(This is a lesson I taught in Relief Society back in 2008.)
In November 1831, there was a conference of the Church in
which Joseph Smith and other leaders decided to publish the revelations Joseph
had received.
Following this conference, the Prophet
recalled, “my time was occupied closely in reviewing the commandments and
sitting in conference, for nearly two weeks; for from the first to the twelfth
of November we held four special conferences. In the last … the conference
voted that they prize the revelations to be worth … the riches of the whole
earth.” The conference also declared that the revelations are “the foundation
of the Church in these last days, and a benefit to the world, showing that the
keys of the mysteries of the kingdom of our Savior are again entrusted to man;
and the riches of eternity [are] within the compass of those who are willing to
live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Pg. 194)
These people voted that the revelations are “worth the
riches of the whole earth” and said that “the riches of eternity are within the
compass of those who are willing to live by every word that proceedeth out of
the mouth of God.”
·
What are the revelations of God worth
to us, both in a general sense and on a personal level?
·
Why does it matter that we have
revelation and a living prophet?
·
How has revelation changed your life?
·
How can it?
Thinking about some revelations throughout the history of the
church, we have the Word of Wisdom, which helps us to be healthy; programs like
Family Home Evening and things like the Proclamation on the Family, which help
us to help our families; the revelation to build smaller temples which allows
temples to be built in more areas and bring those saving ordinances to more
people, etc. The Church was organized, line upon line, through revelation,
starting with the First Vision. The Book of Mormon, the restoration of the
priesthood, the temple ordinances both for the living and the dead, etc. were
all given to us through revelation to the Lord’s prophet.
On a personal level, the revelation the
prophets receive can also bless our lives as we pay attention to their words.
One things that I was thinking about as I prepared this lesson is that often,
when we really listen to the words of the prophets, when we study them or show
the Lord that we really want to know His will, then we open ourselves to the
Spirit and we receive guidance on how to apply the things we are being taught
in our own lives. One thing that comes to mind for me is my decision to go to
grad school. I had never wanted to go, but I reached a point a couple years
after I graduated from BYU where I started thinking about it, and I took a
prerequisite class for a program I had considered doing and decided I didn’t
want to go into that field. I kinda started studying for the GRE in case I
decided to go to grad school and figured out a different program I’d be
interested in. And there came a point where I realized I needed to actually
decide, so I thought about it and decided to fast and pray about it. So I spent
one Fast Sunday really trying to decide, trying to figure out what to do, but I
didn’t really feel pulled in either direction. That night, though, there was a CES fireside with Elder Neil L. Andersen of
the Seventy, and he
talked about following the counsel of the living prophet, and then he mentioned
a couple examples. He said, “President Hinckley has
strongly counseled you, the young adults of the Church, to pursue as much
education as possible. In October general conference he said: “I call your
attention to another matter that gives me great concern. In revelation the Lord
has mandated that this people get all the education they can. He has been very
clear about this.”When he said that, I seriously looked up and thought, “Is that my answer? Are You talking to me?” Well, Elder Anderson kept talking:
“What is the great concern? Education. Who has been very clear about this? The Lord. Who is revealing this to you? His prophet. And, yes, he is speaking to you.”
So my next thought was, Well, how do I do that? I don’t have the money to go to grad school. But Elder Andersen kept going:
“If you come from a family that has few resources for education, you may be unsure about what this means for you. When you are unsure, hold fast to the iron rod. Trust the words of the prophet! The answers will come.
“In some parts of the world, such as in the United States and Europe, it may mean that you need to sell your automobile or live in more humble circumstances in order to stay enrolled or return to school. In other areas of the world the sacrifice may be greater. In some countries the Perpetual Education Fund may be able to help. In almost all cases it will require faith, trusting in the Lord and in the Lord’s prophet—holding fast to the iron rod—as you find your way. If you are not sure how to follow the specific counsel of the prophet, pray with all your heart and discuss your concerns with your parents and with your bishop. While it will require patience and faith, I promise you that answers will come and a way will be opened to you.”
So I started studying in earnest for the GRE, started looking at grad schools, and figured out where to apply, and got the process going. So far I’ve only taken one class, and I don’t really know how this path will specifically bless my life or how it will allow me to help others, but I know that when I wanted the Lord’s answer, He gave it to me—and it came through the prophet (or, a Seventy reminding me of what the prophet had taught.)
