Heavenly Father’s great plan of happiness includes the doctrine, the ordinances, the covenants, and the exceeding great and precious promises (this phrase is printed/used 16 times in this talk!) whereby we can become partakers of the divine nature.
One
of the great challenges each of us faces every day is to not allow
the concerns of this world to so dominate our time and energy that we
neglect the eternal things that matter most.1 We
can be too easily diverted from remembering and focusing upon
essential spiritual priorities because of our many responsibilities
and busy schedules. Sometimes we try to run so fast that we may
forget where we are going and why we are running.
The Apostle Peter reminds us that
for disciples
of Jesus Christ, “his
divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life
and godliness, through
the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Is this what the "call to glory and virtue" sounds like? "Citius, Altius, Fortius" means "swifter, higher, stronger". Is this not the race I am being called to run? God is "hastening is work" (swifter); asking me to lift my life above the world (higher); challenging me to build my faith and testimony and conversion (stronger).
Is this what the "call to glory and virtue" sounds like? "Citius, Altius, Fortius" means "swifter, higher, stronger". Is this not the race I am being called to run? God is "hastening is work" (swifter); asking me to lift my life above the world (higher); challenging me to build my faith and testimony and conversion (stronger).
“Whereby
are given unto us exceeding
great and precious promises: that
by
these ye might
be partakers
of the divine nature, having
escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
My
message emphasizes the importance
of the exceeding great and precious promises described by
Peter as true reminders of
where we are going in our mortal
journey and why. I also will discuss the respective roles
of the Sabbath day, the holy temple, and our homes in helping
us to remember these important
spiritual promises.
I
earnestly pray that the Holy Ghost will instruct each of us as we
consider together these important
truths.
Our Divine Identity
Our
Heavenly Father’s great plan of
happiness includes the doctrine,
the ordinances, the covenants, and the exceeding great and precious
promises whereby we can
become partakers of the divine nature. His plan defines our eternal identity and the pathway we
must follow to learn, change, grow, and ultimately dwell with Him
forever.
“All
human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God.
Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as
such, each has a divine nature and
destiny. …
“In
the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped
God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His
children could obtain a physical
body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and
ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.”3
God
promises His children that if they follow
the precepts of His plan
and the example
of His Beloved Son,
keep
the commandments, and
endure in faith to the end,
then by
virtue of the Savior’s Redemption,
they “shall
have eternal life,
which gift is the greatest
of all the gifts of God.”4 Eternal
life is the ultimate
exceeding great and precious promise.
Spiritual Rebirth
We
comprehend more fully the
exceeding great and precious
promises and begin to
partake of the divine nature by responding
affirmatively to the call
from the Lord to glory and virtue.
As described by Peter, this call is
fulfilled by striving to
escape the corruption that is in the world.
As
we press
forward submissively with faith in the Savior,
then because of His Atonement
and by the power of
the Holy
Ghost, “a
mighty change [takes place] in us, or in our hearts, that we have no
more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”5 We
are “born again; yea, born of God, changed from [our] carnal and
fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of
God.”6 “Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new.”7
Such
a comprehensive
change in our nature
typically does not
occur quickly or all at once.
Like the Savior, we also receive “not of the fulness at the first,
but [receive] grace
for grace.”8 “For
behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men
line
upon line, precept upon precept,
here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken
unto my precepts, and lend
an ear unto my
counsel, for they shall learn
wisdom.”9
Priesthood
ordinances and sacred covenants are essential in this ongoing
process of spiritual rebirth; they also are the means
God has appointed whereby we receive
His exceeding great and precious promises. Ordinances
that are received worthily and
remembered continually open the
heavenly channels through which the power of godliness can flow into
our lives. Covenants that
are honored steadfastly and remembered always provide purpose and the
assurance of blessings in both mortality and for eternity.
For
example, God promises
us, according
to our faithfulness, the constant companionship of
the third member of the Godhead, even the Holy
Ghost,10 that
through
the Atonement of Jesus Christ
we can
receive and always retain a remission of our sins,11 that
we can receive
peace in this world,12 that
the Savior has broken the bands of death and was victorious
over the grave,13 and
that families
can be together for
all eternity.
