Brothers and sisters, I rejoice with you in the gospel,
or the doctrine of Christ.
A friend once asked Elder Neil L. Andersen,
then of the Seventy, how it felt to speak
in front of 21,000 people at the Conference Center.
Elder Andersen replied, "It is not
the 21,000 people who make you nervous;
it is the 15 Brethren seated behind you."
I chuckled then, but I feel it now.
How I love and sustain these 15 men as prophets, seers,
and revelators.
The Lord told Abraham that through his seed and through
the priesthood, all the families of the earth would be blessed
with the "blessings of the Gospel, ...
even of life eternal."
These promised blessings of the gospel and the priesthood
were restored to the earth, and then in 1842
the Prophet Joseph Smith administered the endowment
to a limited number of men and women.
Mercy Fielding Thompson was one of them.
The Prophet said to her, "This [endowment]
will bring you out of darkness into marvelous light."
Today I want to focus on saving ordinances--which will bring
you and me marvelous light.
IN TRUE TO THE FAITH WE READ: "An ordinance
is a sacred, formal act performed by the authority
of the priesthood.
[The] ordinances [that] are essential to our exaltation ...
are called saving ordinances.
They include baptism, confirmation,
ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood (for men),
the temple endowment, and the marriage sealing."
Elder David A. Bednar taught, "The ordinances of salvation
and exaltation administered in the Lord's restored Church ...
constitute authorized channels through which the blessings
and powers of heaven can flow into our individual lives."
Like two sides to a coin, all the saving ordinances
are accompanied by covenants with God.
God promised us blessings if we faithfully
honor those covenants.
The prophet Amulek declared, "This ... is the time ...
to prepare to meet God."
How do we prepare?
By worthily receiving ordinances.
We must also, in President Russell M. Nelson's words,
"keep on the covenant path."
President Nelson continued, "Your commitment
to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him
and then keeping those covenants will
open the door to every spiritual blessing
and privilege available to men, women, and children
everywhere."
John and Bonnie Newman, like many of you,
are recipients of the spiritual blessings
President Nelson promised.
One Sunday, after attending church with her three young
children, Bonnie said to John, who was not a member
of the Church, "I cannot do this on my own.
You need to decide whether you come to my church
with us or you choose a church that we can go to together,
but the children need to know that their dad loves God too."
The following Sunday and every Sunday
after, John not only attended; he also served,
playing the piano for many wards, branches, and Primaries
over the years.
I had the privilege of meeting with John in April 2015,
and in that meeting we discussed that the best
way he could manifest his love for Bonnie
was to take her to the temple, but that could not
happen unless he was baptized.
After attending The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints for 39 years,
John was baptized in 2015.
A year later John and Bonnie were
sealed in the Memphis Tennessee Temple,
20 years after she had received her own endowment.
Their 47-year-old son, Robert, said of his dad,
"Dad has really, really blossomed since he
received the priesthood."
Bonnie added, "John has always been a happy and cheerful
person, but receiving the ordinances
and honoring his covenants has enhanced his gentleness."
Many years ago, President Boyd K. Packer warned,
"Good conduct without the ordinances of the gospel
will neither redeem nor exalt mankind."
In fact, we need not only the ordinances and covenants
to return to our Father, but we also
need His Son, Jesus Christ, and His Atonement.
King Benjamin taught that only in
and through the name of Christ can salvation come unto
the children of men.
Through His Atonement, Jesus Christ
redeemed us from the consequences
of the Fall of Adam and made possible our repentance
and eventual exaltation.
Through His life, He set the example for us to receive
saving ordinances--in which "the power of godliness is
manifest."
After the Savior received the ordinance of baptism
to "fulfil all righteousness," Satan tempted Him.
Likewise, our temptations do not end
after baptism or sealing, but receiving the sacred ordinances
and honoring the associated covenants fill us
with marvelous light and give us strength to resist and overcome
temptations.
Isaiah prophesied that in the latter days,
"the earth also is defiled ... because they have ...
changed the ordinance."
A related warning, revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith,
was that some "draw near to [the Lord] with their lips, ...
they teach for doctrines the commandments of men,
having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof."
Paul also warned that many would have "a form of godliness,
but [deny] the power thereof: from such turn away."
I repeat, from such turn away.
The many distractions and temptations of life
are like "ravening wolves."
It is the true shepherd who will prepare, protect, and warn
the sheep in the flock when these wolves are approaching.
As undershepherds who seek to emulate
the perfect life of the Good Shepherd,
aren't we shepherds of our own soul as well as of others?
With the counsel of prophets, seers, and revelators,
whom we just sustained, and with the power and gift
of the Holy Ghost, we can see the wolves coming if we
are watchful and prepared.
In contrast, when we are a casual shepherd of our own soul
and others' souls, casualties are likely.
Casualness leads to casualties.
I invite us to each be a faithful shepherd.
The sacrament is an ordinance that helps us stay on the path,
and worthily partaking is evidence
that we are keeping the covenants associated
with all the other ordinances.
A few years ago, while my wife, Anita, and I
were serving in the Arkansas Little Rock Mission,
I went out to teach with two young missionaries.
During the lesson, the good brother we were teaching
said, "I have been to your church; why do you
have to eat bread and drink water every Sunday?
In our church, we do it twice a year, Easter and Christmas,
and that is very meaningful."
We shared with him that we are commanded to "meet together oft
to partake of bread and wine."
We read out loud Matthew 26 and 3 Nephi chapter 18.
He responded that he still did not see the necessity.
We then shared the following comparison: "Imagine you
are involved in a very serious car accident.
You have been injured and are unconscious.
Someone runs by, seeing that you are unconscious,
dials the emergency number, 911.
You are attended to and regain consciousness."
We asked this brother, "When you are
able to recognize your surroundings,
what questions will you have?"
He said, "I will want to know how I got there
and who found me.
I will want to thank him every day because he saved my life."
We shared with this good brother how the Savior saved our lives
and how we need to thank Him every day, every day,
every day!
We then asked, "Knowing that He gave His life for you and us,
how often do you want to eat the bread
and drink the water as emblems of His body and blood?"
He said, "I get it, I get it, but one more thing.
Your church is not lively like ours."
To that we responded, "What would you
do if the Savior Jesus Christ walked through that door?"
He said, "Immediately, I would go down to my knees."
We asked, "Isn't that what you feel when you walk
into Latter-day Saint chapels--reverence
for the Savior?"
He said, "I get it, I get it, I get it!"
He showed up at church that Easter Sunday
and kept returning.
I invite each of us to ask ourselves,
"What ordinances, including the sacrament,
do I need to receive, and what covenants do I
need to make, keep, and honor?"
I promise that participating in ordinances
and honoring the associated covenants
will bring you marvelous light and protection
in this ever-darkening world.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.