Elder Ronald A. Rasband: I Shall Not Be Moved

good morning that was really lame can we do better than that good morning thank you oh this is wonderful to be with you today on many fronts one i'm grateful for president cush and elder gilbert being here with me sister kush thank you administrators thank you beautiful institute choir and where's that violinist wow fantastic thank you this is a special building to me as you heard in the introduction i used to be a tour guide here on temple square and i would bring groups into this building often and demonstrate the acoustical ability of the building and share with them some of its history and i'm so grateful that you get to use this often here at ensign college i'm also grateful before i give my message i've prepared just to tell you that as president cush described the kind of students that you all are who come here i thought back on my life and thought that i would have been very comfortable here at this school when i was your age i wanted to go to byu but i couldn't afford it my dad was a wonder bred truck driver and we lived way out in the southernmost end of the valley and the only way i could go to college was to live at home and attend the u of u from home and i'm grateful for that privilege it was there that i met sister rasband it was there that i met jon huntsman and a lot of my life keyed off of my early college experience at the u of u but i'm just very grateful to all of you for attending ensign college this college fits a unique role in your life and i'm impressed with how many of you come from other parts of the world or the country and somehow you've gravitated to be here congratulations it's wonderful for you to be affiliated at one of the lord's institutions and that says much about your desire to stay close to the lord as you study and prepare your lives prepare your families to go forward in business in the church and into a world that dearly needs you as who you are i want to begin my message today by relating an experience i just had in a few weeks ago in bologna italy on assignment from the first presidency i spoke to an interfaith forum of religious leaders from many nations i described to them how we the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints shared in their commitment to god into charity i explained that true religion prompts us to help those in need i then added that there is no question that the world needs the efforts of all that were assembled there in bologna as well as other believers to build upon our desire to go about doing good with such noble effort comes the promise that god will be with us i also stress that no matter the culture color creed or country god's love unites us to stand together to face down religious persecution as i was concluding my remarks i had an interesting experience this was a religious forum in an ancient setting that called for images of christ teaching the people yet not one of the seven speakers before me had closed in any faith tradition way in the name of god allah or anything like that and at the close of my presentation i had a moment to wonder and think do i just say thank you to this group and sit down or do i close in the name of the lord jesus christ as a special witness of jesus christ called to bear witness of him to all the world i knew the lord would have me say his name to conclude my message and so i did i knew that it was very important to declare the lord's name and emphasize the significance of divinity in our work and so i closed my remarks in the name of jesus christ i was the only speaker that day who invade invoke the name of the lord or even any form of deity in bologna bologna i stood as a witness that jesus christ is my savior and redeemer as you all know all baptized members of this church are blessed to bear the sacred name of jesus christ we represent him you and i and his sacred name by what we say and what we do and how we do it in the book of mormon we read of alma's counsel to those being baptized and to stand as witnesses of god at all times and in all things and in all places that ye may be in this scripture sets the bar for our mortal journey with the promise that if we are true to the savior we may be redeemed of god and be numbered with those of the first resurrection that we may have eternal life well you've heard of the position i was put in in bologna how about you do you seek to stand with your head always held high as a disciple of jesus christ in all things and in all places or do you shrink as did peter who denied the christ three three times in those brutal last hours of the lord's life i feel for peter he had affirmed his loyalty many times he had boldly asserted that he would never deny the christ but then under the pressure of the guards the crowds and the mayhem his resolve weakened realizing what he had done he went out and wept peter however showed us that even if we have faltered we can rise and become steadfast and immovable in standing for the lord following the savior's death and resurrection peter and his fellow apostles were beaten threatened with death and commanded that they should not speak in the name of jesus anymore in response peter and the others went out rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name and daily in the temple and in every house they ceased not to teach and preach jesus christ my humble message to you today is to stand as a witness of god nothing wavering as a member of christ's