Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations | Ezra Taft Benson | December 1974

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My beloved brothers and sisters, humbly and  gratefully I stand before you this morning,   humbled by your presence, grateful for the gospel  that makes this great University possible. I hope   I’ll be given the strength today to say  what I know the Lord wants me to say. As we enter this Christmas season,  a season of getting and giving,   I would like to talk to you about a few of  the many gifts we have received from our Lord,   Jesus Christ, and what we  in turn might give to him. First, he gave us the perfect model—himself—after  which we are to pattern our lives. He said,   “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man  lay down his life for his friends.” Not only did   he lay down before us the perfect example for  earthly living, but for our sake he willingly   gave us his life. He went through an agony both  in body and spirit, of which we cannot comprehend,   to bring to us the glorious blessing  of the Atonement and the Resurrection. Some men are willing to die for their faith but  will not fully live for it. Christ both lived and   died for us. By walking in his steps and through  his atonement we can gain the greatest gift of   all—eternal life—which is that kind of life of  the great Eternal One, our Father in heaven. Christ asked the question as to what manner of men  ought we to be. He answered by saying we ought to   be even as he is. That man is greatest and most  blessed and joyful whose life most closely fits   the pattern of the Christ. This has nothing to  do with earthly wealth, power, or prestige. The   only true test of greatness, blessedness,  joyfulness is how close a life can come   to being like the Master, Jesus Christ. He is the  right way, the full truth, and the abundant life. The constant and most recurring question  in our minds, touching every thought and   deed of our lives, should be “Lord, what  wilt thou have me to do?” The answer to   that question can come through  the Light of Christ and the Holy   Ghost. Fortunate are those who so live that  their beings are filled with both of them. We have a work to do, to follow him. Who does God’s work will get God’s pay, However long may seem the day,  However weary be the way, He does not pay as others pay,  In merely gold or raiments gay. In only goods that will decay,  But His high wisdom knows a way, And this is sure, let come what may,  Who does God’s work will get God’s pay. I testify to you that his pay for his work is the   best pay that you can get  in this world or any other. Secondly, in addition to Christ providing  us the gift of his life as a model,   he has provided us the gift of a prophet. Of  all mortal men, we should keep our eyes most   firmly fixed on the captain, the prophet, seer,  and revelator, and President of The Church of   Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is the  man who stands closest to the fountain of living   waters. There are some heavenly instructions  for us that we can only receive through the   prophet. A good way to measure your standing  with the Lord is to see how you feel about,   and act upon, the inspired words of his earthly  representative, the Prophet-President. The   inspired words of the President are not to be  trifled with. All men are entitled to inspiration,   and various men are entitled to revelation  for their particular assignments. But only   one man stands as the Lord’s spokesman to the  Church and the world, and he is the President   of the Church. The words of all other men  should be weighed against his inspired words. Although his prophet is mortal, God will not let  him lead his Church astray. God knows all things,   the end from the beginning, and no man  becomes President of the church of Jesus   Christ by accident, nor remains there by  chance, nor is called home by happenstance.  The most important prophet,  so far as we are concerned,   is the one who is living in our day  and age. This is the prophet who has   today’s instructions from God to us. God’s  revelation to Adam did not instruct Noah   how to build the ark. Every generation  has the need of the ancient scripture,   plus the current scripture from the living  prophet. Therefore, the most crucial reading   and pondering which you should do is the latest  inspired words from the Lord’s mouthpiece. That   is why it is essential that you have access to and  carefully read his words in Church periodicals. Yes, we thank thee, O God, for a prophet  to guide us in these latter days. Thirdly, in addition to the gifts of the life of  Christ and his prophet is the gift of his church,   The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,  “the only true and living Church upon the face   of the whole earth.” There is no salvation  nor exaltation for us outside of the Church.   Through it we receive baptism, priesthood,  celestial marriage, and other sealing powers.   It is the organized means which God is using to  establish and expand his work. We must work with   it and in it, build it up and move it forward. We  should be willing to give generously of our time,   talents, and means for the Church.  No matter what happens to the world,   the Church will grow in strength and  will be intact when the Lord comes again. God has assured us that the Church  will never again be taken from the   earth because of apostasy. He has said  that he is pleased with the Church,   speaking collectively and not individually.  This means that certain individuals within   the Church may go astray and even fall away.  