Conference Address

Recently I had a conversation with a sister who had heard a funeral sermon in which it had seemed to her the doctrine had been taught that is was possible to know what one's place was to be in the eternal worlds, even before the day of judgment spoken of by John the Revelator when he said he saw the dead, small and great, stand before God to be judged, every man according to the deeds done in the flesh. And then she asked the question: "How is it possible for one to know what the place of an individual is to be before the resurrection takes place?" ¶

A Question as to Life After Death ¶

That question suggested some important scriptures. As I thought about what she had asked, I found that apparently Alma had a similar question propounded to him for he made this explanation to his son Corianton: ¶

And it is requisite with the justice of God that men should be judged according to their works; and if their works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, that they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good. ¶

And if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. ... for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh. ¶

And so it is on the other hand. If he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness. ¶

. . . and thus they stand or fall; for behold, they are their own judges. . . . [Italics author's.] (Alma 41:3-7.) ¶

In agreement with that explanation of the Prophet Alma, the Lord, in revealing the place the world shall occupy at the day of the redemption of mankind, said: ¶

That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified. ¶

And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom. ¶

For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory. ¶

And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory. ¶

And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory. (D. & C. 88:20-24.) ¶

And finally we have the testimony of Amulek: ¶

Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. ¶

For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked. (Alma 34:34, 35.) ¶

As I pondered those scriptures brought to my attention, as we discussed the question of this sister, these conclusions seemed clear to my mind. In the first place, we are our own judges of the place we shall have in the eternal world. Here and now in mortality, each one of us is having the opportunity of choosing the kind of laws we elect to obey. We are now living and obeying celestial laws that will make us candidates for celestial glory, or we are living terrestrial laws that will make us candidates for either terrestrial glory, or telestial law. The place we shall occupy in the eternal worlds will be determined by the obedience we yield to the laws of these various kingdoms during the time we have here in mortality upon the earth. ¶

Jesus the Light of the World ¶

The Lord characterized himself as, "the light of the world." And in that testimony he declared further that those who would follow him would not walk in darkness but should have the light of life in the celestial world in the presence of the Lord. ¶

The Master in his Sermon on the Mount has given us a high standard to attain: ¶

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48.) ¶

And the scriptures declare to us that the prime purpose of the organization of the Church was for the "perfecting of the Saints." We have been told the way by which the Master attained to the fullness of his power. The Apostle Paul said: ¶

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; ¶

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. (Hebrew 5:8, 9.) ¶

Sacrifice and Service are Saving Principles ¶

The very core of that which we call Christianity is to be found in the record of the writer of the gospel of John in which he quoted the Master's testimony of his own divine mission as the Savior of the world. These were his words: ¶

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16.) ¶

Thus has been stated the highest service that we can render here in mortal life, the willingness to sacrifice of our own self for the welfare of others. The place of sacrifice and service in this sanctifying process of life was explained by the Prophet Joseph Smith: ¶

A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation. ¶

It was through sacrifice and this alone that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life. . . . ¶

If we could apply to ourselves and to our own lives that principle by which we might lay hold upon that precious gift, we would be indeed wise. It was King Benjamin who taught his people in his closing address: ¶

. . . when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. (Mosiah 2:17.) ¶

That great principle of sacrifice and service was exemplified in that declaration of the Son of God which I have already quoted: ¶

For God so loved the world, that he gave. . . . [Italics author's.] ¶

Giving, then, is an expression of one's love, and when one truly gives himself, it is an evidence of an abiding love in that individual who thus is willing to give. The Master so loved mankind that he gave his life. It was he who said: ¶

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. . . . and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¶

No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. (John 10:14, 15, 18.) ¶

The Prophet Joseph Smith so loved the truth that had been revealed to him that he was willing to sacrifice everything he possessed in the world, not withholding his life, all to the end that he might bear that testimony and that it might be heard by the nations of the earth. He characterized his life in the closing years in these words : ¶

I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, ... all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty. . . . ( Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1940 edition, p. 304.) ¶

The pioneers, whom we honor in this centennial year, so loved the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences that they gave up their homes, they gave up their lands and their possessions, left friends in the eastern lands, and came here to a forbidding mountain desert in order that their righteous desires might be realized. ¶

A Service Man's Experience ¶

I was out visiting a stake some months ago and was asked to interview some young men as prospective missionaries. I had been told by the stake president that one of the young men had, after a long period of hospitalization, recovered from a severe shell shock that he had received while in military service. As I faced this young man for the interview, I asked him, "Why do you want to go on this mission?" ¶

