You have assembled here on the Brigham Young University
campus and at many other locations around the world in
anticipation of hearing from Elder M. Russell Ballard of
the Quorum of the 12 Apostles.
I'm sorry to disappoint you.
Elder Ballard is unable to be with you, and I'm honored to
have been asked to substitute for him.
He wishes that he were here, and I can assure you that I
wish he were here, as well.
Again, I am honored to have been asked to
substitute for him.
Exactly 50 years ago this very night, I was aboard an
enormous and beautiful ocean liner approaching the docks of
Southampton, England.
I was about to commence my service as a missionary in the
British Mission.
At that time, missionaries traveled to their foreign fields
of labor by sea rather than by air.
I do believe that Orville and Wilbur Wright had made that
first flight, but it was still a long time ago.
I want you to know that I loved my mission.
It meant so very much to me then and has continued
through the years to be the symbol of so many things that
are good in this life.
The solidifying of my testimony was one of the
greatest blessings of my mission.
I had what I consider to be a strong testimony before I was
called to serve, but teaching and testifying of divine truth
caused that testimony to swell with in my heart and soul in a
way as to sustain me through any trial
or challenging situation.
I don't know what I would do without the gospel.
I will be forever grateful for my mission, for my testimony,
and for the shield of protection I have felt through
my faith in the Savior.
That shield of faith has been my spiritual and moral
protection through the years.
That thought leads me to the central idea that I would like
to leave with you tonight.
In the Book of Mormon, we read of Alma's counsel and
instruction to his son Helaman.
Among other things, he admonished Helaman to teach
the people an everlasting hatred for sin and iniquity.
He urged him to preach unto them repentance and faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. And now listen to these words.
Alma said, teach them to withstand every temptation of
the devil with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you see and sense the meaning and the
power in that for you--
indeed for all of us?
Alma continued his instruction to Helaman, saying, teach them
to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and
lowly in heart, for such shall find rest to their souls.
Oh remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth.
Yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.
Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct
thee for good.
This is marvelous and appropriate counsel for all of
us, young or old.
The very best and most certain defense we have against the
temptations of the devil is our faith in the Savior.
Our faith in His great atoning sacrifice, our faith in and
testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. With faith and
testimony firmly and consciously in place, the
fiery darts of the wicked one will not and
cannot pierce our souls.
I emphasize having faith in testimony not just firmly in
place, but consciously in place.
If you are consciously thinking of the Savior, you
will not allow temptation to overpower you.
More importantly, if you have the Savior and your faith in
Him firmly and consciously in your mind and your heart, you
will not allow yourselves even to get into tempting
situations.
Said another way, let your faith in Christ keep you out
of the devil's territory.
Should it be needed, let your faith in Christ prompt a
Joseph experience in your life.
You remember Joseph, he who was sold into Egypt and became
the favored servant of Potiphar, the captain of
Pharaoh's guard.
Potiphar's wife had unholy intentions toward Joseph, but
Joseph immediately and flatly refused and rejected her
advances, saying, how then can I do this great wickedness and
sin against God?
She pressed her intentions, and the scriptures tell us
that Joseph fled,
that he got himself out of that tempting situation.
He withstood the temptations of the devil, even with his
faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. Children in elementary
and primary schools around the world are taught the basic and
essential elements of learning--
reading, writing, and 'rithmetic.
These are often referred to as the three Rs.
Though the English letter R may not apply in all
languages, we have all learned how to read, how to write, and
how to solve basic mathematical problems.
As I think about the basic and essential doctrines which
underpin my faith, I again find three Rs.
Resurrection, revelation, and Restoration.
In these, we learn much of what the Lord would have us
carry to the world.
In these, we learn of the Savior Jesus
Christ and His Atonement.
In these, we learn of how God communicates through His
chosen servants.
In these, we learn of the Prophet Joseph Smith and of
the Restoration of the gospel.
Though these three are not inclusive of all the wonderful
and illuminating doctrines of the gospel, in these, we can
find the basis of a faith which can strengthen us in
withstanding every temptation of the devil.
Books have been written about the Resurrection, revelation,
and about the Restoration.
Obviously, I can only touch lightly on each
of them here tonight.
Think with me, and visualize having these doctrinal truths
so firmly and consciously in your minds and hearts as to
provide that sure defense against evil.
The doctrine of the Resurrection is as old as the
foundations of the world.
It was and is an essential part of our Heavenly Father's
plan of happiness.
The Lord taught Moses about His plan, including the
Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement.
Among many other things, He said, for behold, this is my
work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and
eternal life of man.
It was in the plan that man would be redeemed from the
Fall by and through the atoning sacrifice of the
Savior Jesus Christ. Through the fall of Adam came physical
and spiritual death, not just to Adam and
Eve, but to all mankind.
Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ came the glorious
promise of Resurrection from the dead for all who have
lived or will yet live upon the earth.
Paul the Apostle wrote, but now is Christ risen from the
dead and become the first fruits of them that slept.
For since by man came death, by man came also the
resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam, all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive.
Physical death, as we all know, is the separation of the
spirit from the body.
Spiritual death is a separation of our spirits from
the presence of God by sin.
The Savior's gift of the Resurrection removes the
lasting effects of the physical death.
All will be resurrected.
Thus, the immortality of man is provided as a free and
unconditional gift through the grace of Christ. Immortality
is life everlasting, while eternal life is life
everlasting in the presence of God.
To gain eternal life and overcome the effects of the
spiritual death is also a gift from Christ, but this gift is
conditional, requiring faithfulness and
obedience on our part.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, Jesus' glorious Atonement is
the central act of all human history.
It provides the universal Resurrection and makes our
personal repentance and forgiveness possible.
Christ gave us an enormous and unconditional gift--
the universal Resurrection.
However, his proffer of the further gift of eternal life
is conditional, and He sets the terms for receiving this
great gift.
Joseph Fielding Smith said, the atonement of Jesus Christ
is of a twofold nature.
Because of it, all men are redeemed from mortal death and
the grave, and will rise in the Resurrection to
immortality of the soul.
Then again, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the
gospel, man will receive remission of individual sins
through the blood of Christ and will inherit exaltation in
the kingdom of God, which is eternal life.
Those who have suffered crippling injuries or who have
been born with incapacitating handicaps are comforted by the
marvelous promises of the Resurrection.
Listen to these consoling words from the Book of Mormon.
Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death, and
the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this
temporal death, that all shall be raised from
this temporal death.
The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its
perfect form.
Both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame,
and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body.
Yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost. But all
things shall be restored to their
proper and perfect frame.
Even some of us with lesser handicaps are delighted with
that verse of scripture.
The Atonement bringeth to pass the Resurrection of the dead,
and the Resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into
the presence of God.
And thus they are restored into His presence, and thus
God bringeth about His great and eternal purposes, which
were prepared from the foundation of the world.
And thus cometh about the salvation and the
redemption of man.
In describing the blessings received through the
Resurrection, Joseph Fielding Smith said, Resurrection saves
man from the devil.
Immortality of the soul is the gift of God through the death
and Resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. If the Savior
had not died for the world, man would have
remained in his sins.
There could have been no Resurrection from the dead,
and the physical body would have gone down into the grave
without redemption, while the spirit would have become
subject to the devil and his angels eternally.
As we contemplate the significance of the sacrifice
of the Savior and of the Resurrection, keeping Him and
these glorious truths firmly and consciously in our minds
and hearts, we will experience a shield and a protection
against the evil one.
If our love for the Savior is as it should be, we will not
allow ourselves to compromise that which
we know to be right.
As you ponder these truths, it will come to you with a force
that may well change your lives forever.
And as it does, you will withstand every temptation of
the devil with your faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Several years ago, a young woman on this campus came to
me as her stake president.
She was troubled over some challenges she was
facing at that time.
She said, President Kerr, it's so hard to be
a Latter-day Saint.
We discussed her reasons for feeling that way.
Our conversation led quite naturally to a discussion of
the Savior and of His suffering for each of us.
We spoke of his Resurrection and of its implications for
our lives now and in the eternities.
We then spoke of the Savior's explanation to some of His
followers of what was expected of them as disciples.
We read from the scriptures where some felt the demands of
their discipleship were too hard, and they turned their
backs on the Savior and walked no more with Him.
That younger sister sat quietly for a few thoughtful
moments, and then with tears in her eyes, she said, oh, I
couldn't do that.
And when I suggested that there is more than one way to
turn our backs on the Savior, the light seemed to turn on in
her mind and heart.
She said, now I can see that if I truly love my Savior and
keep him in my mind and heart, I cannot violate His trust.
Then she said, I want to change what I said when we
first began this conversation.
I know now that it would be hard not to be
a Latter-day Saint.
Now let us turn to the doctrine of divine and
continuing revelation.
The Lord said, and again I will give unto you a pattern
in all things that ye may not be deceived.
For Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth
deceiving the nations.
An essential element in His pattern in all things is the
assurance we have of living prophets, seers, and
revelators receiving divine revelation for the guidance
and direction of the Church today.
Personal revelation and inspiration are available to
each of us through the Holy Spirit, but I am not speaking of that
form of revelation.
I am speaking of revelation through living prophets to
and for the Church.
While serving in the British Mission, I was blessed to
teach many people who loved the Bible and relied heavily
on its divine message.