restored church what you do how why and when reflects your desire to be counted as his disciple i love the description in psalms that says it all in one simple verse i have set the lord always before me i shall not be moved i hope you leave this meeting today with that scripture psalms 16 verse 8 imprinted in your heart and mind and that you live true to it your discipleship began in the council in heaven when jesus christ stepped forth as the father's plan was presented we rightly call it the great plan of happiness jesus christ the father's firstborn committed to do his part in his earthly ministry which would culminate in the atonement for all of god's children five words were spoken here am i send me he said no fanfare no selfies just a strong statement of loyalty understanding preparation and purpose and my young friends we were all there you were there i was there we chose in that council to stand with our lord to come to earth and to be valiant in the cause of christ to be true to his church his gospel his prophets and our own covenants we pledged to strive to become like the savior that at the final judgment we would be found worthy to receive exaltation in the presence of our father it's recounted brothers and sisters that we shouted for joy at the prospect did we know mortality was going to be hard this hard i think we did but we did not shy away and we had faith in our father and his plan we embraced agency our right to choose and prove ourselves and we trusted jesus christ and his incomprehensible love for each one of us to be manifest in his atonement and we each went forth picture the scene in your mind of the last hours and days of jesus christ ministry with his boundless capacity to shoulder all our sins pains and infirmities he suffered in agony that i certainly can't comprehend it began in the garden of gethsemane extended to the cross and ended in his resurrection at the garden tomb in gethsemane he asked his three disciples to watch while he went on alone to pray however they fell asleep in their vigil not once but three times did he scold or berate them for not standing strong no he was about the business of the atonement that would compensate for their laps and all others everywhere always the soldiers were coming with judas who led them to jesus for 30 pieces of silver those 30 pieces of silver represent a lot of sins committed in this life they were a paltry reward for having turned on the son of god but jesus time to redeem all of god's children had come he was dragged before caiaphas and the chief priests questions and taunted he stood silent knelled to a cross he was mocked with if thou be the son of god come down from the cross again he did not respond those abusing him did not grasp the love jesus offered them nonetheless his few words in the end were telling for he said father forgive them for they know not what they do he gathered the strength to bless them and then having completed his mission with the requisite pain he concluded with father it is finished thy will is done sobering isn't it that even as he was tortured he was not thinking of those who would be he was thinking of those who would be blessed by his atonement now every one of us has a backpack of sins mistakes misdeeds words we wish we could take back days filled with disappointment unbridled ambition broken hearts broken dreams and broken covenants i think that about covers most of it the savior knows we are not perfect but by but by his atoning sacrifice we can become just men and women made perfect prepared to stand before our father in heaven drawing upon the power of the savior's atonement is not an end of life experience when some make amends fearful of what is ahead it is for today and tomorrow and every tomorrow after that we need to consistently get back up on our feet through the lord's saving grace by the power of the atonement atonement with this promise i will ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders that even even you cannot feel them upon your backs and this will i do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter and that ye may know of a surety that i the lord god to visit my people in their afflictions elder john a whitso 30 years as an apostle in the 20th century said this of our part in that council in heaven quote we agreed right then and there to be saviors of the whole human family the working out of the plan became not merely the father's work and the savior's work but also our work end quote joseph smith knew all about doing the lord's work i stand before you today bearing firm witness that joseph smith was called by god the father and his son jesus christ to be his first prophet of the restoration sixteen men subsequently have followed joseph to lead for a season john taylor apostle and fourth president of the church who survived the attack at carthage jail said of our first prophet quote joseph smith the prophet and seer of the lord has done more save jesus only for the salvation of men in this world than any other man that ever lived in it he died great and he died great in the eyes of god and his people in my lifetime i have come to know that very strong statement to be true let's look briefly at what joseph did that influences our lives today you have to ask my friends how could anyone do those remarkable things without divine inspiration and assistance here we go here's a few joseph saw god the father and jesus christ is standing above him in the