[This is a talk I gave in my ward earlier this year]
I am before you not as one who is righteous or who is better than anybody else. I have waded through affliction of soul and repentance and pondering and fasting and prayer to deliver something today worthy of the Lords approbation. I pray for the spirit to be with us to confirm these words into our hearts that we all may be edified and ascend just a little higher.
In the Book of Alma, the prophet Alma taught:
And we see that death comes upon mankind, . . . nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.
Probation – from Latin “probare” to test or prove.
This life is a state of testing and proving. To prepare to meet God (and I would add to help others to do the same.)
Spencer W. Kimball said it beautifully when he stated:
“Since immortality and eternal life constitute the sole purpose of life, all other interests and activities are but incidental there unto.”
I think it would be fair to say that we sometimes have it backward. All the other interests and activities of this mortal life take preeminence in our lives and pursuing the path to eternal life becomes incidental. (I know I am guilty of this)
We believe as Paul taught in the New Testament and revealed again to a latter-day Prophet in degrees of glory after this life. In D&C 76 we read about those who failed to make it to the highest level:
“These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God.”
So they fell short in this life’s test or their probationary state. The failed to receive and live up to the light that the Lord was offering. How can we avoid this result in our lives? How can we be valiant in the testimony of Jesus? To the youth within the sound of my voice I plead with you to take the gospel seriously to know for yourself if it is true. To begin right now to make the most of this probationary state or in other words this life’s test.
“there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, . . . the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.” Some of these principles of righteousness are taught openly in the church and others are only learned by paying the price to know them.
One of the great stumbling blocks (in addition to pride) to being valiant in the testimony of Jesus is idolatry. It was one of the biggest sins in the Bible and one which was answered upon the Israelites with covenant curses.
What is idolatry? To the youth this may be a word you never heard before so let’s come up with a definition for our purposes.
Definition: Worldly objects or pursuits to which man devotes his time and energies towards which are not of God. Another useful definition is to be preoccupied with the things of the world.
Of such people it has been said by an apostle:
Many individuals preoccupied by the cares of the world are not necessarily in transgression. But they certainly are in diversion and thus waste “the days of [their] probation” (2 Ne. 9:27). (Neil A. Maxwell)
Despite being tithe-paying, card-carrying, church-going members of the LDS faith can we be idolators? I’ll let you each answer for yourselves but for me the answer is yes.
“In spite of our delight in defining ourselves as modern, and our tendency to think we possess a sophistication that no people in the past ever had — in spite of these things, we are, on the whole, an idolatrous people — a condition most repugnant to the Lord.” – Spencer W. Kimball
Latter-day Idols:
Idol of sport and hobby
Idol of idleness
Idol of career
Idol of self worship
– under guise of being fit and healthy
Idol of material status & possessions
– house, cars, other things
Idol of wealth
Idols of music
Idol of education
Idols in the Church leadership
Idols in popular culture (we even had a very popular show called “American Idol” which at its peak garnered over 30 million viewers)
You get the point.
When one makes tea you steep it in the water and the water infuses into the tea bag and vice versa. What do we do as those who are striving to be Saints of the Latter-days who are steeped in the world? How do we become and remain valiant in the testimony of Jesus? How to we pass this life’s test?
The Hebrew word “shuwb” is a good start, translated it means to turn again.
“When Jesus said “repent,” or as the Hebrew renders it “shube”, His disciples recorded that command in the Greek language with the verb metanoeo. This powerful word has great significance. In this word, the prefix meta means “change.” The suffix relates to four important Greek terms: nous, meaning “the mind”; gnosis, meaning “knowledge”; pneuma,meaning “spirit”; and pnoe, meaning “breath.”
Thus, when Jesus said “shuwb,” or “repent” He asked us to change—to change our mind, knowledge, and spirit—even our breath. ” – Russell Nelson
“The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to change. “Repent” is its most frequent message, and repenting means more than giving up our sins, it means giving up all of our practices—personal, family, ethnic, and national—that are contrary to the commandments of God. The purpose of the gospel is to transform common creatures into celestial citizens.” (Ensign, November 2003, dallin oaks). That is what this life is all about. “Shuwb,” “metanoeo” recognizing the path and turning around to follow it. Completely changing our mind, knowledge, spirit and breath; in other words, our whole soul.