Joseph Smith said, “Salvation cannot come without revelation; it is in vain for anyone to minister without it. … No man can be a minister of Jesus Christ except he has the testimony of Jesus; and this is the spirit of prophecy [see Revelation 19:10]. Whenever salvation has been administered, it has been by testimony. Men of the present time testify of heaven and hell, and have never seen either; and I will say that no man knows these things without this.”
Why not?
There’s a power that comes from revelation.
Let’s turn to 3 Nephi 28:34, which says: “And wo be unto him that will not hearken unto the words of Jesus, and also to them whom he hath chosen and sent among them; for whoso receiveth not the words of Jesus and the words of those whom he hath sent receiveth not him; and therefore he will not receive them at the last day;”
When we don’t receive His words, we miss out on eternal life.
On
the other hand, let’s look at D&C 21:4-6, which says: “Wherefore, meaning
the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he
shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
“For
his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
“For
by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and
the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause
the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.”
What are some of the blessings that we get
from following the prophets?
Why won’t the gates of hell prevail against
us? I think there’s a literal element of protection, the Lord adds strength to
our own, but we also develop the strength and the characteristics that allow us
to stand against Satan. When we follow the prophets, we change and we grow, and
we become able to face Satan’s temptations and say no. And as we continually
follow the prophets and we do change and grow, we are following Christ, and
salvation comes when we follow Him.
Joseph Smith said, “Jesus in
His teachings says, ‘Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it.’ [Matthew 16:18.] What rock? Revelation.”
I had an institute teacher who pointed out
that the Conference Center, where we receive the words of the Lord through the
prophets, is made out of granite—a rock—and that there’s a waterfall coming out
of it. The Lord has called himself the Living Water, and He has said that upon
the rock of revelation, He will build His church. And He builds His church by
building His people. The church is about people, not the programs, not the
buildings, etc. So the Conference Center is a beautiful symbol of what the Lord
gives us—through the rock of revelation, like General Conference, He gives us
the Living Water, allowing us to drink as deeply as we desire.
Wilford Woodruff recounted this story from
the life of Joseph Smith:
“I will refer to a
certain meeting I attended in the town of Kirtland in my early days. At that
meeting some remarks were made … with regard to the living oracles and with
regard to the written word of God. … A leading man in the Church got up and
talked upon the subject, and said: ‘You have got the word of God before you
here in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and
Doctrine and Covenants; you have the written word of God, and you who give
revelations should give revelations according to those books, as what is
written in those books is the word of God. We should confine ourselves to
them.’
“When he concluded,
Brother Joseph turned to Brother Brigham Young and said, ‘Brother Brigham, I
want you to take the stand and tell us your views with regard to the living
oracles and the written word of God.’ Brother Brigham took the stand, and he
took the Bible, and laid it down; he took the Book of Mormon, and laid it down;
and he took the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and laid it down before him,
and he said: ‘There is the written word of God to us, concerning the work of
God from the beginning of the world, almost, to our day. And now,’ said he,
‘when compared with the [living] oracles those books are nothing to me; those
books do not convey the word of God direct to us now, as do the words of a
Prophet or a man bearing the Holy Priesthood in our day and generation. I would
rather have the living oracles than all the writing in the books.’ That was the
course he pursued. When he was through, Brother Joseph said to the
congregation: ‘Brother Brigham has told you the word of the Lord, and he has
told you the truth.’”
Does
anyone have any thoughts on that?
Obviously,
the scriptures are important to us; the Lord wants us to have them. But we need
to pay attention to the living prophets.
Article of Faith #9
says, “We believe…that he will yet reveal many great and important things
pertaining to the kingdom of God.” He isn’t done talking to
us, He isn’t done teaching us, and He isn’t done showing us how to build His
kingdom.
The manual asks this
question: What would be missing from your life if you confined yourself to the
standard works, without hearing the words of the living prophet? What can we do
to follow the spirit of Brigham Young’s counsel?
In order to follow, we need to know
what they’re saying. We need to make the effort to watch, listen to, and read
Conference. The Church does a great job making the words of the living prophets
available to us; so we need to make sure we are studying their words.
