Talk for Sacrament meeting 12 January 2014 – by Paul
Crockett
The Temple
By way of introduction, I am Elder Paul Crockett and my
wife is Sister Sherryl Crockett. I
served a mission as a young missionary in Monterrey. Afterwards we were married and have raised 7
children – 2 boys and 5 girls. All of
them are married and we are the grandparents of 28 ½ grandchildren. I retired in September after 31 years working
for the Church in the finance area. Six
of those years were in the countries of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. We returned to Utah in 1989 and I have worked
in the Welfare Department for the past 23 years.
When they began construction of the temple in Bountiful,
about 20 years ago they noted that we were receiving an almost free gift – and they
asked. What sacrifice could we make? It
would be our time – and we decided to attend the temple each week. Having done that for nearly 20 years, when we
sent in our request to serve a mission in May of last year, it was very natural
that we were called to serve a temple mission, and specifically in the Tampico
Temple for 23 months. And here we are.
Yesterday, January 11th was a very beautiful
day at the Tampico temple. There was
more activity and ordinances performed than we have had for several weeks with
Christmas and the New Year, etc. A little
after mid-day many youth from our stake arrived, and many from our Jardin ward,
to do baptisms and confirmations for the dead.
The stake had invited all of us to try to attend the
temple some time during the day. In the
last session brother Trejo received his endowment, accompanied by various
members of his family and our ward.
So – we come to various questions –
1. Why
does someone go to the temple?
2. Why
is the temple a special place?
3. What
do we hope to accomplish with the time we spend in temple ordinances – for the
living, and especially for those who are dead – for many centuries?
In April 2001, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the twelve gave
a talk in General Conference in which he dealt with various aspects related to
attending the temple – so I’m going to use a lot of his talk in the time I have
today. The title of the talk is “Personal
Preparation for Temple Blessings.”
It begins with the following: “Inscribed on each temple
are the words “Holiness to the Lord.” That statement designates both the temple and its purposes as
holy. Those who enter the temple are also to bear the attribute of holiness. 2 It may be easier to ascribe holiness to a
building than it is to a people. We can acquire holiness only by enduring and
persistent personal effort. Through the ages, servants of the Lord have warned
against unholiness. Jacob, brother of Nephi, wrote: “I would speak unto you of
holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me as a teacher, [I] must … teach
you the consequences of sin.”
The
Temple
The
temple is the house of the Lord. The basis for every temple ordinance and
covenant—the heart of the plan of salvation—is the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Every activity, every lesson, all we do in the Church, point to the Lord and
His holy house. Our efforts to proclaim the gospel, perfect the Saints, and
redeem the dead all lead to the temple. Each holy temple stands as a symbol of
our membership in the Church, 4 as a sign of our faith in life after death, and
as a sacred step toward eternal glory for us and our families.
President
Hinckley said that “these unique and wonderful buildings, and the ordinances
administered therein, represent the ultimate in our worship. These ordinances
become the most profound expressions of our theology.” 5
To
enter the temple is a tremendous blessing. But first we must be worthy. We
should not be rushed. We cannot cut corners of preparation and risk the
breaking of covenants we were not prepared to make. That would be worse than
not making them at all.
The
Endowment
In
the temple we receive an endowment, which is, literally speaking, a gift. In
receiving this gift, we should understand its significance and the importance
of keeping sacred covenants. Each temple ordinance “is not just a ritual to go
through, it is an act of solemn promising.”
The temple endowment was
given by revelation. Thus, it is best understood by revelation, prayerfully
sought with a sincere heart. 7 President Brigham Young said, “Your endowment
is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are
necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk
back to the presence of the Father, … and gain your eternal exaltation.”
Temple
Recommend
Preparation
also includes qualification for a temple recommend. Our Redeemer requires that
His temples be protected from desecration. No unclean thing may enter His
hallowed house. Yet anyone is welcome
who prepares well. Each person applying for a recommend will be interviewed by
a judge in Israel—the bishop—and by a stake president. They hold keys of priesthood authority and the
responsibility to help us know when our preparation and timing are appropriate
to enter the temple. Their interviews will assess several vital issues. They
will ask if we obey the law of tithing, if we keep the Word of Wisdom, and if we sustain the authorities of the
Church. They will ask if we are honest, if we are morally clean, and if we
honor the power of procreation as a sacred trust from our Creator.
Why
are these issues so crucial? Because they are spiritual separators. They help
to determine if we truly live as children of the covenant, able to resist temptation from servants of sin. These interviews help to discern if we are
willing to live in accord with the will of the true and living God or if our
hearts are still set “upon riches and … vain things of the world.”
Such requirements are
not difficult to understand. Because the temple is the house of the Lord,
standards for admission are set by Him. One enters as His guest. To hold a
temple recommend is a priceless privilege and a tangible sign of obedience to
God and His prophets.
One thing that I have thought about is a statement by
President Monson, “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported
back, the rate of improvement increases.”
This is interesting considering that 35 years ago temple attendance and
the number of ordinances performed was collected and reported to Ward and Stake
leaders. But about 30 years ago the stopped
the collection and reporting of that information. I believe that was done because the leaders of
the Church wanted the people to go to the temple because they loved the temple
rather than because that activity would be reported. Thus there is an opportunity for individuals
to demonstrate their dedication to the gospel and their love of God through
temple attendance.
In Moses 1:39 it says “Behold, this is my work and my
glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” President Uchtdorf, a few months ago in the
Ensign talked of the marvelous miracle and mystery that man is nothing – given the
perspective that Moses received and the immensity of God’s creations. And at the same time, because we are children
of God, we are everything to Him. He
testified that God knows and loves each one of us – and I add my own testimony
to that.
In the temple we are taught with symbols and the Spirit
teaches each of us individually. As
Elder Maxwell said, “It is simply marvelous and marvelously simple.” It is
miraculous how the Spirit teaches each one of us at the level where we are and
teaches us that which we are prepared to learn.
I testify that it is so.
Another observation.
If someone wants to live the law of consecration, they can begin to live
it now by increasing their donations to Fast Offerings! There is no need to wait until they are
commanded to do so. They can demonstrate
their love toward God and their fellowmen right now by increasing their Fast
Offerings – because it is not a commandment like tithing. There is no limitation.
So we have a lot of freedom to live more of the gospel
than only that which our leaders assign us or call us to do.
So in closing – as a response to the questions I proposed
at the beginning, I answer all 3 with the following:
1.
Why do we
go to the temple?
a. To
become more holy, not because we already are holy, or saintly.
b. To
make covenants with the Lord, including sealings to our families for eternity.
c. To
learn more of life and eternity.
And as a final point.
Temple attendance is one of those miraculous activities in which we can
live the gospel and demonstrate our faith - through which the Lord blesses us. In the words of one leader with whom I spoke
recently: “If the brothers and sisters will attend the temple frequently, the
problems that they have to present to the Bishop will simply disappear.”
It is my testimony that to the extent we demonstrate our
faith through temple attendance the blessings of the Lord will flow into our
lives.
I know that God lives and this is His work – in the name
of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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