent his coat, and he took a piece thereof and wrote upon it: ‘In memory of our God, our religion and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.’ And he fastened it upon the end of a pole, and he fastened on his headplate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins. And he took the pole which had on the end thereof his rent coat, and he called it the Title of Liberty.”
“And he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should be a band of Christians remain to possess the land.”
For thus were all the true believers of Christ who belonged to the church of God called—by those who did not belong to the church. And those who did belong to the church were faithful.
Yea, those who were true believers in Christ took upon them gladly the name of Christ—or Christians, as they were called—because of their belief in Christ, who should come.
And therefore, at this time, Moroni prayed that the cause of the Christians and the freedom of the land might be favored.
So here we see that the cause of the Christians is the freedom of the land, right? The cause of liberty is the cause that anybody calling themselves a follower of Christ—it is their cause. We need to understand that. If we are going to consider ourselves Christians, we need to realize that the cause of liberty is a vital part of that.
Continuing on in Alma 46, it says:
“It came to pass that when he had poured out his soul to God, he named all the land which was south of the land Desolation—yea, and in fine, all the land both on the north and on the south—a chosen land and a land of liberty.”
So there’s a lot of people out there saying we need to just focus on the one part—that we just need to be preaching about the Savior. Well, when we leave out the principles of liberty—this is the land of liberty—we are leaving out a vital part of the cause of Christ.
“Surely God shall not suffer that we, who are despised because we take upon us the name of Christ, shall be trodden down and destroyed—until we bring it upon us by our own transgressions.”
The land of liberty will not be taken down—we won’t have our liberty taken away—unless we take it away by our own actions, because we have transgressed and not fought for liberty.
“And when Moroni had said these words, he went forth among the people, waving the rent part of his garment in the air, that all might see the writing which he had written upon the rent part, and crying with a loud voice…”
So he’s spreading the word. He’s helping others understand and learn about the principles of liberty, and how liberty is directly linked to the Savior.
“Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them.”
So he’s sharing—he’s spreading around the message. And he says they need to enter into a covenant with God that they will maintain their rights. That is the thing they have to do to maintain the favor and blessings of the Lord: to stand up and maintain, do the work—not just say, “Yes, I read it,” or “I like it”—but they do the work to maintain their rights.
So it’s part of the covenant as followers of Christ to maintain our rights if we are to expect those blessings of the Lord.
“We covenant with our God that we shall be destroyed, even as our brethren in the land northward, if we shall fall into transgression.”
Meaning: we violate that covenant of defending liberty.
“Yea, he may cast us at the feet of our enemies, even as we have cast our garments at thy feet to be trodden underfoot, if we shall fall into transgression.”
Meaning: if we fail to keep our promise to maintain liberty.
So failing to defend liberty was a violation of their covenants—something they recognized deserved a just punishment from God.