In 1973, in his closing remarks at the October General Conference,
President Harold B. Lee said, “Now, you
Latter-day Saints, I think you have never attended a conference where in these
three days you have heard more inspired declarations on most every subject and
problem about which you have been worrying. If you want to know what the Lord
would have the Saints know and to have his guidance and direction for the next
six months, get a copy of the proceedings of this conference, and you will have
the latest word of the Lord as far as the Saints are concerned. And [also] all
others who are not of us, but who believe what has been said has been “the mind
of the Lord, the will of the Lord, and the voice of the Lord, and the power of
God unto salvation.” (See D&C 68:4.)”
Back
in February, I think, they had the Worldwide Leadership Training, and it was on
a Saturday morning, and I debated whether or not to go. It was open to everyone,
but I didn’t have a leadership calling, so I didn’t feel like I needed to go.
But I was trying to figure out if I SHOULD go, and while I was reading my
scriptures and pondering and praying, the thought came to me, “Never pass up a
chance to hear the Brethren speak.” These aren’t ordinary men speaking ordinary
words; these are men who are called of God to speak for Him, and they do speak
for Him.
The
book also asks the question, “What counsel did the President of the Church given
in the past general conference?”
Do
you know the answer to that? I thought about it, and I remembered that he told
a story about his wife being in the hospital, and he told a story about meeting
his wife’s parents the first time he went to take her out for a date, and he
told a story about his ancestors and how when they were crossing the plains to
go to Utah, some of them got cholera and died. And I remembered that he wiggled
his ears.
All
of that is true, but none of it really tells me what he said, so I had to go
back and look at what President Monson really said. To the priesthood holders,
he talked about being examples of righteousness and doing their duty. And I do
know, if you look at President Monson’s talks, he talks so frequently about
doing your duty. That’s something that really matters to him, and it should
matter to us.
When
he told the story of his ancestors and the cholera that killed several members
of that family, he taught us about being dedicated, being steadfast and firm.
In
his final address, “Abundantly Blessed,” he talked to us about incorporating
what we’d learned about at Conference, he talked about family relationships and
being loving and kind. And he asked us to pray for him.
We
need to be careful not to reject the words of the prophets, either by being
ignorant of what they’re saying or by knowing what they’re saying and trying to
justify not doing it.
In the manual, it says, Eliza R.
Snow recorded: “[Joseph Smith] said,
if God has appointed him, and chosen him as an instrument to lead the Church,
why not let him lead it through? Why stand in the way when he is appointed to
do a thing? Who knows the mind of God? Does He not reveal things differently
from what we expect? [The Prophet] remarked that he was continually rising,
although he had everything bearing him down, standing in his way, and opposing;
notwithstanding all this opposition, he always comes out right in the
end. …
“He reproved those that were disposed to find fault with
the management of the concerns of the Church, saying God had called him to lead
the Church, and he would lead it right; those that undertake to interfere will
be ashamed when their own folly is made manifest.” (page 200)
The
Lord has chosen to lead His church through His prophets, and we need to let
them lead. And we need to be careful about our attitudes, too.
The manual also says: “Now for persons to do things,
merely because they are advised to do them, and yet murmur all the time they
are doing them, is of no use at all; they might as well not do them. There are
those who profess to be Saints who are too apt to murmur, and find fault, when
any advice is given, which comes in opposition to their feelings, even when
they, themselves, ask for counsel; much more so when counsel is given unasked
for, which does not agree with their notion of things; but brethren, we hope
for better things from the most of you; we trust that you desire counsel, from
time to time, and that you will cheerfully conform to it, whenever you receive
it from a proper source.”
Let’s
cheerfully conform, recognizing that the Lord, and therefore His prophet as
well, wants what is best for us, that the Lord’s work and His glory is our
immortality and eternal life, and when He asks us to do something, He is working
toward that goal.
The
Lord wants to speak to us, and one way that He has chosen to do that is through
the living prophets. We are so blessed that He does want to speak to us and
that there are men on this earth who live their lives so that they can be
called to be prophets, seers, and revelators. We could be missing out on so
much if we didn’t have the living prophet, if we didn’t have revelation. I’m so
grateful that we do, that we have protection against being led astray, and that
we have more than the wisdom of the world. I know that as we listen to the
prophets, the Lord will guide us as a church but also as individuals. If we
will listen, He will lead us. I’m grateful for President Monson, and I’m grateful
that as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have the
opportunity to sustain him, because I know he is the Lord’s prophet on the
earth today. And I say this is the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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