TALK: TEMPLE WORK AND BLESSINGS THAT COME FROM IT.

I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting yesterday. It's good and I wanted to share it with you. I got asked to give it again as the High Council Companion Speaker in another ward.

The main purpose of Temples is to provide the ordinances necessary for our exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom. Temple ordinances lead to the greatest blessings available through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Temple covenants, qualify us for Eternal Life, the greatest gift given to mankind from God. Eternal life is more than immortality. It is exaltation in the highest heaven, the kind of life that God lives and each of us desire. All we do in the Church- should point to the Savior and to the work we do in holy temples. The Temple is a sacred place, and the ordinances in the temple are given symbolically. We can learn much by pondering the reality for which each symbol stands. Because of the sacredness, we are under solemn obligation not to speak outside the temple of that which occurs inside.
Because the ordinances are so sacred, sometimes we are reluctant to say anything about the temple to our families and other people. As a consequence of this, sometimes people are not truly prepared to enter the Temple and make covenants. We must be mature enough to fully appreciate the significance of the ordinances that are performed there. Spiritual fulfillment is enhanced by meaningful study. Before you attend the Temple, you might consider studying the explanation paragraphs in the Bible Dictionary-in the categories of: Anoint, Atonement, Christ, Covenant, Fall of Adam, Sacrifices, and Temple. If we have a better understanding of this work, we will be more prepared to enter the Temple and receive these blessings and make covenants with the Lord.
Inside the Temple, sacred ceremonies are performed for the living and also in behalf of deceased individuals- where we are washed and anointed, then instructed and endowed and finally, sealed. The endowment is a gift from God, an investment of our eternal potential. It consists of 2 parts: First, a series of instructions. Second, promises or covenants –that we make-promising to live righteously and comply with the requirements of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The sealing refers to that of celestial marriage, where families are sealed to each other for eternity. After we have received our own blessings, it is our responsibility to find our deceased ancestors. Many of them may not have had the opportunity to accept the gospel while they were alive. They are anxiously waiting for us to finish their work. They cannot progress and receive their full potential -without the saving ordinances that are performed only on earth inside God’s House.
When Heavenly Father placed Adam & Eve on this earth, He did so with the purpose in mind of teaching them how to return to His presence. Our Father promised a Savior to redeem them from their fallen condition. He gave to them the plan of salvation and told them to teach their children faith in Jesus Christ and repentance. Adam & his posterity were commanded by God to be baptized, to receive the Holy Ghost and to enter into the order of the Son of God. That is the equivalent today of entering into the fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood, which fullness is only received in the House of the Lord. In the D&C, it tells about Adam calling his descendants together and blessing them. The Prophet Joseph Smith said that Adam blessed his posterity because he wanted to bring them into the presence of God. Today, we would say that they went to the House of the Lord and received their blessings. Our Father’s house is a house of order. We go to His house to enter into that order of Priesthood which will entitle us -if we are faithful - to all that the Father has.
The Lord will bless us as we attend to the sacred ordinance work of the temples. Blessings there will not be limited to our temple service. We will be blessed in all of our affairs. In March 1995, President Hunter quoted Elder John a. Widstoe with this thought. Temple work .. .gives a wonderful opportunity for keeping alive our spiritual knowledge and strength…The mighty perspective of eternity is unraveled before us in the holy temples; we see time from its infinite beginning to its endless end; and the drama of eternal life is unfolded before us. Then I see more clearly my place amidst the things of the universe, my place among the purposes of God; I am better able to place myself where I belong, and I am better able to value and to weigh, to separate and to organize the common, ordinary duties of my life so that the little things shall not oppress me or take away my vision of the greater things that God has given us. Let’s, talk about some of the blessings that come from Temple Worship. I’ve already mentioned celestial marriage a little. I want to share a few more thoughts on this. Are you willing to spend the Eternities alone, without your loved ones close by? Are you willing to lose your children when they die or make them orphans, when you die? That sounds harsh, but that is what will happen without the blessings of Temple marriage. D& C 131: 1-4 says: In the celestial glory there are 3 heavens or degrees. And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood -meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage; and if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.