As we taught the doctrine of continuing revelation, many
responded with joy and wonderment,
joy with the thought that God may be speaking again to
chosen prophets, but wonderment as to why they had
not heard this divine principle taught
in their own churches.
They learned that continuing revelation was not only the
source of divine truth, but also the
primary source of scripture.
The recording and acceptance of newly revealed truths as
scripture troubled those who believe the Bible to be the
sole repository of all of God's word.
Yet the honest in heart embraced the doctrine of
continuing revelation and new scripture as consistent with
biblical patterns they believed but had not fully
understood.
Elder Mark E. Peterson, who served for many years as a
member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, described the
significance of revelation to and for the Church when he
said, it is an infallible sign of the true Church that it has
in it divinely chosen living prophets to guide it,
men who receive current revelation from God and whose
recorded words become new scripture.
It is an infallible sign of the true Church also that it
will produce new and additional scripture arising
out of the ministrations of those prophets.
This unfailing pattern of God is clearly made manifest
through His dealings with His people from the beginning.
I feel that Elder Peterson captured in a profound way the
message of continuing revelation.
The Lord reveals His will to His chosen prophets, seers,
and revelators.
As the Lord puts it into their hearts to teach that which
they have received, the people are blessed with divine
knowledge communicated through those revelations.
Revealed truth is recorded, and in the Lord's time and
infinite wisdom, some of those revelations may be formally
added to the canon of the scriptures.
The doctrine of continuing revelation with its resulting
new scripture is a distinctive feature of the Restoration.
It is descriptive of the very process by which the
Restoration occurred.
Amos, in the Old Testament, said, surely the Lord God will
do nothing.
But he revealeth His secret unto His
servants, the prophets.
The Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ was the result
of many heaven-sent revelations.
These revelations were given primarily to a latter-day
prophet chosen, prepared, and ordained
for that divine purpose.
Our message to all the world is that Joseph Smith was that
chosen prophet.
It is our witness that God has again spoken and is still
speaking, revealing His secret to His
servants, the living prophets.
A testimony of this truth is of enormous comfort and gives
us unending confidence in the prophetic voice we are blessed
to hear and read on a regular basis.
One of the highlights of my mission was my own personal
experience with the doctrine of revelation.
As I searched the scriptures daily in my effort to prepare
myself to teach the people, I was taken by the wonder of the
unfolding revelations of the Lord, both ancient and modern.
I'm not a doubter by nature, but I enjoy the search for
scriptural and logical evidences of the beliefs that
have come to me by study and by faith.
For a time, my scriptural search was dominated by a
logical premise that I had formulated in my mind.
I had thought if the claims of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints regarding continuing revelation are
sound, the means by which revelations were received by
the Prophet Joseph Smith must be consistent with the means
by which revelations were received by Old and New
Testament prophets and apostles.
Now, do you understand the premise?
I needed to know that there was that consistency.
Modern-day revelations and how they were received with how
revelations were received in ancient times.
Now, time this evening does not allow me to describe all
that I found in that search, but let me say to you that the
Lord's pattern became very clear.
Revelations to prophets have come in very and by very
consistent means.
These means can be described and defined with different
terminology and may be divided or grouped
differently, but the distinct pattern is there.
I identified five very specific means by which
revelations have been given to God's prophets.
I found multiple examples of each of those throughout the
scriptures.
This pattern is consistently found in all the scriptures,
ancient and modern.
Now, maybe on another occasion, I can talk about the
five means of revelation and show you that consistent
pattern of those scriptures, ancient and modern.
The knowledge of this glorious truth strengthened my faith
then and it continues even today to
strengthen my faith now.
To know that we have a living prophet who receives
revelations from God just as Abraham and Moses and Isaiah
and Peter and Paul and others is of enormous comfort and
reassurance.
Now, each of you must come to your own knowledge and
testimony of this divine principle.
But you can have every confidence in the testimony
that I'm sharing with you tonight.
Even now, you can keep firmly and consciously in your minds
an awareness and conviction that God is speaking to His
chosen and living prophets today,
even as He did anciently.
A testimony of the doctrine of continuing revelation will
bolster your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and thus
strengthen you in your resolve to withstand every temptation
of the devil.
Now, if you should face a moment of serious temptation,
force yourself to think of President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Think of him as a prophet, seer, and revelator who
receives direct revelation from the Lord for the Church.
Think of the revelation he received regarding the
construction of small temples all around the world, making
the sacred blessings of the temple available to an ever
greater number of the members of the Church.
Allow the conscious thought of a living prophet receiving
current revelation regarding sacred temples to turn you
away from that tempting moment and preserve your worthiness
to receive those sacred temple blessings.
We do indeed believe all that God has revealed, all that He
does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet
reveal many great and important things pertaining to
the Kingdom of God.
We have talked, and I hope you have thought deeply, about the
Resurrection and about revelation.