He sat thoughtfully for several moments, and then he replied "When I went into the service, it was the first time I had ever been away from my home. I found conditions strange. I found temptation on every side and the invitation to sin. I needed strength to keep from sin, and I went before my Heavenly Father and prayed to him in faith to give me that strength to resist evil. God heard my prayer and gave me that strength. After the period of training was over and we neared the combat area, we heard the booming of the guns that foretold the message of death that was coming over constantly. I was afraid, and I was quaking all over. I prayed to God for courage, and he gave me courage, and there came over me a peace that I had never enjoyed before. When we got over in the Philippines. I was assigned to duty as an advance scout which meant I was ahead of the combat forces and sometimes was almost surrounded by the enemy. I knew that there was only one power in the earth that could save me, and I prayed to that power to protect me, to save m> life, and God heard my prayer and returned me back to my company." ¶

Then he said to me: "Brother Lee, I have all those things to be grateful for. It is little enough that I can do to go out now as an ambassador of Jesus Christ, to teach mankind these blessed things that I have received as a child in my home." ¶

As I heard such an expression of faith from that young man, I contrasted it with those whom I had heard say that they thought by going into the mission field they would gain a training, they would see the world, they would gain valuable experience that would benefit them personally. I wish that our missionaries would exemplify in their service the standards of the great missionaries of the past, one of whom has passed from us since the last general conference. Brother Charles A. Callis lived and died the great missionary; aye, he gave his life and was willing to sacrifice all he possessed that he might teach this truth that was so precious to his soul. ¶

Happiness Through Service ¶

Our young people come to the marriage altar having been taught in the public schools how important it is to make a certain adjustment in marriage, and many of them are very fearful about that adjustment. If these young people would understand that the application of that principle of sacrifice and service would be the answer to the problem of adjustment, their fears would be subdued. If they would resolve from the moment of their marriage, that from that time forth they would resolve and do everything in their power to please each other in things that are right, even to the sacrifice of their own pleasures, their own appetites, their own desires, the problem of adjustment in married life would take care of itself, and their home would indeed be a happy home. Great love is built on great sacrifice, and that home where the principle of sacrifice for the welfare of each other is daily expressed is that home where there abides a great love. ¶

A selfish grasping for personal advantage does not come from the teachings of truth but comes rather from the teachings of him who is an enemy of truth. It is expressed in that scripture which tells us of the proposition that Satan made to our Heavenly Father: ¶

. . . Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. (Moses 4:1.) ¶

There was the selfishness and the exemplar of it before the world. ¶

That man who is ambitious for personal gain and personal advantage is never a happy man, for before him always are the receding horizons of life that will ever mock his attempts at acquisition and conquest. That man who serves unselfishly is the man who is the happy man. ¶

In the military service there were awarded ofttimes for outstanding accomplishment, national decorations and certificates of merit, and always with the citation were these suggestive words: "For meritorious service beyond the call of duty." ¶

Therein lies the way by which we, too, can reach the highest goals and win the merited plaudits of our Heavenly Father. That which we do beyond the call of duty, beyond that for which we are compensated by material wealth is that which gives us the greatest joy in life. ¶

As I look at the experiences of our brethren and hear their, testimonies, I become persuaded of one great truth: Whenever the Lord has a great blessing for one of his children, he puts that son or daughter in the way to make a great sacrifice. ¶

The Way Opened Through Prayer ¶

I sat down in the temple some years ago with a member of my high council as we went to our prayer circle one early Sunday morning. He told me of his financial difficulties that had almost destroyed his wealth, and he said: "I had no place to turn; I was about to lose everything I had in the world; finally, last week I went to my Heavenly Father and said to him, 'Father in heaven, if you will open up the way by which I can refinance myself, I will give more than my tithes and my offerings. I will make greater sacrifices for that if you will only help me to save what I have.' " And he said, "Brother Lee, I got up from my knees, and the way opened up in a most miraculous way. The Lord did his part, and I want you now to help me to do my part. Will you help me to find an avenue by which I can make greater sacrifices for this Church?" ¶

Out of that man's planning there came one of the things that today has been a mark in the welfare activities of that stake. Today we have the welfare program that is giving us an avenue for sacrifice and for greater service. We have listened today to the reports and the appeals of the demands of this program. Surely we must not let these things fall upon deaf ears, for if in this day the Church rises to the call of the First Presidency, and if Church members sacrifice of their means, their time, their talents for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God, not withholding their own lives, if that were necessary, then there will come to this people, and to that individual who thus is willing to consecrate himself, the greatest joy that can come to the human soul. ¶

God bless us that we might teach our youth the way by which this happiness will come, and let us plan our banquets for youth in such a way to give youth the opportunity to banquet their leaders' rather than for their leaders to make all the sacrifice for the benefit of youth. Give them the joy of service and expect from them such sacrifices as may be necessary to build the faith necessary to lay hold upon eternal life, I pray humbly in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