Understandably,
all of the exceeding great and precious promises Heavenly Father
offers to His children cannot be counted or described
comprehensively. However, even the partial list of promised blessings I just presented should cause
each of us to “stand all amazed”14 and
“fall down and worship the Father”15 in
the name of Jesus Christ.
Remembering the Promises
President
Lorenzo Snow warned, “We
are too apt to forget the great object of life, the motive of our
Heavenly Father in sending us here to put on mortality, as well as
the holy calling with which we have been called; and hence, instead
of rising above the little transitory things … , we too often
allow ourselves to come down to the level of the world without
availing ourselves of the divine help which God has instituted, which
alone can enable us to overcome [those transitory things].”16
The
Sabbath day and the holy temple are two specific sources of divine
help instituted by God to assist us in rising above the level and
corruption of the world. We initially may think that the
overarching purposes of keeping the Sabbath day holy and attending
the temple are related but distinctive. I believe, however, that
those two purposes are precisely
the same and work together to strengthen us spiritually as
individuals and in our homes.
The Sabbath
After God created all things, He rested on the seventh day and commanded that one day each week be a time of rest to help people remember Him.17 The Sabbath is God’s time, a sacred time specifically set apart for worshipping Him and for receiving and remembering His great and precious promises.
After God created all things, He rested on the seventh day and commanded that one day each week be a time of rest to help people remember Him.17 The Sabbath is God’s time, a sacred time specifically set apart for worshipping Him and for receiving and remembering His great and precious promises.
“That
thou mayest more fully keep thyself
unspotted from the world, thou shalt go
to the house of prayer and offer
up thy sacraments upon my
holy day;
“For
verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and
to pay
thy devotions unto the Most High.”18
Thus,
on the Sabbath we worship
the Father in the name of the Son by participating in ordinances and
learning about, receiving, remembering, and renewing covenants.
On His
holy day, our
thoughts, actions, and demeanor are signs we give to God and an
indicator of our love for Him.19
An
additional
purpose of the Sabbath
is to elevate
our vision from the
things of the world to the blessings of eternity.
Removed during this sacred time
from many of the regular
routines of our busy
lives, we can “look
to God and live”20 by
receiving
and remembering the great and precious promises whereby we become
partakers of the divine nature.
The Holy Temple
The
Lord always has commanded His people to build temples,
holy places in which
worthy Saints perform
sacred gospel ceremonies and ordinances for themselves and for the
dead. Temples are the
most
holy of all places of worship.
A temple literally
is the house of the Lord, a sacred
space specifically
set apart for worshipping God and for receiving and remembering His
great and precious promises.
The Lord has directed in this dispensation, “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house,
even a house of prayer,
a house of fasting,
a house of faith,
a house of learning,
a house of glory,
a house of order,
a house
of God.”21 The
principal focus of
temple worship is participating
in ordinances and learning about, receiving, and remembering
covenants. We think,
act, and dress differently in the temple than
in other spaces that we may frequent.
A
principal
purpose of the temple
is to elevate
our vision from the things of the world to the blessings of eternity.
Removed
for a short time from the worldly settings
with which we are familiar,
we can “look to God and live”22 by
receiving and remembering the great and precious promises whereby we
become partakers of the divine nature.
Please
note that the Sabbath
day and the temple,
respectively, are a sacred
time and
a sacred
space specifically
set apart for worshipping God and for receiving and remembering His
exceeding great and precious promises to His children.
As instituted by God,the principal
purposes of these two
divine sources of
help are exactly the same:
to powerfully and
repeatedly
focus
our attention upon our Heavenly Father, His Only Begotten Son, the
Holy Ghost, and the promises associated with the ordinances and
covenants of the Savior’s restored gospel.
Our Homes
Importantly,
a home
should be the ultimate
combination of time
and space wherein
individuals
and families remember most effectively
God’s
great and precious promises.