Let us now talk about the Restoration.
We are here because of the Restoration.
While a basic knowledge of the Resurrection and revelation
can be had from ancient scripture, most of what we
know about these most important doctrines has come
to us as a result of the Restoration of the gospel
through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
The message of the Restoration is that God lives.
Jesus is the living Christ.
The gospel has been restored to the earth in its fulness.
Joseph Smith truly was and is a modern-day prophet of God.
Gordon B. Hinckley is a living prophet today, and the Book of
Mormon is the word of God, standing now and forever with
the Bible as one in the hands of the Lord.
There would have been no need for a Restoration had there
not first been a loss of truth, a falling away, which
occurred not many years following the
Savior's earthly ministry.
That loss of truth, known as the Great Apostasy, was seen
and foretold by Old and New Testament prophets.
The Lord established His Church in all its purity, and
He bestowed the holy priesthood upon His disciples.
Now is not the time for detailing the causes of the
Apostasy and the loss of the priesthood, but even the most
casual look at religious history
will affirm its reality.
The Old Testament prophet Amos prophesied of
this loss of truth.
He said, behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that
I will send a famine in the land.
Not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but of
hearing the words of the Lord.
And they shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even
to the east, and they shall run to and fro to seek the
word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
Not long after the Savior's ascension into heaven, Peter
foresaw the Restoration.
He said, repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your
sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall
come from the presence of the Lord.
And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was
preached unto you, whom the heaven must receive until the
times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken
by the mouth of all His holy prophets
since the world began.
Speaking of the Second Coming of the Savior, the Apostle
Paul wrote, let no man deceive you by any means, for that day
shall not come, except there come a falling away first. It
was known that there would be both a falling away and a
Restoration before the Second Coming.
These prophecies and many others not mentioned have
truly been fulfilled, and we are the beneficiaries of the
great blessings flowing from the Lord's hand in our lives.
President Hinckley said, these are the days of restitution.
These are the days of the Restoration spoken of in the
Bible, plainly and forcefully by Peter the
Apostle and by Paul.
I repeat, you and I are a part of prophecy fulfilled--
a part of the divine plan of the God of heaven that there
should be a falling away and that there must be a
Restoration.
Now the Restoration of all things as foretold by ancient
prophets of God did indeed occur, through the ministry
and heavenly manifestations of God the Father, His Son Jesus
Christ, Peter, James, John, John the Baptist, Moses,
Elijah, Moroni, and others of the Lord's
prophets in ancient times.
Joseph Smith was foreordained to his sacred role as the
instrument through whom God would bring to pass the
Restoration of the gospel in this, the dispensation of the
fulness of times.
Even the Savior Himself bore witness of this truth.
He said, wherefore I the Lord, knowing the calamity which
should come upon the inhabitants of the earth,
called upon my servant Joseph Smith Jr. and spake unto him
from heaven and gave him commandments.
That it might be fulfilled which was written by the
prophets, that faith also might increase in the earth,
that mine everlasting covenant might be established, that the
fullness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the
simple unto the ends of the earth and
before kings and rulers.
What more can be said?
The Savior's own testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
He spoke to him from heaven and gave him commandments.
And did you notice that one line?
That faith also might increase in the earth.
The Restoration of the gospel stands as a bulwark to our
faith in our defense against the designs of the evil one.
It is my prayer that you will keep these truths firmly and
consciously in your minds and in your hearts.
I plead with you even as King Benjamin pled with his people
when he said, therefore I would that ye should be
steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good
works, that Christ the Lord Omnipotent may seal you His.
That ye may be brought to heaven, that ye may have
everlasting salvation and eternal life through the
wisdom and power and justice and mercy of Him who created
all things.
May I conclude with a summarizing quote from
President Hinckley?
This is God's holy work.
It is divine in its origin and in its doctrine.
Jesus Christ, the resurrected Lord and Savior,
stands as its head.
He is our immortal Savior and Redeemer.
His revelation is the source of our doctrine, our faith,
our teaching--
in fact, the underlying pattern of our lives.
Joseph Smith was an instrument in the hands of the Almighty
in bringing to pass this Restoration, and that basic
element of revelation is with the Church today as it was in
Joseph's day.
Our individual testimonies--
be sure you know I'm still quoting President Hinckley--
our individual testimonies of these truths are the
basis of our faith.
We must nurture them.
We must cultivate them.
We can never forsake them.
We can never lay them aside.
Without them, we have nothing.
With them, we have everything.
Now I leave with you my witness of the
divinity of the Savior.
He lives.
I testify that the reality of the Resurrection, the
relevance of revelation, and the reliability of the
Restoration will increase your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
and help you withstand every temptation of the devil.
I leave with you my testimony, my love, and my blessing to
that end, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.