I am so profoundly grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for a testimony of the Atonement of the Savior. I believe in it with all my heart, and i live for it, an di bear witness of it this day. Of all of the events of human history, none other approaches the Atonement of the Savior in its meaning and in its results. God be thanked for the gift of His precious Son, to whom we all owe thanks for his sacrafice in our behalf.
We are a great family bound together in a unity of love and faith. our blessing is great as a people and as individuals. We carry in our hearts a firm and unshakeable conviction of the dicine mission of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Creator who, under the direction of His Father, made all things, and with out him was not anything made that was made. (John 1:3) He was the promised Messiah who came with healing in his wings. (Malachi 4:2) He was the worker of miracles the great healer, the Resurrection and the Life. His is the only name under heaven whereby we must be saved. He came as a gift of His Eternal Father.(John 3:16). He condescended to leave His throne on high and come to earth to be born in a stable, in a conquered nation. He walked the dusty roads of Palestine, healing the sick, teaching the doctrine and blessing all who would accept him. ..
On Calvary's hill he gave His life for each of us. That is the greatest gift that any of us can ever recieve. It is the gift of the resurrection and eternal life (D&C 14:7) We honor his Birth. But without His death that birth would have been but one more birth. It was the Redemption, which He worked out in the Garden of Gethsemane and upon the cross of Calvary which he made his gift immortal, universal, and everlasting. His was a great atonement for the sins of all mankind. He is the resurrection and the Life. "the firstfruits of them that slept" (1 corinthians 15:20). Because of him all men will be raised from the grave.
We love him. We honor him. We thank him. We worship him. He has done for each of us and afor all mankind that which none other could have done. god be thanked for the gift if His Beloved Son--our Savior. I think tonight of the great occasion when Paul describes his experiences on the road to Damascus. He saw a light from heaven and heard a voice speaking unto him. ANd he fell to the ground and said " Who art thou, Lord". And Jesus said, "Rise and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee...to make thee a minister and a witness..To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God (Acts 26:15-16, 18) NOw i believe that same injunction given by the Lord to Paul applies to each of us, 'Rise' he sais, and stand upon your feet for i have appeared unto thee ...to make thee a minister and a witness. Each of us has a responsibility of standing as a witness of the everlasting truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We live in a terribly complex time. We are confronted by very serious problems. SOme of us are faced with sickness, economic difficulties, with worry and concern over many matters. Our refuge, our peace, our well-being lie in walking in the way of the Lord. We live in a would of filth and immorality and trouble. Rise above it, stand taller, leave the world behind you, and walk as the Lord would have you walk. We have so much to offer. Other people do not understand the true nature of God. They are still bound by the old NIcene Creed of the fourth century, which i cannot understand. BUt we have a perfect knowledge of the nature of God that has come through the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph. He saw God. He heard him speak. He saw his son. The scripture says "This is life eternal, that they might know thee only true God. and Christ. whom thou has sent (John 17:3) That is a great and wonderful gift. We are his children. He does matter our nationality. It does not matter where we were born or whether our hair is light or dark. Each of us is a child of God. He is the great God of the universe, but he is also our Father, to whom we may go in prayer. Go out and preach the work. The first obligation laid upon this Church, even before it was organized, was the obligation to go out and teach the gospel. That has never been lifted, it has been with us ever since.
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