This may happen even to a person in the Church   who is in a position of some influence and  authority. It has happened in the past. It   will happen in the future. If our faith is  in Jesus Christ and not in the arm of flesh,   then we will know that we are members of the  church of Jesus Christ and not the church of men. If you see some individual in the  Church doing things which disturb you,   or you feel the Church is not doing things the  way you think they could or should be done,   the following principles might be helpful. God has to work through mortals of varying  degrees of spiritual progress. Sometimes he   temporarily grants to men their unwise requests  in order that they might learn from their own   sad experiences. Some refer to this as the “Samuel  principle.” The children of Israel wanted a king,   like all the nations. The prophet Samuel  was displeased and prayed to the Lord   about it. The Lord responded by saying  to Samuel, “They have not rejected thee,   but they have rejected me, that I should not  reign over them.” The Lord told Samuel to   warn the people of the consequences if they  had a king. Samuel gave them the warning,   but they still insisted on their king. So God  gave them a king and let them suffer. They learned   the hard way. God wanted it to be otherwise,  but within certain bounds he grants unto men   according to their desires. Bad experiences are  an expensive school that only fools keep going to. Sometimes in our attempts to mimic the  world, contrary to the prophet’s counsel,   we run after the world’s false  educational, political, musical,   and dress ideas. New worldly standards take  over, a gradual breakdown occurs, and finally,   after much suffering, a humble people are  ready to be taught once again a higher law. Now, during all this gradual lowering of  standards, the righteous should be living   up to the highest personal standards  they can—not forcing those standards   on others but preparing for and awaiting  a better day which surely must come. This   leads me to another principle: that a  leader cannot lead without followers.   If better standards are to be observed,  there must be a better people to do it. The Book of Mormon talks about  “clearing” away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to  the strength of the good and the size thereof;   and ye shall not clear away the bad  thereof all at once, lest the roots   thereof should be too strong for the graft,  and the graft thereof shall perish. . . . . . . wherefore ye shall clear away the  bad according as the good shall grow,   that the root and the top may be equal in  strength until the good shall overcome the bad. Only a Zion people can bring in a Zion  society. And as the Zion people increase,   so we will be able to incorporate more of the   principles of Zion until we have a  people prepared to receive the Lord. This means that on this campus, in due time, there  will be an increasing number of textbooks written   by inspired men of the Church. There will be  less and less a tendency to subscribe to the   false teachings of men. There will be more and  more a tendency first to lay the groundwork of   the gospel truth in every subject and then,  if necessary, to show where the world may   fall short of that standard. In due time there  will be increased teaching by the Spirit of God,   but that can take place only if there is a  decreased promotion of the precepts of men. We seek that which is praiseworthy,  lovely, virtuous, and of good report;   and we salute Beethoven, Shakespeare, Rembrandt,  and Michelangelo. In due time, we will also have   more of our own giants—particularly great  father-patriarchs and noble companions and   mothers of men. There is certain music heard and  art seen and clothes worn on this campus that   must pass away—not because the styles change  but because our standards will be improved. When individual actions of some Church  members disturb you, here’s another   principle to consider. This is the principle  of stewardship. As the kingdom grows larger,   more and more responsibilities have to be  delegated and stewardships handed out. Men   respond in different degrees of valiancy to  their stewardships. God is very patient and   long-suffering as he waits for some of us to rise  to our responsibilities. He usually gives a man a   long enough rope and a long enough time either to  pull himself up to the presence of God or to drop   off somewhere below. But while God is patient, no  puny arm of man in his stewardship can long impede   or pervert the work of the Lord. The mills of  God grind slowly, but they grind ever so finely. Because God has given men their agency, there  will always be those who will misuse it. The   gospel net draws in the good and the bad, the  best and the worst—the worst because the devil,   before the final cleansing, puts some of his  followers within the kingdom in order to try   and destroy it. We have some of them within the  kingdom today, and in due course their number   shall be known. Time has a way of taking care of  all things, of elevating the good and bringing   down the bad. If we see things going on within the  kingdom that disturb us, we might first resolve if   the matter falls within our stewardship. We then  might go to the person or people involved. If it   is of such a nature that we think it should be  called to the attention of higher authority,   then we can, in a kindly and quiet manner,  take the necessary steps at the proper level. To publish differences we may think we have with  the leaders of the Church, to create strife and   division, is a sure road to apostasy. Our task is  to stick with the kingdom, not to let anything or   anybody disaffect or sour us toward that great  gift which Christ has given us—his church. The Church is true. Keep its  laws; attend its meetings;   sustain its leaders; accept its callings;  get its recommend; enjoy its blessings. Fourthly, in addition to the  gifts of the life of Christ,   his prophet, and his church is the gift of  scripture, particularly the Book of Mormon. In his dedicatory prayer for the Washington  Temple, President Kimball referred to the   Book of Mormon, as did the Prophet Joseph, as  the most correct book. The Prophet Joseph Smith   also called it the keystone of our religion.  