Temples
1. "God has
commanded His people to build temples. In the temple we make sacred covenants
and are endowed with, or are given, a gift of power and knowledge from on high.
This power helps us in our daily lives and enables us to build God’s kingdom.
In the temple we can also be married for time and eternity, thus making it
possible for families to be together forever in God’s presence. After at least
one year of membership, worthy adults may be eligible to receive from their
bishop a recommend to receive their own endowment. After receiving their
endowments, married couples may be sealed or married for eternity" (Preach
My Gospel).
Q How did you gain a
testimony of temples?
Q What blessings come
from making and keeping the covenants of the temple endowment? What differences
have you seen in yourself or others after being endowed?
Q How has the temple
blessed your family?
"Riches were not a
part of my childhood. We were a family of five: my father and four siblings. My
mother had passed away when I was five years old. My father’s meager income was
used to buy our food; the purchase of clothing was put off as long as possible.
One day, somewhat bothered, I came up to my father and said, “Daddy, why don’t
you buy me some shoes? Look at these; they’re worn out, and you can see my big
toe through the hole in the shoe.”
“We’ll fix that up,” he replied and, with
some black polish, gave a shine to my shoes. Later on he told me, “Son, it’s
fixed up.”
“No,” I answered, “you can still see my big
toe.”
“That can also be fixed,” he told me. He
again took the polish and put some on my toe, and before long it shined like my
shoes. So it was early on in life I learned that happiness does not depend on
money.
"As time went by, a pair of missionaries
taught us the riches of the restored gospel, of the doctrine of the plan of
salvation, and of eternal families. We were baptized, and when my father began
his calling as district president, his first objective was to journey to the
temple and receive the blessings which would come because of that sacrifice. It
was a 15-day journey covering 4,800 miles (7,725 km)—a journey filled with
difficulties and setbacks, highways in poor condition, uncomfortable buses, not
even knowing the route, but with great hope in the ordinances we would
participate in.
"Upon arriving in the city of Mesa,
Arizona, we headed down an avenue at the end of which we could see the house of
the Lord, gleaming and beautiful. I remember the joy which filled our hearts;
we all broke out in songs and praising, and tears ran down the cheeks of many
Saints. Later in the temple, we knelt as a family to hear the beautiful
promises about an eternal family, with the certainty that our mother, though
absent, was now our mother forever, and we felt the peace which comes from
knowing that we are an eternal family. The promise of life eternal thus gave us
the riches of eternity! “Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich” (D&C
6:7)" (Enrique R. Falabella, October 2007 General Conference).
2. After two of their
children died within 6 weeks of each other, Elder Richard G. Scott recounted,
"Later, during the night, I embraced my wife and said to her, “We do not
need to worry, because our children were born in the covenant. We have the
assurance that we will have them with us in the future. Now we have a reason to
live extremely well. We have a son and a daughter who have qualified to go to
the celestial kingdom because they died before the age of eight.” That
knowledge has given us great comfort. We rejoice in the knowledge that all
seven of our children are sealed to us for time and all eternity.
"That trial has not been a problem for
either of us because, when we live righteously and have received the ordinances
of the temple, everything else is in the hands of the Lord. We can do the best
we can, but the final outcome is up to Him.... What I am trying to teach is
that when we keep the temple covenants we have made and when we live
righteously in order to maintain the blessings promised by those ordinances,
then come what may, we have no reason to worry or to feel despondent"
(Richard G. Scott, April 2009 General Conference).
Q What can a person do
to prepare to be endowed in the temple?
·
Read
Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple
and Receive temple preparation lessons.
3. "Who shall
ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who
shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who
hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully" (Psalm
24:3-4).
Q What does it mean to
have clean hands and a pure heart?
4. "Let me suggest
that hands are made clean through the process of putting off the natural man
and by overcoming sin and the evil influences in our lives through the Savior’s
Atonement. Hearts are purified as we receive His strengthening power to do good
and become better" (David A. Bednar, October 2007 General Conference).
5. "Before we can go to the temple, we must be
active, worthy members of the Church for at least one year. Men must hold the
Melchizedek Priesthood. We must be interviewed by the branch president or
bishop. If he finds us worthy, he will give us a temple recommend. If we are
not worthy, he will counsel with us and help us set goals to become worthy to
go to the temple" (Gospel Principles, Eternal Marriage).
Q What does it mean to be active in the church?
·
Attend church virtually every Sunday and serve in the church.