air their appearance ushered in the restoration of the fullness of times we are blessed immeasurably every day by the restoration the prophet joseph translated the book of mormon by the power of god i hope you get to read it every day he talked with many heavenly messengers and prophets of old and they ministered to him moroni alone visited him 22 times that we know of joseph received priesthood keeds from john the baptist and peter james and john and other ancient prophets those same keys are held by the president and the apostles of the church in our day today he began temple building so that all of god's children might receive the sacred ordinances in his holy house to know today those same ordinances are performed in temples all around the world at general conference president nelson announced 13 new temples which brought the number of announced temples those under construction and those in operation amazing think of this to 265. he received revelation for the church and for individuals many of those revelations make up the doctrine and covenants that we've been studying and come follow me this year let me explore one verse from latter-day revelation with you when joseph was translating the plates his scribe oliver cowdery asked joseph if the lord might have a revelation for him he had already received a divine manifestation of the truth of the prophet joseph's testimony regarding the plates joseph asked in prayer and received section 6 of the doctrine and covenants the lord's words in verse 18 were not just important for oliver they are important for all of us quote be diligent the lord said stand by my servant joseph faithfully in whatsoever difficult circumstances he may be for the world's sake end quote stand by joseph that is not just a good thought it is a commandment do you do that having a testimony of joseph smith that he was called of god is fundamental to your faith and your witness of jesus christ and his church if your testimony of joseph is casual or wavering search the scriptures and the teachings of those who have followed him in doing the lord's work pray and seek a witness from the holy ghost that joseph was divinely called and divinely directed and then stand by him in october just a few weeks ago 2015 shortly before general conference then church president thomas s monson extended the call for me to serve in the quorum of the twelve apostles he made it clear that the call came from the lord you can imagine i hope how humbled i was and i still feel that way today when i spoke in general conference that sunday after just a few days notice i referred to one of my favorite hymns in fact i named my talk that day after this hymn i stand all amazed the words of the first verse of the hymn still resonate deeply in my heart i stand all amazed at the love jesus offers me confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me i marvel that he would descend from his throne divine to rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine that he should extend his great love unto such as i sufficient to own to redeem and to justify oh it is wonderful wonderful to me to this very moment i stand all amazed at the savior's love expressed through his atonement time and again he has lifted my burdens borne my sorrows and he will do the same for you he has said be of good cheer and do not fear for i the lord am with you and will stand by you a friend of mine described her account of feeling pain more than she could bear when someone dear to her someone just like you had chosen to step away from the church she had sleepless nights suffering not from sin but from heartache she had turned to the scriptures gone to the temple prayed for comfort and prayed again and those righteous efforts kept her going she was still standing with the lord not allowing bitterness contention or misery to pull her down and she was at church on sunday where she knew she should be although sitting on the back bench struggling to feel something anything that might get her through the day some of you may have felt like that when someone's poor decisions have shattered your family or friendship circle the closing hymn that day was one of my friend's favorites i know that my redeemer lives and she felt a little better as she sang those words through tears he lives to calm my troubled heart and then came the sacrament him that day i stand all amazed good choice i would say as she's saying the words of a verse touched her and the spirit filled her heart like it had for me so many times quote that for me a sinner he suffered he bled and died that moment she felt encircled about in the arms of the savior's love her broken heart was in his hands the spirit the spirit reminded her that the lord had already paid for what was destroying her peace and afflicting her soul she thought of those were of those redeeming words that for me he suffered he bled and died and realized they were meant for her right then not for any sin on her part but for an aching breaking heart she described that literally the pain lifted and did not come back weeks later she stood before the ward and bore her testimony of the atonement of jesus christ she bore it with faith in him who is mighty to save how is it done the prophet enos asked when he knelt before the lord the answer is through faith in jesus christ and obedience and repentance when we exercise faith we find ourselves being lifted because of the savior's infinite atonement consider these