Alma 5-7: “Have Ye Experienced This Mighty Change in Your Hearts?” (June 1-7)

After Alma experienced the joy of being born of God, he worked hard to help other people experience that same joy (Alma 36:23-24). In his sermons to the cities of Zarahemla and Gideon, he emphasized the importance of turning to the Savior and being born again (Alma 5:49, Alma 7:14). Many of the people in Zarahemla were in a state of unbelief and were lifted up in pride (Alma 7:6). In contrast, the people of Gideon were generally walking “in the paths of righteousness” (Alma 7:19). But his core message to both groups was the same: We all need to repent. We all need to be changed by God.

Here are my summaries of the sermons he preached in those two cities, with my takeaways from those sermons:

1. Alma’s Sermon in Zarahemla – Alma 5
2. Alma’s Sermon in Gideon – Alma 7

Here are some posts about key themes in these sermons:

Repentance

• Aligning our desires with God’s will: “He Changed Their Hearts” – Alma 5:7
• Visualizing a positive outcome: Can You Imagine? – Alma 5:16-18
• Consistent self-assessment: Are Ye Stripped Of Pride? – Alma 5:27-28
• Continuous improvement: What Does It Mean to Be “Baptized Unto Repentance?”
• Pleading for help: That Ye Had Continued in the Supplicating of His Grace – Alma 7:3
• Trusting God to help us overcome our weaknesses: “Which Easily Doth Beset You” – Alma 7:15
• Being responsive: What Does It Mean to Be “Easy to Be Entreated?”
• Addressing the root cause, not just the symptoms: See That Ye Have Faith, Hope, and Charity – Alma 7:24

Grace

• God is our ally: He Sendeth an Invitation Unto All Men – Alma 5:33-34
• Healing every wound: “The Pains and the Sicknesses” – Alma 7:11-12
• Three kinds of deliverance: He Will Take Upon Him… – Alma 7:11-13
• Running to help us: What Does It Mean to “Succor” Someone?

Teaching and Leadership

• Asking questions which invite self-reflection: Have Ye Spiritually Been Born of God? – Alma 5:14
• Creating structure and predictability: According to the Order of God – Alma 6:1
• Ministering to those who don’t want to be served: The Souls of Those Who Knew Not God – Alma 6:5-6
• Remembering who you represent: According to the Revelation of the Truth – Alma 6:8
• Expressing confidence in others: I Trust – Alma 7:5-6