6. "After we receive a
recommend from our bishop or branch president, we must be interviewed by the
stake president or the mission president. We are asked questions like the
following in interviews for a temple recommend:
1. Do you have faith in and a testimony of God, the Eternal Father; His
Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost? Do you have a firm testimony of the
restored gospel?
2. Do you sustain the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints as the prophet, seer, and revelator? Do you recognize him as
the only person on earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys?
3. Do you live the law of chastity?
4. Are you a full-tithe payer?
5. Do you keep the Word of Wisdom?
6. Are you honest in your dealings with others?
7. Do you strive to keep the covenants you have made, to attend your
sacrament and priesthood meetings, and to keep your life in harmony with the
laws and commandments of the gospel?
"When you ask for a temple recommend, you should remember that
entering the temple is a sacred privilege. It is a serious act, not something
to be taken lightly. We must seek earnestly to obey every covenant that we make
in the temple. The Lord has said that if we are true and faithful, we will
enter into our exaltation. We will become like our Heavenly Father (See D&C
132:19–20.)" (Gospel Principles, Eternal Marriage).
7. "I invite the
Latter-day Saints to look to the temple of the Lord as the great symbol of your
membership. It is the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the
Church worthy to enter the temple. It would please the Lord if every adult
member would be worthy of—and carry—a current temple recommend. The things that
we must do and not do to be worthy of a temple recommend are the very things
that ensure we will be happy as individuals and as families" (Howard W.
Hunter, October 1994 General Conference).
Q Why is it important
to always have a current temple recommend?
Q How can we help youth
prepare to go to the temple?
8. "To you parents
of young children, may I share with you some sage advice from President Spencer
W. Kimball. Said he: “It would be a fine thing if … parents would have in every
bedroom in their house a picture of the temple so [their children] from the
time [they are] infant[s] could look at the picture every day [until] it
becomes a part of [their lives]. When [they reach] the age that [they need] to
make [the] very important decision [concerning going to the temple], it will
have already been made.”" (Thomas S. Monson, April 2011 General
Conference).
Sacred Homes, Sacred
Temples
(Gary E. Stevenson, April 2009 General Conference).
Under the definition of “Temple” in the Bible
Dictionary, we read the following: “It is the most holy of any place of worship
on the earth,” followed by this insightful statement: “Only the home can
compare with the temple in sacredness.” For me this suggests a sacred
relationship between the temple and the home. Not only can we turn the doors of
our homes to the temple, or the house of the Lord; we can make our homes a
“house of the Lord.”
Recently, in a stake conference, all present
were invited by the visiting authority, Elder Glen Jenson, an Area Seventy, to
take a virtual tour of their homes using their spiritual eyes. I would like to
invite each of you to do this also. Wherever your home may be and whatever its
configuration, the application of eternal gospel principles within its walls is
universal. Let’s begin. Imagine that you are opening your front door and
walking inside your home. What do you see, and how do you feel? Is it a place
of love, peace, and refuge from the world, as is the temple? Is it clean and
orderly? As you walk through the rooms of your home, do you see uplifting
images which include appropriate pictures of the temple and the Savior? Is your
bedroom or sleeping area a place for personal prayer? Is your gathering area or
kitchen a place where food is prepared and enjoyed together, allowing uplifting
conversation and family time? Are scriptures found in a room where the family
can study, pray, and learn together? Can you find your personal gospel study
space? Does the music you hear or the entertainment you see, online or
otherwise, offend the Spirit? Is the conversation uplifting and without
contention? That concludes our tour. Perhaps you, as I, found a few spots that
need some “home improvement”—hopefully not an “extreme home makeover.”
Whether our living space is large or small,
humble or extravagant, there is a place for each of these gospel priorities in
each of our homes.
In order to keep the temple and those who
attend it sacred and worthy, the Lord has established standards through His
servants, the prophets. We may be well-advised to consider together, in family
council, standards for our homes to keep them sacred and to allow them to be a
“house of the Lord.” The admonition to “establish … 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” provides divine insight into the type of home the Lord
would have us build. Doing such begins the construction of a “spiritual
mansion” in which we all may reside regardless of our worldly circumstance—a
home filled with treasure that “neither moth nor rust doth corrupt.”
Family History
9. "The Savior
loves all people and desires their salvation. Yet millions of people have died
without having any opportunity to hear the message of the restored gospel of
Jesus Christ or receive saving ordinances. Through His loving grace and mercy
the Lord makes salvation possible for everyone who did not have the opportunity
to receive, understand, and obey the gospel during their mortal lives. The
gospel is preached to these deceased people in the spirit world. Members of the
Church on earth perform the saving ordinances in behalf of their deceased
ancestors and others. Deceased persons living in the spirit world have the
opportunity to accept or reject the gospel and the ordinances performed in
their behalf.
