Important Dates
Sept 2014 Lesson Schedule
Lesson Review
Teachings
of the Presidents of the Church, Joseph Fielding Smith
President
Smith said that on April 3, 1836, “…Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver
Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple and there conferred upon them…the power to bind,
or seal, on earth and in heaven. The
keys of this priesthood were held by Elijah, to whom the Lord gave power over
the elements as well as over men, with the authority to seal for time and
eternity on the righteous all the ordinances pertaining to the fullness of
salvation.”
Before
offering the dedicatory prayer on the Ogden Utah Temple, President Smith said,
“May I remind you that when we dedicate a house of the Lord, what we really do
is dedicate ourselves to the Lord’s service, with a covenant that we shall use
the house in the way he intends that it shall be used.” He also said, “Parents must be sealed to each
other, and children to parents in order to receive the blessings of the
celestial kingdom….Therefore our salvation and progression depends upon the
salvation of our worthy dead with whom we must be joined in family ties. This can only be accomplished in our
Temples.”
Question
to ponder: The restoration of the
sealing authority saves the earth from being utterly wasted at the coming of
Jesus Christ. Why?
To
prepare for salvation in its fullest, we must receive temple ordinances through
the sealing power. President Smith goes
on to say that “Temple work is so interwoven with the plan of salvation, that
one cannot exist without the other. In
other words, there can be no salvation where there [are] no temple ordinances
peculiarly belonging to the temple.”
Question
to ponder: Family history work and
temple work for the dead are labors of love.
What experiences have you had that confirm this?
(Temple work during Mortality helps those that have accepted
the Gospel in the Spirit World)
President
Smith said, “There are many good, humble souls who have deprived themselves of
the comforts, and at times the necessities, of life, in order that they might
prepare the records and perform the labor for their dead that the gift of
salvation might be taken unto them.
These labors of love shall not go for naught, for all those who have
worked in this goodly cause shall find their treasure and riches in the
celestial kingdom of God. Great shall be
their reward, yea, even beyond the power of mortals to understand.”
Questions
to ponder: Imagine the experience of
rejoicing with your ancestors in a “grand reunion.” Think about what you can do
to prepare yourself and your family for that privilege.
