The House of the Lord: Eighteen

One of the first things that the brethren did when they arrived here in the Salt Lake Valley was to build a temple. They called it the Endowment House. It stood on the northwest corner of the temple block. In that building they performed the sacred ordinances which we now perform in the Salt Lake Temple and these other temples. That building was dedicated as a house of the Lord and was just as holy, just as sacred, as is the Salt Lake Temple; just as holy and just as sacred as was the tabernacle, or temple-for it was a temple-which Moses built and which was carried by the children of Israel in their travels in the wilderness.

In the day of Moses the Lord commanded them to build a house to his name. It was made of very costly material, nevertheless they could take it apart and set it up again so they could travel; and that was the temple that served the purposes of the ordinances which were performed in those days, until the building of the temple of Solomon.

It was in this temple that Samuel resided as a little child. It was in this temple that his mother came to pray and ask the Lord for a blessing, for she wanted a son. When a son was born according to the promise the mother had made, he was taken to this temple, not to Solomon's, because that had not been built. The Latter-day Saints are building temples and believe that the time will come when they will be called on to build the great temple which shall grace the New Jerusalem, or City of Zion, the capital city of God on this continent.

The Lord will not call upon those who are cut off from his people to accomplish his holy work. The temple will not be built by those who say that Joseph Smith was a fallen prophet and who have failed to accept the fulness of the word of the Lord as it came through him.

No people will be commanded and directed by revelation from the Lord to build his temple, when they know nothing of temple building and the ordinances performed in temples. The Latter-day Saints may be assured that when the time comes for the building of the house of the Lord, he will call upon his people who have remained true and have been faithful in the purposes of the Lord in bringing to pass the salvation of the living and of the dead.

In these chapters the Lord is speaking throughout of the remnant of Jacob. Who is Jacob whose remnant is to perform this great work in the last days? Most assuredly Jacob is Israel. Then again, when he speaks of the seed of Joseph, who is meant? Those who are descendants of Joseph, son of Israel, and this includes, of course, the Lamanites as well as the Ephraimites who are now being assembled and who are taking their place, according to prophecy, at the head to guide and bless the whole house of Israel.

In his discourse the Savior states that the gentiles who are upon this land will be blessed, if they will receive the gospel, and they will be numbered with the house of Israel. The gentiles were to be a scourge to the remnant upon this land. Again, they were to be nursing fathers to them and this they are beginning to be in these latter- days, after the terrible scourging in former days. The gentiles were promised that they would be entitled to have all the blessings which were given to Israel, if they would repent and receive the gospel. All of this was seen in vision by Nephi and was stated by the Savior on the occasion of his visit to the Nephites.

He also said that if the gentiles, not only upon this land, but also of all lands, did not repent he would bring the fulness of the gospel from among them. The remnant of the house of Israel spoken of in First Nephi, chapter 13, and Third Nephi, chapters 16, 20, and 21, does not have reference only to the descendants of Lehi, but to all the house of Israel, the children of Jacob, those upon this land and those in other lands. Reference to the gentiles also is to all the gentiles on this land and in other lands.

When the Lord is speaking of his covenants, he is not confining them to the descendants of Lehi, but applies them to all the house of Israel. And then shall the remnants, which shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be gathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them. And the Father hath commanded me that I should give unto you this land, for your inheritance.

Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. And I will gather my people together as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor. Also does the phrase, "Ye who are a remnant of the house of Jacob," in verse 16, have reference just to the Lamanites? The verses which follow indicate that it has reference to the remnants of Israel, which had been scattered in all lands. To apply it to the Lamanites in face of the entire theme of this discourse, in my judgment, narrows it too greatly.

Then again, this prophecy was also given to Micah and has reference to "many people," not merely to the gentiles on this land. I take it we, the members of the Church, most of us of the tribe of Ephraim, are of the remnant of Jacob. We know it to be the fact that the Lord called upon the descendants of Ephraim to commence his work in the earth in these last days. We know further that he has said that he set Ephraim, according to the promises of his birthright, at the head, Ephraim receives the "richer blessings," these blessings being those of presidency or direction.

The keys are with Ephraim. It is Ephraim who is to be endowed with power to bless and give to the other tribes, including the Lamanites, their blessings.

