The Clouds of Error Disappear

"The clouds of error disappear Before the rays of light and truth divine." ¶

AM sure we have been uplifted this morning by the beautiful music which has been rendered through these fine people of Brigham Young University. If there should be any in the congregation this morning who had a feeling of discouragement, a feeling of frustration or insecurity, I am sure those thoughts were dispelled when you heard that lovely music, "The Spirit of God Like a Fire Is Burning." That is the opportunity which is ours, my brothers and sisters, to enjoy the Spirit of God as we live each day and each hour of the day. ¶

Yet, not to throw a negative thought into this lovely meeting, I would remind you that Satan would destroy that which we have heard and felt this morning. ¶

That is the mission of Satan in the world — to destroy faith, to destroy a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. ¶

How grateful I am that the gospel has been restored in its fulness — that we can enjoy the spirit, inspiration, and power of the Holy Ghost and of our Master today, as is true whenever there has been a generation of righteous people on the earth. ¶

It is nothing new that Satan would endeavor to destroy. I believe it was Socrates back in 353 B.C. who declared: ¶

"Philosophy has struggled to find some substitute for the divine commandments and the surveillance of God." And today there are men who would deny that Jesus Christ has again appeared and spoken to his chosen servants and that there has been re-established in the earth the Church and kingdom of God. ¶

As we read in history, we find that Satan endeavored to deceive Moses — Moses who was a prophet of God. ¶

Satan endeavored to have him believe that he, Satan, was Jehovah, but because Moses was a righteous son, a faithful son, living in obedience to the commandments, he had the power of discernment and was able to rebuke the adversary. The adversary, we are told, was very much discouraged and disappointed, and he wept bitterly. ¶

Even our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, the great example to us all, suffered temptation. Satan knew that after he had fasted for forty days and forty nights there would be a physical weakness. He said: "If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread." The significant remark of Jesus to Satan was: "It is not good for man to live by bread alone but by every word of God." Still the Son of the Morning was not satisfied. He took the Savior to a high mountain and showed him in the twinkling of an eye the kingdoms and principalities and powers which he claimed he had a right to bestow if the Savior would but bow down and worship him, Satan. Again, the significant remark, "Get thee behind me Satan, for it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." We are told he brought him to Jerusalem and set him on a pinnacle of the temple and said unto him: "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written he shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." Jesus said unto him: "It is said thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (See Luke 4:3-12.) Do we need any other key today as Latter-day Saints? I believe not. We can live in obedience to the truths if we will seek that spiritual guidance which is ours, and that is the guidance that has been the influence in the development of man throughout the ages. ¶

In 1929 it was my privilege to visit the laboratory of the great scientist. ¶

Charles P. Steinmetz, that little hunchback German who came to this country as an immigrant boy. I shall ever be grateful for the privilege of shaking his hand. After his passing from this mortal existence I read a very choice statement which he gave to the world. He said: ¶

"Spiritual power is a force which history clearly teaches has been the greatest force in the development of man. Yet we have been merely playing with it and have never really studied it as we have the physical forces. Some day people will learn that material things do not bring happiness and are of little use in making people creative and powerful. Then the scientists of the world will turn their laboratories over to the study of spiritual forces which have hardly been scratched." ¶

I am grateful that we have the Church and kingdom of God in the earth today. We have that spiritual strength and power, and I humbly pray. Latterday Saints and people of the world, that we will come to realize that the only greatness that can be evolved is through the development of spiritual strength. ¶

Then the clouds of error will disappear, and we will allow the rays of light and truth divine to take precedence in our lives. ¶

May God bless us that we as a people may go forward in the spiritual strength which is rightfully ours, to proclaim the truths of the gospel and enjoy his spirit by doing a great missionary work. This is our responsibility. I bear witness to you that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that President David O. McKay is the mouthpiece of our Heavenly Father in the earth and those men associated with him in the Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve and the Patriarch are prophets of God. May we take their teachings and counsel and effect them in our lives that we may truly enjoy the spiritual strength and happiness which will bring the sweet peace that passeth understanding, I humbly pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. ¶

Amen. ¶