"For this reason, Church members search
for information about their ancestors. They complete pedigree charts and family
group records and submit the names of deceased relatives who need to have
saving ordinances performed on their behalf in sacred temples. This is family
history work. Worthy members ages 12 and over, including new members, may
receive from their bishop a recommend to perform baptisms for the dead"
(Preach My Gospel).
Q How does the doctrine
of salvation for the dead show God’s justice, compassion, and mercy?
Q What responsibilities
do we have toward our ancestors who have died without receiving priesthood
ordinances?
Q What experiences have
you had doing temple work for your ancestors?
Q How has identifying
your family history and performing temple ordinances on behalf of your ancestors
affected your family?
10. "Latter-day
Saints are encouraged to participate in family history activities. Through
these activities we learn about our ancestors so that we can perform ordinances
for them. Family history involves three basic steps:
1. Identify our ancestors.
2. Find out which ancestors need temple
ordinances performed.
3. Make certain that the ordinances are
performed for them.
"Most wards and branches have family
history consultants who can answer questions and direct us to the resources we
need" (Gospel Principles, Temple Work and Family History).
Conclusion
11. "The ultimate
purpose of all we teach is to unite parents and children in faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ, that they are happy at home, sealed in an eternal marriage, linked
to their generations, and assured of exaltation in the presence of our Heavenly
Father" (Boyd K. Packer, April 1995 General Conference).
"My brothers and sisters, temples are
more than stone and mortar. They are filled with faith and fasting. They are
built of trials and testimonies. They are sanctified by sacrifice and service....
Some degree of sacrifice has ever been associated with temple building and with
temple attendance. Countless are those who have labored and struggled in order
to obtain for themselves and for their families the blessings which are found
in the temples of God.
"Why are so many willing to give so much
in order to receive the blessings of the temple? Those who understand the
eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too
great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those
blessings. There are never too many miles to travel, too many obstacles to
overcome, or too much discomfort to endure. They understand that the saving ordinances
received in the temple that permit us to someday return to our Heavenly Father
in an eternal family relationship and to be endowed with blessings and power
from on high are worth every sacrifice and every effort....
"If you have been to the temple for
yourselves and if you live within relatively close proximity to a temple, your
sacrifice could be setting aside the time in your busy lives to visit the
temple regularly. There is much to be done in our temples in behalf of those
who wait beyond the veil. As we do the work for them, we will know that we have
accomplished what they cannot do for themselves. President Joseph F. Smith, in
a mighty declaration, stated, “Through our efforts in their behalf their chains
of bondage will fall from them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear
away, that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the spirit world of
the work that has been done for them by their children here, and will rejoice
with you in your performance of these duties.” My brothers and sisters, the
work is ours to do....
"If you have not yet been to the temple
or if you have been but currently do not qualify for a recommend, there is no
more important goal for you to work toward than being worthy to go to the
temple. Your sacrifice may be bringing your life into compliance with what is
required to receive a recommend, perhaps by forsaking long-held habits which
disqualify you. It may be having the faith and the discipline to pay your
tithing. Whatever it is, qualify to enter the temple of God. Secure a temple
recommend and regard it as a precious possession, for such it is.
"Until you have entered the house of the
Lord and have received all the blessings which await you there, you have not
obtained everything the Church has to offer. The all-important and crowning
blessings of membership in the Church are those blessings which we receive in
the temples of God....
"The world can be a challenging and
difficult place in which to live. We are often surrounded by that which would
drag us down. As you and I go to the holy houses of God, as we remember the
covenants we make within, we will be more able to bear every trial and to
overcome each temptation. In this sacred sanctuary we will find peace; we will
be renewed and fortified....
"My beloved brothers and sisters, may we
make whatever sacrifices are necessary to attend the temple and to have the
spirit of the temple in our hearts and in our homes. May we follow in the
footsteps of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice
for us, that we might have eternal life and exaltation in our Heavenly Father’s
kingdom” (Thomas S. Monson, April 2011 General Conference).
Key talks about Temples can be found at
Key talks about Covenants can be found at
Key talks about Strengthening Families can be found at
Key talks about the Atonement of Jesus Christ can be found
at
Key talks about Commandments can be found at
Key talks containing Sacrifice can be found at