All the other tribes of Jacob, including the Lamanites, are to be crowned with glory in Zion by the hands of Ephraim. Now do the scriptures teach that Ephraim, after doing all of this is to abdicate, or relinquish his place, and give it to the Lamanites and then receive orders from this branch of the "remnant of Jacob" in the building of the New Jerusalem? This certainly is inconsistent with the whole plan and with all that the Lord has revealed in the Doctrine and Covenants in relation to the establishment of Zion and the building of the New Jerusalem.

Father Lehi made one promise to his son Joseph and that was that from his seed should arise one who should do "much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren. During this time of peace, when the righteous shall come forth from their graves, they shall mingle with mortal men on the earth and instruct them.

The veil which separates the living from the dead will be withdrawn and mortal men and the ancient saints shall converse together. Moreover, in perfect harmony shall they labor for the salvation and exaltation of the worthy who have died without the privileges of the gospel. The great work of the millennium shall be performed in the temples which shall cover all parts of the land and into which the children shall go to complete the work for their fathers, which they could not do when in this mortal life for themselves.

In this manner those who have passed through the resurrection, and who know all about people and conditions on the other side, will place in the hands of those who are in mortality, the necessary information by and through which the great work of salvation for every worthy soul shall be performed, and thus the purposes of the Lord, as determined before the foundation of the world, will be fully consummated.

Petersen, Isaiah for Today , T he Latter-day Saints are unique in the world in many ways, and one of them is in the construction of temples. There are many structures in many lands that mankind regard as temples. But the temples of the Latter-day Saints are different.

Thoughts on Lesson Eighteen

They are built after a revealed pattern, and in them are given saving ordinances of the gospel for the living and the dead. The Latter-day Saints have been commanded to build temples just as Solomon was commanded to build a temple, and Moses was commanded to carry a portable "temple" or tabernacle in the wilderness as the tribes wandered for forty years.

In temples, and only in them, are sacred ordinances provided that are restricted by the Lord to such sacred places. In our day, there are two general categories of ordinances in the gospel: Those permitted outside the temple include baptism of new members, confirmation, the bestowal of the gift of the Holy Ghost, and ordination to the priesthood. But what are those ordinances that are so sacred that they may be given only inside a temple? They are called endowments and sealings, and they have special significance. They are given to the living, but vicariously for the dead also.

Work for the dead is one of the greatest uses of the temples. The late Elder John A.

Topical Concordance

Widtsoe of the Council of the Twelve explained these ordinances and the symbolism attached to them. He wrote as follows: In God's kingdom are many gradations, which lead to exaltation. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and labor for the fulfillment of the promise involved in the gift of the Holy Ghost will advance farther than those who placidly sit by with no driving desire within them. Temple worship is an avenue to exaltation in God's kingdom. God's definition of a temple is given over and over again in. A temple is a place in which those whom he has chosen are endowed with power from on high.

And what is power? Knowledge made alive and useful--that is intelligence; and intelligence in action--that is power. Our temples give us power--a power based on enlarged knowledge and intelligence--a power from on high, of a quality with God's own power. Sealings, for time and eternity, have the purpose of tying together father and son, mother and daughter, the living and the dead, from age to age.

In addition it emphasizes the authority of the priesthood. When man contemplates the full meaning of the sealing ordinance. Talmage, under authority of the Church, has also discussed the meaning of the endowment, in the book called "The House of the Lord. This course of instruction includes a recital of the most prominent events of the creative period, the condition of our first parents in the Garden of Eden, their disobedience and consequent expulsion from that blissful abode, their condition in the lone and dreary world when doomed to live by labor and sweat, the plan of redemption by which the great transgression may be atoned, the restoration of the Gospel with all its ancient powers and privileges, the absolute and indispensable condition of personal purity and devotion to the right in present life, and a strict compliance with Gospel requirements.

With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of each obligation of a promised blessing is pronounced, contingent upon the faithful observance of the conditions. In every detail the endowment ceremony contributes to covenants of morality of life, consecration of person to high ideals, devotion to truth, patriotism to nation and allegiance to God.

The blessings of the House of the Lord are restricted to no privileged class; every member of the Church may have admission to the temple with the right to participate in the ordinances thereof, if he comes duly accredited as of worthy life and conduct. The holy endowment is deeply symbolic. Everything must be arranged to attune our hearts, our minds, and our souls to the work. Everything about us must contribute to the peace of mind that enables us to study and to understand the mysteries, if you choose, that are unfolded before us.