This goes way beyond not doing “bad” things and confessing. It is a total spirit and body transformation. It is a rebirth, we become born again.
What does gospel mean? Good news. What is the good news?
1. That the punishment for sin, for disobedience was laid upon a just and holy and sinless man thus giving him power to redeem us.
2. That by coming unto Christ we can receive of his grace so that we can overcome the barriers to entering into the presence of the Lord. How is this accomplished? Through the doctrine of Christ:
And this is my doctrine, . . . I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.
And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, . . . whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost.
And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise receive these things.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. 3 Nephi 11 (selected verses)
There are a lot of significant teachings here but one thing that is significant is that these are the beginning steps that we BUILD UPON, this is NOT the end goal.
I think too many of us hold on to the lazy river model of the church and consider the church as a lazy river flowing inevitably to the celestial kingdom, and we just have to grab a raft and jump in to finally be saved in the end. Odds are, you’ll be exalted. In short, we’re going to heaven, no matter what. (Taken from http://www.totheremnant.com/2014/07/history-hearsay-and-heresy-part-1-is.html) I think this is a mistaken way of seeing things.
Now I have a message for the adults. Actually it’s from Isaiah and maybe you don’t think it applies to you but since it applies to me I figured I would share it here:
As the prophet Isaiah stated:
I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh . . . after their own thoughts;
A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; . . .
Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose . . . (Isaiah 63)
Think about this for a minute? Are our works, attitude and desires a smoke in the Lords nose? Just plain irritating because of our lack of knowledge and understanding or misguided focus; because we continuously walk after our own thoughts? I think we delude ourselfs in thinking we are righteous when we have adopted so many of the ways of Babylon. Let me raise a warning voice that all is not well in Zion. In fact we are farther away than we have ever been since the great latter day restoration.
The inspired writer in The Book of Mormon, Ameleki gave a good remedy and invitation to us:
And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved. (Omni)
We don’t just come unto Christ by ordinances alone or as if membership in the latter day church is enough. In fact these things are of little value without the offering that ameleki invited us to give and without being sealed unto us by the Holy Spirit of promise and this can only be done unto those who follow the works of righteosness, who turn away from the world unto the Lord. These are those who are valiant in the testimony of Jesus. The savior said it himself:
“Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.”
What have we done to lose ourselves for the Christ and his good news? I don’t think this merely means accepting a calling or coming to church. There is no checklist however noble that will serve as an adequate measuring rod. It goes way beyond. We must offer our whole souls to Christ. Holding anything back will retard our progression and ultimately damn us.
My invitation today to all of us is threefold two And yes it’s to the youth as well:
1. Let us reflect upon how we are spending the days of our probabtion. Are we guilty of idolatry, focusing too much on cares of this world? If so we can turn around or “shuwb” or “metanoeo”
2. [The time has come for us gentiles to take up the words of Isaiah and apply them to ourselves. He is the prophet most quoted in Book of Mormon, New Testament and by Savior himself. There are at least 3 specific invitations in Book of Mormon admonishing us to study his words. They can only be understood by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. As we seek to understand what this prophet has to say to us we will become more valiant in the testimony of Christ ] – omitted in talk
3. Let us return unto Christ in all that we do. He alone is Salvation. He is Faithful and True. There is nothing of the world that will endure. The Lord wishes to give us everything.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
I bear witness of that door. I bear witness to the great latter-day restoration and of the gathering of scattered Israel. I bear witness that the priesthood after the order of Enoch, after the Oder or Melchizedek but ultimately after the holiest order of the son of god is on the earth (Even though we don’t currently enjoy the power thereof in its fullness.). The days are coming when we will have to have that power for our divine protection. I bear witness of the doctrine of Christ. I pray that all of us can be firmly planted upon the Rock. In the name of the holy one of Israel, even Jesus the Christ. Amen.