Leaving our homes to spend time in Sunday
meetings and to enter
the sacred space of a temple
is vital
but insufficient. Only
as we bring
the spirit and strength derived from those holy activities back with
us into our homes can we sustain our focus upon the great purposes of
mortal life and overcome the corruption that is in the world.
Our Sabbath
and temple experiences should be spiritual
catalysts that imbue
individuals and families
and our homes
with continual
reminders of key lessons learned,
with
the presence and power of the Holy Ghost,
with ongoing
and deepening conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ,
and with “a
perfect brightness of hope”23 in
God’s eternal promises.
The
Sabbath
and the temple can
help
us to establish in our homes “a more excellent way”24 as
we “gather
together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in
heaven, and which are
on
earth; even in him.”25 What
we do in our homes with His sacred
time and
with what we learn in His sacred
space is
pivotal to becoming partakers of the divine nature.
PROMISE AND TESTIMONY
We
easily can be overcome by
the routine and mundane matters of
mortality. Sleeping, eating,
dressing, working, playing, exercising, and many other
customary activities are
necessary and important. But
ultimately, what
we become is the result of our knowledge of and willingness to learn
from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; it is not merely the
sum total of our daily pursuits over the course of a lifetime.
The
gospel
is so much more than a routine checklist of discrete tasks to be
performed; rather, it is a magnificent tapestry of truth “fitly
framed”26 and
woven together, designed to help us become like our Heavenly Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ, even partakers of the divine nature.
Truly,
we are blinded
“by looking beyond the mark”27 when
this overarching spiritual reality
is overshadowed
by the cares, concerns, and casualness of the world.
As we are wise and invite the Holy Spirit to be our guide,28 I promise He will teach us what is true. “He will testify of Christ, [and] light our minds with heaven’s view”29 as we strive to fulfill our eternal destiny and become partakers of the divine nature.
As we are wise and invite the Holy Spirit to be our guide,28 I promise He will teach us what is true. “He will testify of Christ, [and] light our minds with heaven’s view”29 as we strive to fulfill our eternal destiny and become partakers of the divine nature.
I
bear my witness that the exceeding
great and precious promises associated with our ordinances and
covenants are sure. The Lord
has so declared:
“I
give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn
to you for your salvation.
“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”30
“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”30
I
witness that our
Heavenly
Father lives and is
the author
of the plan of salvation.
Jesus
Christ is His Only Begotten Son, our Savior and Redeemer. He lives.
And I testify that the
Father’s
plan and promises, the Savior’s Atonement, and the companionship of
the Holy Ghost make possible “peace in this world, and eternal life
in the world to come.”31 Of
these things I testify in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
amen.
Warnings to check myself on!
- concerns of the world dominating my time and energy
- Neglecting eternal things that matter most
- Too easily diverted from remembering and focusing on essential spiritual priorities
- Run so fast that I forget where I am going and why I am running
- routine and mundane matters (sleeping, eating, dressing, working, playing, exercising, and many other customary activities) of life easily overcoming me
- forgetting the great object of life
- forgetting why Heavenly Father wanted to send me here
- forgetting the holy calling with which I have been called
- allowing myself to go down to the level of the world
- letting the cares, concerns and casualness of the world blind me to the truth!
Solutions:
- 1 D&C 25:10 10 And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.
- accept the divine help God instituted- the Sabbath day and the holy temple, which ALONE can enable me to rise above the world
- Remember: The gospel is a magnificent tapestry of truth, not a routine checklist, specifically designed to help me become like my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ - which IS partaking of the divine nature
- This is the OVERARCHING SPIRITUAL REALITY of the gospel
Our Divine Identity
- I have a divine nature and destiny
- I am a spirit child of God.
- I accepted His plan to come to earth to gain a physical body and have earthly experience where I progress toward perfection and ultimately inherit eternal life - which is the ULTIMATE 'exceeding great and precious promise."