Some have gone through the temple looking at the outward form and not the inner meaning of things.

Eighteen in the Bible (30 instances)

The form of the endowment is of earthly nature, but it symbolizes great spiritual truths. All that we do on this earth is earthly, but all is symbolic of great spiritual truths. To build this temple, earth had to be dug; wood had to be cut; stone was quarried and brought down the canyon. The endowment itself is symbolic; it is a series of symbols of vast realities, too vast for full understanding. This brings me to a few words concerning symbolism. We live in a world of symbols. We know nothing, except by symbols.

We make a few marks on a sheet of paper, and we say that they form a word which stands for love, or hate, or charity, or God or eternity. The marks may not be very beautiful to the eye. No one finds fault with the symbols on the pages of a book because they are not as mighty in their own beauty as the things which they represent. We do not quarrel with the symbol "G-o-d" because it is not very beautiful, yet represents the majesty of God. We are glad to have symbols, if only the meaning of the symbols is brought home to us.

No man or woman can come out of the temple endowed as he should be, unless he has seen, beyond the symbol, the mighty realities for which the symbols stand. Michael Wilcox, House of Glory: Finding Personal Meaning in the Temple , A Formula for Temple Worship A powerful and practical formula for temple worship is found in the Savior's words to the Nephites when he visited them after his Resurrection. Jesus spent the day with the Nephites, teaching them numerous beautiful truths, many of which they did not fully understand, particularly the Isaiah verses he concluded with.

These words express how we often feel as we leave the temple. I know they express how I felt the first time I went to the Los Angeles Temple to receive my own endowment. We are all weak and cannot understand all that the Father has taught us. Occasionally we feel a bit guilty for not comprehending more, but guilt is not the proper response. Occasionally we feel apathetic and attend the temple less often, or we do not pay attention when we do come. These things are even more inappropriate. What must we do? The Savior tells us to do five things, and the first is very easy: If we do not understand all we see and hear in the temple, we must not be fearful, guilty, or apathetic.

We must go home, ponder, pray, prepare, and then return. Far too often, the first step is the only one we take. We simply go home. Or we do step one and step five. We go home and we return, but we do not ponder, pray, or prepare. We must learn to do all five. The scriptures give numerous examples of prophets who have reflected, pondered, meditated, or studied and received glorious spiritual experiences as the result.

Pondering requires a deep concentration of thought and focus. To effectively ponder the temple ordinances, we must be familiar with them. If we want to ponder the scriptures, we can read and reread them, focusing on each word or phrase and how it relates to other truths found elsewhere in the text. We can do this with the temple ordinances only if they are written in our minds and in our hearts, for we cannot study them on a printed page. This occurs the more frequently we participate in them. It is next to impossible to ponder something we are not familiar with. At times, while listening to the endowment, we may want to pause and reflect about some insight we are discovering.

We wish we could stop the session from continuing so we could reflect a little deeper. Sometimes we wish we could write ourselves a note about an insight we are receiving so we could reflect on it more when the ceremony is over. We are afraid we will forget our insight by the time the session is completed. Of course, we can neither write ourselves notes nor stop the session. We must learn to hold the thoughts in our minds and then, in quiet moments in and out of the temple, ponder them and let the Spirit teach us.

The more we attend the temple, the more permanently the phrases and words of the endowment rest securely in our minds, where they are available for future pondering. How often do we kneel before or after temple attendance and beseech the Lord to teach us some edifying truth from the endowment.

The Lord is willing to teach if we will ask. We must allow him, however, to use his own wisdom about when and how to reveal a certain truth. Sometimes he will speak directly to our minds. Sometimes the answer will come in the scriptures. Insight might be presented to us by a spouse, a mother, or a father during a quiet conversation in the celestial room. Occasionally we wonder what we can or cannot say about the ordinances of the temple.

