Preaching Christ’s Gospel
Good afternoon Brother’s and Sister’s. I am excited to speak
today. I knew this moment has been coming since I received my mission call 5
months ago, I didn’t even need a phone call from the bishop :D Many of you know
that I have been called to the Brazil Manaus Mission and I leave in a week and
a half. I am so excited to serve and teach God’s children in Brazil. I love my
Savior and I am grateful that I can serve Him and preach His gospel. As I was preparing
for this talk, I began to ponder on what the gospel really is. There is so much
greatness and comfort in the teachings of our church I wondered what the
foundation of the meaning of the gospel was. I found that Christ teaches us the
definition of His gospel in 3 Nephi 27: 13-21. He lists 8 aspects of His gospel
in these verses: the atonement, resurrection, judgment, faith in Jesus Christ,
repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. I
would like to focus on these 8 aspects for the remainder of my talk in more
detail.
The Atonement
In 3 Nephi 27:13-14 it states, “Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you- that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me…”
The atonement is the all-encompassing aspect of the gospel.
Without the atonement everything would fall to the wayside, because as
imperfect beings we need the atonement to return to God. I remember in young women’s when Sister Huber
from 1st Ward would teach she would write the title of the lesson on
the board and then add “And the atonement.” I began learning then that all the
principles of the gospel can be brought back to the atonement and its
significance of it in each of our lives.
Over the course of my life I have learned and gained a
testimony of the atonement and my Savior’s sacrifice for me and you. One of my
favorite scriptures is found in 2 Nephi 9:10, “Oh how great the goodness of our
God, who prepared a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster;
yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also
the death of the spirit.” Isn’t it amazing that God, our loving Heavenly
Father, would provide a way for us to return to Him even though it meant
sacrificing His only Begotten? He has given us a sure way to return to Him
through the atonement if we use it.
Elder Russell M. Nelson said in his October 1996 General
conference address, “This is the great latter-day work of which we are a part.
That is why we have missionaries; that is why we have temples- to bring the
fullest blessings of the Atonement to faithful children of God. That is why we
respond to our own calls from the Lord. When we comprehend His voluntary
Atonement, any sense of sacrifice on our part becomes completely overshadowed
by a profound sense of gratitude for the privilege of serving Him.”
I am so excited to serve Him as a missionary and to share
His gospel and the saving knowledge of the atonement with my brothers and
sisters in Brazil!
Resurrection
Christ taught in 3 Nephi 27: 14, “And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should me be lifted up by the Father…”
In the past year of my life I have lost my Grandmother as
most of you know and a very close friend. I cannot express how the knowledge of
the resurrection has helped me through the grieving process. I know that the
Savior broke the bands of death and that one day all of us will be resurrected
in Him. I know that I will be reunited with those that I have lost. In Mosiah 16:7-8 it states, “And if Christ
had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave
should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have
been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no
victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.”
We are given everlasting hope through our knowledge of the
resurrection. Elder Joseph B. Wirthllin said in his October 2006 Conference
address, “On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised,
abused and reviled. It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow
that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God. I think
that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday
was the darkest. But the doom of that day did not endure. The despair did not
linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He
ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all
mankind. And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing
tears dried. The lips that had whispered prayers of distress and grief now
filled the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the
living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof
that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence… We will all
have our Fridays. But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered
death- Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.”
Judgment
In
3 Nephi 27: 15 it says, “And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore,
according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may
be judged according to their works.”
There will come a day, not as far away as it may seem that we will be
brought before God to be judged of our works. We will be held accountable for
all the things we did or did not do; the things we said, even the things we
thought. In Alma 12:14 Amulek warns, “For our words will condemn us, yea, all
our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thought will
also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our
God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains
to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.” That sounds a little scary and
after I spoke of the hope there is in the atonement and resurrection too… But
Heavenly Father did not leave us, He will never leave us. He provided a way for
us to stand before Him clean and pure, He gave us Jesus Christ.
Alma later teaches in 42:22, “But there is a law given, and
a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance mercy
claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and
the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be
destroyed, and God would cease to be God.”
Abinadi also taught of the hope the Savior brings during
judgment. In Mosiah 15:8-9 he said, “And thus God breaketh the bands of death,
having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession
for the children of men- Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of
mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of me; standing
betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself
their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied
the demands of justice.”
We will be judged according to our works and we must do our
best in this life, but through Jesus Christ all can be made right and our
imperfections can be made perfect through Him.
Samuel the Lamanite taught in Helaman 15:7-8, “And behold,
ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are
brought to the knowledge of the truth, and to know of the wicked and abominable
traditions of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea,
the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to
faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a
change of heart unto them- Therefore, as many as have come to this, ye know of
yourselves are firm and steadfast in the faith, and in the thing wherewith they
have been made free.” We gain this life changing faith by studying the words of
ancient and living prophets and then living it.
We are taught in True to the Faith that, “Faith is a
principle of action and power. Whenever you work toward a worthy goal, you
exercise faith. You show your hope for something that you cannot yet see. In
order for your faith to lead you to salvation, it must be centered in the Lord
Jesus Christ.”
My
decision to serve a mission is an act of my faith in Jesus Christ. I know that
He is my Savior and that He loves me. I know that He loves all of His children
weather they know it or not. I decided to serve my Savior because I know there
is at least one person who is waiting to hear that Jesus Christ loves them and
wants them to return to Him. I have faith that He will lead me to these people
searching for the truth and will touch their hearts as I testify of Him.