Spiritual Rebirth
- Respond to the 'call to glory and virtue' by striving to escape the corruption that is in the world
- Press forward, submissively, with faith in the Savior until, line upon line, grace for grace, I am changed from my carnal fallen state; born again
Remembering the Promises
-
The
Sabbath day and the temple work together to strengthen me spiritually both individually and in my home
The Sabbath
- God himself rested on the seventh day
- He commands I rest once a week to help me remember Him
- The Sabbath is His sacred time, specifically set apart for worshipping God and receiving and remembering His promises
-
To
keep myself unspotted from the world I am to:
- go to church
- offer up my sacraments (participate in the Sacrament)
- pay my devotions
- learn about my covenants
- receive, remember and renew my covenants
- indicate my love for God by my thoughts, actions and demeanor
- elevate my vision to the things of eternity
- remove myself from the regular routine of everyday life
-
"look
to God and live"
-
As
I do these things I become a partaker of the divine nature as I
receive and remember the 'exceeding great and precious promises'
The Holy Temple
- The temple is the house of the Lord, which makes it a sacred space and the most holy of all places of worship
- It is specifically set apart for worshipping God and receiving and remembering His promises
- It is a house of prayer, fasting, faith, learning, glory, and order
- The principle focus there is to participate in ordinances and learn about, receive and remember covenants.
- I think, act, and dress differently there
- A principle purpose there is to elevate my vision to the blessings of eternity
- I am removed for a short time from the world
- I "look to God and live"
-
As
I do these things I become a partaker of the divine nature as I receive and remember the 'exceeding great and precious promises'
-
These
two DIVINE sources of help, instituted by God have the same purpose
- to
POWERFULLY and REPEATEDLY focus
my attention upon my Heavenly Father, His Only Begotten Son, the
Holy Ghost, and the PROMISES associated with the ordinances and
covenants of the Savior’s restored gospel.
Our Homes
MY Home - IMPORTANT!!!
- The ultimate combination of time and space where I remember most effectively God's promises
- Must bring the spirit and strength received at church and in the temple to sustain my focus on the purpose of life and overcome the corruption in the world
- Sabbath and Temple experiences should be spiritual catalysts
- They provide continual reminders of key lessons learned
- I should feel the power and presence of the Holy Ghost
- They should inspire me with ongoing and deepening conversion to Christ
- They provide me with a 'perfect brightness of hope' in God's eternal promises
- They help me establish a 'more excellent way' in my homes by gathering together in one, all things in Christ - both the things of heaven and earth
- To
become 'partakers of the divine nature' it is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
what I do in my home on the Sabbath and what I learn in the
temple
Promise and Testimony
- Ultimately, what I become is the result of:
- my knowledge of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost
- my willingness to learn from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost
IMPORTANT TRUTHS:
- My goal is to escape the corruption that is in the world and partake of
the divine nature by receiving these 'exceeding great and precious
promises. - Priesthood ordinances and sacred covenants are the essential means for receiving these 'promises'
- These promises are TRUE reminders of where I am going and why.
- The Sabbath day, the holy temple and my home should help me remember these important promises.
PROMISES:
- follow the Plan; follow the Savior; keep the commandments; endure in faith to the end THEN, I shall have eternal life by virtue of the Savior's Redemption.
- Be wise and invite the Holy Spirit to be my guide and He will
teach me what is true
- strive to fulfill my eternal destiny and become like my Heavenly Father and His Son and the Holy Spirit will testify of Christ, and light my mind with heaven's view
- the promises associated with my ordinances and covenants are sure
- these directions on how to act (as given through our ordinances and covenants) are for my salvation
- if I do not follow them - I HAVE NO PROMISES
- I can have peace in this world and eternal life in the world to
come if I follow the Father's Plan through the Atonement of Jesus
Christ and the companionship of the Holy Ghost
- ordinances that are received worthily and remembered continually open the heavenly channels through which the power of godliness can flow into my life.
- covenants that are honored steadfastly and remembered always provide purpose and the assurance of blessings in both mortality and for eternity.
- according to my faithfulness, I can receive and always retain a remission of my sins through the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ
- I can have peace
- I can be victorious over the grave, through Christ
- I can be with my family forever
These promises should cause me to 'Stand all amazed' and fall down and worship the Father in the name of Christ.
May we be persuaded as in Hebrews 11:13 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."
May we be persuaded as in Hebrews 11:13 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."