Outside the temple, we must use extreme care, speaking only of those things that are in the scriptures or in the official publications of the Church. Even then, we must let this counsel be our guide: Inside the temple, among those who are worthy of the ordinances, we may, again with the constraint of the Spirit, teach one another, particularly those in our own families. Some things we do not speak of even within temple walls, but these things are few and obvious. In the context of temple learning, the Lord instructs us in the following words: Remember, the temple is called "a place of instruction for all those who are called to the work of the ministry in all their several callings and offices; that they may be perfected in the understanding of their ministry, in theory, in principle, and in doctrine.

Ideally, the Spirit, using the symbols and the atmosphere of the temple, teaches each person according to his or her needs and in response to the person's individual prayers. But the Spirit can also teach through the words and insights of others. On occasion, Jesus' disciples did not understand the deeper meaning of his parables or figurative language. In private they would ask him the interpretation of these teachings. He rarely refused to explain. His disciples were weak but desirous of learning. We must not be afraid to ask for clarification from the Lord or from each other.

When we have insight, it is appropriate, especially within our families, under the guidance of the Spirit, to teach and explain as did the Savior. Widtsoe, "will question this or that thing about the temple service. While we are learning to clearly receive instruction through the Holy Ghost, let us, without anxiety, "teach one another words of wisdom" inasmuch as we have wisdom to impart and the Spirit so directs.

• Thoughts on Lesson Eighteen | LDS Living.
• .
• Il braccio destro (Contemporanea) (Italian Edition).
• .
• !
• Home Studio Clinic: A Musicians Guide to Professional Recording (Music Pro Guides)?

This sharing may be the Lord's answer to someone's prayers. Within a family, this sharing of insight can be very uniting. As a teacher in the Church Educational System, I have shared many touching teaching moments with hungry students, but none have been as sweet as when I have sat quietly in the celestial room with my wife, my sisters, my children, or my parents answering questions to the best of my insight and receiving their insights in return. Many of my prayers about the temple have been answered in this manner. In doing this, we must always be careful to respond to the Spirit and never limit the meaning of the temple to our own thoughts.

A world of meaning can be discovered if our minds remain open. Often we must ponder and pray for many years before a certain symbol is revealed. I personally sought guidance about a symbol of the temple for over twenty years. Then one morning, while I was directing a session, the truth rose quietly and beautifully in my mind.

When these experiences come to us, they give us confidence and hope.

• Search Results by Versions!
• Cádiz (Anotado) (Spanish Edition).
• .
• Lust Surrounding Love.
• Quixotic Ambitions?
• CHAP. 8. Of a Church or Temple.!

I do not know why the Lord did not answer my prayers about this symbol earlier. Perhaps I was unprepared to receive it, or other experiences in my life made it more powerful when it did come. The Lord is a much better judge in these matters than we are. We must have faith that when the time is right, he will answer our prayers and grant us understanding either directly, through the scriptures, or through the teachings and insights of others, especially those of our family. The House of the Lord , p. I have seen the beauty behind the symbols enough to now know that everything in the temple is beautiful.

If I do not yet understand a symbol, I trust that when I do understand it, it will be edifying and wonderful, for that has happened already with other symbols I have pondered and prayed about. The temptation to reject a symbol as unedifying says much more about our ignorance of its meaning than about the symbol itself. If we understood it, it would be beautiful and powerful.

II Kings 24:8-16

We must constantly pray for understanding and, until it comes, trust that the Lord never presents to the human mind anything that is not edifying. How do we prepare our minds to receive revelation? We have already seen that pondering is an excellent form of preparation. The scriptures teach that humility, also, prepares the mind for revelation. The Lord told the early Saints: Alma saw that the afflictions of the Zoramites had "truly humbled them, and that they were in a preparation to hear the word.

Hungering after righteousness prepares a mind to receive revelation. The promise is given that if we hunger after righteousness, we will be "filled with the Holy Ghost. Since the Holy Ghost is the principal teacher in the temple, anything we can do to be "filled" with the Spirit will enhance our learning opportunities. In reality, we will learn relatively little in the temple without the Spirit. I am a teacher by profession. In my experience, one thing is absolutely irresistible to a teacher--a hungry student. When I see a hungry student, eager to learn, giving me full attention, I want to teach him or her everything I know.

I will spend hours with that student, poring over the scriptures and sharing insights. When I have a class where everyone is quiet, alert, and paying strict attention, I teach a much better lesson. I share things I would not ordinarily share. These are wonderful moments that every teacher desires. When Jesus came to earth, he came as a teacher. I am sure that hungry students are also irresistible to him.