few examples of faith from the scriptures lehi early in the book of mormon prophesied of the destruction that was to come to his beloved jerusalem the people mocked him and sought his life he exclaimed great and marvelous are thy works o lord god almighty does that sound like a man distressed to be going out into the wilderness he was a man of faith and he knew the lord was with him nephi went back with his brothers to get the plates from laban he valiantly testified i will go and do the things which the lord hath commanded he was a disciple he faced hardships and the harassment of his brothers but he trusted in the lord jesus christ one of my favorites stood firm in his witness of the savior even as he was consumed by fire he testified before king noah and his wicked priest that only in and through christ can ye be saved and they killed him for it he sealed the truth of his words with his death touched in his heart by the words of abinadi fled the court of king noah and became a great prophet leader he taught and baptized many crying unto the lord pour out thy spirit unto thy servant that he may do this work with holiness of heart if alma were here today he would pray that all of us assembled would do the work we came to do with that same holiness of heart the 2000 stripling warriors stood in defense of their families against those attacking the ways of god what i love about this account is the statement that these youth were true at all times in whatsoever three thing they were entrusted samuel lamanite prophet was cast out of zarahemla for preaching repentance but he jumped up on the wall over the city speaking the words the lord put in his heart he did not come down as the nath sayers threw rocks and shot arrows at him with faith emboldened he called the people to repentance and prophesied of the signs of the birth and death of jesus christ and then moroni who stood on the battlefield strewn with bodies of his people and lamented i am alone the next time you worry about showing up for a ward activity alone think what moroni would do and walk in with your head up and your faith that the lord stands by you moroni continues my father hath been slain in battle and all my kinsfolk and i have not friends nor wither so ever to go and how long the lord will suffer that i may live i know not then these hugely powerful words behold i speak unto you as if ye were present and yet ye are not but behold jesus christ hath shown you unto me and i know your doings moroni saw earthquakes storms wards wars the collapse of societies amidst the turmoil of our day but i believe he also saw a strong covenant keeping young people just like you who would hold high the banner of the kingdom of god on earth who would follow the living prophet president nelson president nelson reminded us in 2009 when president thomas s monson was presiding over the church quote some revelations have been given for unique circumstances such as noah's building of the ark or the necessity for prophets like moses lehi and brigham to lead their followers in arduous travel god's long-established pattern of teaching his children through prophets assures us that he will bless each prophet and that he will bless those who heed prophetic counsel what is president nelson's counsel today just weeks ago in conference referring to the same talk elder gilbert has mentioned if you and i are to withstand the forthcoming perils and pressures it is imperative that we each have a firm spiritual foundation built upon the rock of our redeemer jesus christ imperative it is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures extraordinary perhaps measures we have never taken before to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures unprecedented we know the plan and we revere we have a part in it as we read in the scriptures let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power and then may we stand still with the utmost assurance to see the salvation of god and for his arm to be revealed i particularly like the encouragement to cheerfully do all things brothers and sisters this is a happy gospel with a glorious conclusion never get caught up in the cycle of poor me why me what about me never be drawn off by what is circulating on the internet or be among those hunched over with downcast faces and aimless lives the lord knows you he knows your wounds and frailties and his atonement has provided that with repentance you may return home to your father in heaven today in the office of the holy apostleship i extend to you an apostolic blessing every one of you here in the assembly hall and those of you online watching that you will keep jesus christ always in your sights that you will seek the power of his atonement to bless your life when you falter struggle or need his strong hand that you will be blessed to follow the council of living prophets and apostles and study their teachings i pray that you shall not be moved from standing as a witness of god take heed to the words our lord and savior spoke to joseph in liberty jail quote hold on thy way for god shall be with you forever and ever brothers and sisters from the first presidency and the twelve know this we love you we love you we thank you and we need you in this journey i've described today i so testify in the name of the lord jesus christ amen

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Length: 35min 12sec (2112 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 28 2021