Here is another nugget I was talking about earlier, repentance. In the 4th article of faith we learn that repentance is the second principle of the gospel. Repentance is more than just apologizing for wrong doings; it is more than feeling bad. According to the Bible Dictionary it is a fresh view about God, oneself, and about the world; it is turning your heart and will over to God. Repentance is not optional to our salvation it is necessary.
Neal A. Maxwell said
in his October 1991 Conference address, “Repentance requires both turning away
from evil and turning to God. When a mighty change is required, full repentance
involves a 180-degree turn, and without looking back! Initially, this turning
reflects progress from telestial to terrestrial behavior, and later on to
celestial behavior. As the sins of the telestial world are left behind, the
focus falls ever more steadily upon the sins of omission, which often keep us
from full consecration.”
Repentance is necessary in our eternal progression towards
eternal life. We cannot become like Jesus unless we are humble, meek, and
penitent. Christ suffered for all that we do whether or not we use the
atonement, so why don’t we use it? Repentance is allowing yourself to change,
give up old ways and habits to align yourself with God and His will. 1
John 1:7-10
In
3 Nephi 27:20 we are taught, “Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends
of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be
sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless
before me at the last day.” The third principle and ordinance of the gospel is
baptism, we are commanded to do it.
Some people may ask why are we baptized. In Moses 6:60 it
states, “For by water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified,
and by the blood ye are sanctified” In other words, we are commanded to be
baptized so we are.
I want to quickly remind you what covenants we make when we
are baptized. We read in Mosiah 5:8, “There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh;
therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you
that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto
the end of your lives.” In Mosiah 18:8-9 we are taught, “And it came to pass
that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were
they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to
be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they
may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn yea and
comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God
at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in , even
until death, that ye may be with those of the first resurrection, that ye may
have eternal life.”
Baptism is essential to our salvation and furtherance in the
gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a sign of our commitment to obey God’s
commandments. I want to point out that we are to stand as a witness of God. It
wasn’t until recently that I realized that that means we are to be member
missionaries. Not everyone will get to serve a mission in this life with a name
tag and official call. But, we have all accepted, at baptism, to stand as a
witness. We can be good examples, we can share with our friends, and we can
live our lives like Christ and reach out to others.
Baptism is not the end though, we have more to accept and do
in this life. President James E. Faust
taught in his April 2001 conference address, “Baptism by immersion in water is
“the introductory ordinance of the gospel, and must be followed by baptism of
the Spirit in order to be complete. Joseph Smith said, “Baptism by water is but
half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half- that is, the
baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Gift of the Holy Ghost
3
Nephi 27:20 Christ says, “… come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye
may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost…” We not only need to be
baptized by water but also by the fire of the Holy Ghost. When we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost,
He becomes our constant companion if we live worthily. He will teach us, guide
us, comfort us, warn us, reveal truths to us, and much more. The power of the Holy Ghost is a power that
every missionary needs to carry with them throughout their mission. In 2 Nephi
33:1 we read, “And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught
among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a
man speaketh by the power of the Holy
Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children
of men.”
A missionary can say words, teach truths, and bear
testimony, but without the Holy Ghost investigators and members will not feel
and know for themselves of the truths being taught. It is the Holy Ghost that
truly converts people, missionaries are an instrument in the process.
In his October 1996 conference address, Elder Dallin H. Oaks
said, “For faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ, the companionship of
the Holy Spirit should be so familiar that we must use care not to take it for
granted. For example, that good feeling you have felt during the messages and
music of this conference is a confirming witness of the Spirit, available to
faithful members on a continuing basis. A member once asked my why he felt so
good about the talks and music in a sacrament meeting, while a guest he had
invited that day apparently experienced no such feeling. This is but one
illustration of the contrast between one who has the gift of the Holy Ghost and
is in tune with his promptings and one who has not, or is not.” We need to strive to have the constant
companionship of the Holy Ghost and we also need to strive to recognize his
presence, so that we can help those around us recognize his influence and
teachings.
3
Nephi 27:16 Christ teaches, “And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth
and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end,
behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at the day when I shall
stand to judge the world.”
After we have taken part in all the principles and
ordinances of the gospel, we need to endure to the end. We continue on until we
are called back to the presence of Heavenly Father.
The greatest example of enduring to the end is my grandma
Nay. As most of you witnessed, she came to church every Sunday until about 2
weeks before she passed away. She endured unimaginable amounts of pain because
she wanted to be faithful to the end. She loved Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ and worshiped them in every way. She went to the temple until she
absolutely couldn’t any longer, she read the scriptures until her eyes could no
longer see the print, and she came to church to partake of the sacrament until
she could no longer sit upright. She upheld every covenant she made in this
life until she died. Her example will shine brightly in my memory of that of
enduring every kind of pain to worship God until her last breath.
My grandma truly lived up to 2 Nephi 31:20, “Wherefore, ye
must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness
of hope, and a love of God and of all men.
Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ
and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal
life.”
“Enduring to the end implies “patient continuance in well
doing”, striving to keep the commandments, and doing the works of
righteousness. It requires sacrifice and hard work. To endure to the end, we
need to trust our Father in Heaven and make wise choices, including paying our
tithes and offering, honoring our temple covenants, and serving the Lord and
one another willingly and faithfully in our Church callings and
responsibilities. It means strength of character, selflessness, and humility;
it means integrity and honesty to the Lord and our fellowmen, it means making
our homes strong places of defense and a refuge against worldly evils; it means
loving and honoring our spouses and children.” Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Have We Not
Reason To Rejoice, October 2007