Let us go to the temple hungry, with a desire to take in everything and to understand everything. If we go with this attitude, our minds will be prepared to receive whatever the Lord desires us to receive that day. We will leave the temple filled because we went there hungry. Humility is important, for the proud think they know already. They are not hungry. They come to the temple already filled. The humble know they are empty, that they need nourishment. They come to the temple desiring to feast.

The greater the hunger and the more directed it is to be satisfied, the greater the feast will be. It would be inconsistent, for example, on a Friday night to attend a movie that contained crude or vulgar language or suggestive or violent scenes and then on Saturday morning hope to receive insight in the temple.

It would be improper to listen to worldly music whose lyrics or beat was outside the standards set by the Lord while driving to the temple and then be sensitive to the still, small voice once inside its walls. On occasion our dress and grooming can be offensive. Packer taught this truth from his own experience: I have wondered why it is that if such a person was mature enough to be admitted to the temple he would not at once be sensible enough to know that the Lord could not be pleased with those who show obvious preference to follow after the ways of the world.

In truth, frequent attendance at the temple protects us from becoming too caught up in the things of the world. President Brigham Young promised the Saints that if they "were in the temple of God working for the living and the dead, [their] eyes and hearts would not be after the fashions of the world nor the wealth of the world. Arthur Henry King, a former president of the London Temple and a great educator, explained how the scriptures influence our ability to discern between those things that are offensive to the Spirit and those things that are acceptable.

The truths he explained relative to the scriptures are equally true about frequent temple worship, for the endowment is one of the purest forms of scripture we have. If we are soaked in the scriptures, we shan't want to look at bad things on our walls or listen to bad music, because they won't fit.

We shall intuitively reject them, just as we shall embrace what is good, because we shall have in our minds a firm and sound sense of what is in good taste. Consistent temple attendance helps us stay prepared to receive knowledge through the Spirit. It is a powerful motivator and guide to keep the desires, styles, entertainments, and fashions of the world out of our lives.

II Kings 24:8-16 NKJV

With these distractions of worldliness less dominant, the Spirit provides more and more influence in our thoughts, desires, and appetites, bending them to the will of the Lord and making us receptive to further instruction. It helps create an environment that is receptive to spiritual things. I have noticed that when I am doing the work for one of my own or my wife's ancestors, the veil seems thinner, and the inspiration flows more readily. Perhaps that is the result of a deeper commitment to the ordinances because they are being performed for one of our own people.

Our concentration seems focused a bit more sharply. At times we may even feel the presence of our ancestors beside us in the temple, teaching us the meaning and relevance of what we are watching and hearing. Hunter spoke about receiving both halves of a blessing and related the following story to temple work: Although they perform a divine service in assisting others, they lose a blessing by not seeking their own kindred dead as divinely directed by latter- day prophets. At the close of a fast and testimony meeting, the bishop remarked, 'We have had a spiritual experience today listening to the testimonies borne by each other.

This is because we have come fasting according to the law of the Lord. It was wonderful to be here with all of you last week to celebrate Easter in what turned out to be one of my favorite Easter The first message from Haggai to the ruling politician, the religious priest and the returned people addresses the unfinished house of God. Why is this the favored greeting of the apostles? Paul works among Gentiles for eighteen months in Corinth and for nearly three years in Ephesus, but no example of his preaching is given.

The reason is that it has already been given—in Athens, in the very center of Gentile culture and intellect. March 21, By: The Work in Athens The problem arose not because our Lord healed her, but because He healed her on the Sabbath day. The Lord healing people on the Sabbath day was a reoccurring source of contention between Himself and the religious rulers.

And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up Christ the King November 25, Colossians 1: Home Sermons Search Results: Free Sermons and Sermon Outlines for Preaching: Rating 5 stars 4 stars or more 3 stars or more Any Rating. Sermon Type Full Sermon Outlines Audience Adults All 15 Teen 13 Adults 2. Free Sermon Outlines Theme-based sermon outlines for your church. Advent Sermon Outlines Fresh sermon ideas for your Advent sermons.

Established 6-week series to radically reconnect with God. New Sermon Series Kits. Get Full Access — Free for 14 Days. Unlock premium sermon illustrations, preaching campaigns, and church media