Matthew 16: 19 says, …and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
I’d like to share with you a situation that happened in Elder Richard G. Scott’s life. He & his wife lost a son to death when the she was only 2 years old. Within 6 weeks, they also lost a daughter that passed away at birth. Elder Scott’s father was not a member of the church at this time. His father mentioned to his inactive mother: “That he couldn’t understand how Richard and Jeanene seem to be able to accept the loss of these children.” Elder Scott’s mother responded to a prompting. She told the father “that Richard & Jeanene have been sealed in the Temple. They know that their children will be with them in the eternities if they live righteously. But you and I will not have our 5 sons because we have not made those covenants.” Elder Scott’s father pondered those words & was troubled by them. He began to meet with the stake missionaries and was soon baptized. In just over a year, Elder Scott’s family was sealed in the temple. Sometime later, President Kimball gave his father the sealing power to officiate as a sealer in the Temple. His parents served in the Washington D.C. Temple for 11 years.
D&C 109:20 says: And that no unclean thing shall be permitted to come into thy house to pollute it. Being worthy of a Temple recommend is a blessing in itself. It is a priceless privilege and a tangible sign of obedience to God & His prophets. To hold a recommend requires some effort on our part. We must be worthy of it. If we have a Recommend, we are obeying the Word of Wisdom. Because of that, we will probably be healthier than most people. We will acquire a good reputation -because we are being honest. We will have satisfaction knowing that we are not stealing from the Lord, by being a full tithe payer. Maybe we won’t be rich – financially, however, the Lord continues to bless us sufficiently for our needs. We will be protected from temptation by being morally clean and dressing modestly. We will have a better understanding of the Atonement of Christ and what that means for us. We will receive blessings from living worthy of holding a temple recommend whether we are able to attend the temple or not.
The Temple is a place of refuge & comfort from the world. There are things in my life that creates a lot of heartache, frustration and turmoil. (I’m sure I’m not the only one with problems.) When I’m at the Temple, this is a time where I can temporarily forget about my problems. I feel peace while I am at the Temple. Elder Franklin D. Richards affirmed: “A temple is a retreat from the vicissitudes of life, a place of prayer and meditation providing an opportunity to receive inner peace, inspiration, guidance, and, frequently, solutions to the problems that vex our daily lives.” Elder Marvin J. Ashton said: “Many of our people not only go to the temple to participate in the holy ordinances, but also to seek comfort and security as they bear life’s crosses. Fortified with covenants that we make with the Lord inside the Temple, we find strength to go forward with life.
The Temple can be a place of personal revelation. In the Temple, we can receive spiritual perspective. Each time you go to the Temple, go with a prayer in your heart. Take time to listen to the Spirit. Often, answers come in clear and unmistakable ways. When you get an answer, act upon that inspiration. That is your personal revelation.
The temple is a place that causes a deeper love for your loved ones. Your hearts will be turned to your fathers and theirs to you. You will realize that you feel closer to family members-including extended family members. Your heart will be fuller with love and charity to everyone. You will gain more patience with others. Things that used to bother you will no longer irritate you-at least not as much. You will gain more forgiveness & understanding towards others.
The Temple Enlarges our Understanding. You will be endowed with power from on high as the Lord has promised. Elder Boyd K. Packer has stated: “As we grow and mature and learn from all of the experiences in life, the truths demonstrated in the temple –in symbolic fashion- take on a renewed meaning. The veil is drawn back a little bit more each time we attend the Temple. Our knowledge and vision of the eternities expands. If we go spiritually prepared, we leave the Temple feeling a little more exalted each time”.
Because the Temple is the house of the Lord, it is there that we can find him most readily. Because it His house, it is there that we can learn of His eternal truths. Spiritually, we can see and hear (and might I add feel) the Lord in His house. I know this is true, because I do. While I was preparing this talk, I found a quote that was given in Relief Society sometime ago. I’d like to share that. “The most beautiful things in life are not always seen by the eye. Rather, they are felt with the heart”. It gives me such a good feeling to know that often, I feel the presence of Christ while in the Temple. I want to be in His presence in the eternities. I want my families to be with me also. Since our daughters and their families and most of Rick’s family are not active in the church, or not even members, I will continue to honor my covenants made inside the Temple, and try to be a good example .
I know that the blessings of the Temple can and does enhance lives. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I know that He died for us. I know that because of His Atonement, we all have the opportunity to forgiven of any wrong doing in our life. I know that because of the Atonement, we are carried thru the hard times in life. We don’t have to experience the hardships by ourselves. I know that He loves each of us and wants us to return to Him. I know that we were given a plan that would help us return to Him. I know that the ordinances performed inside Temples are part of that plan. This is my Testimony, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.