He said that “a man would get nearer to God   by abiding by its precepts, than by any other  book.” That book was written for our day. Mormon,   who compiled it, saw us in vision and was  directed to put into the book those things   God felt we would especially need in our  time. There was inspiration in making the   Book of Mormon a required religion class  on this campus. The faculty and student   body should know the Book of Mormon better  than any other book. Not only should we know   what history and faith-promoting stories it  contains, but we should also understand its   teachings. If we really did our homework and  approached the Book of Mormon doctrinally,   we could expose the errors and find the truths  to combat many of the current false theories and   philosophies of men, including socialism,  humanism, organic evolution, and others. I have noted within the Church  the difference in discernment,   in insight, in conviction, and in  spirit between those who know and   love the Book of Mormon and those who  do not. That book is a great sifter. Fifth, in addition to the gifts of the  life of Christ, his prophet, his church,   and the Book of Mormon is the gift  of his Constitution. The Lord said,   “I established the Constitution of  this land, by the hands of wise men   whom I raised up” (D&C 101:80). Among the  opening words of his dedicatory prayer at   the Washington Temple, President Kimball  referred to our inspired Constitution. The elders of this Church have a prophetic mission  yet to perform so far as the Constitution is   concerned. In a discourse on July 19, 1840, Joseph  Smith said, “Even this nation will be on the very   verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling  to the ground, and when the Constitution is   upon the brink of ruin, this people will be  the staff upon which the nation shall lean,   and they shall bear the Constitution  away from the very verge of destruction.”  Now, how are the elders going to prepare for  that mission? How are they going to know what   the Constitution is, so they will know when it is  on the brink of ruin? In many of the law schools   of today you will hear that the Constitution is  whatever the Supreme Court says it is. Could it   be that the Supreme Court, which President McKay  said is leading this nation down the road to   atheism, is the agency to tell us what this  divine document is? Can we learn best how to   preserve it by studying what it is at the hands  of some of those who are seeking to destroy it? But President McKay had a better approach when he  encouraged us to support good and conscientious   candidates who are truly dedicated to  the Constitution in the tradition of   our founding fathers. They are the ones the Lord  referred to as wise men. It is to them, the Lord,   and his prophets that we should go to determine  what the Constitution is. There must have been a   tradition of our founding fathers, or President  McKay would not have referred to it. (One of   the best books on this subject was written by  Clarence Carson, entitled The American Tradition,   distributed by The Foundation for Economic  Education at Irvington-on-Hudson, New York.   President J. Reuben Clark served on their board  of trustees for some time. I now have the honor   of so serving.) To the Lord, his prophets, and  the founding fathers we must go to learn of this   divine document so that our efforts will be to  preserve and not to destroy the Constitution. The Prophet Joseph Smith said in a great  discourse in Nauvoo on February 7, 1844,   “Were I the president of the United States . .  . I would honor the old paths of the venerated   fathers of freedom; I would walk in the tracks  of the illustrious patriots who carried the ark   of the Government upon their shoulders with  an eye single to the glory of the people.” Said President George Albert Smith, “I am  saying to you that to me the Constitution   of the United States of America is just as much  from my Heavenly Father as the Ten Commandments.   When that is my feeling I am not going to go  very far away from the Constitution and I am   going to try to keep it where the Lord started it,  and not let anti-Christ come into this country.” And speaking of anti-Christ, I would like  to tell you, if you want to get some idea   of how we are flaunting the Constitution,  see how the Constitution defines treason.   Then observe what we are doing to build up the  enemy in this totally anti-Christ conspiracy. If   we continue on this tragic course of aid and  trade to the enemy, then the Lord has warned   us of the consequences which will follow in  chapter eight of Ether in the Book of Mormon. Thank God for the Constitution, which made  it possible for the Lord to establish his   church and base of operations here in  the United States for these last days.   And may God bless the elders of Israel so  that when, as President John Taylor said,   “the people shall have torn to shreds the  Constitution of the United States the Elders   of Israel will be found holding it up to the  nations of earth and proclaiming liberty.” Now, Christ’s life, his prophet,  his church, the Book of Mormon,   the Constitution of the United Sates are but  a few of the gifts of Christ to bless us,   not only at this season, but  also throughout our lives. And now, my friends—what can we possibly give to  the Lord this Christmastime? In consideration of   all that he has done and is doing for us, there  is something that we might give him in return. Christ’s great gift to us was his  life and sacrifice—should that not   then be our small gift to him—our  lives and sacrifices, not only now,   but in the future? A few years ago, my  colleague, Elder Boyd Packer, said this: I’m not ashamed to say that . . . I want to be  good. And I’ve found in my life that it has been   critically important that this was established  between me and the Lord so that I knew that   He knew which way I committed my agency. I  went before Him and said, “I’m not neutral,   and you can do with me what you want. If you need  my vote, it’s there. I don’t care what you do with   me, and you don’t have to take anything from me,  because I give it to you—everything, all I own,   all I am.” And that makes the difference. Yes, men and women who turn their lives over to   God will find out that he can make a lot more out  of their lives than they can. He will deepen their   joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds,  strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits,   multiply their blessings, increase their  opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up   friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose  his life to God will find he has eternal life. And now as to our sacrifice to him. Yes, sacrifice  is the crowning test of the gospel. Men are tried   and tested in this mortal probation to see if they  will put first into their lives the things of the   kingdom of God. To gain eternal life, they must be  willing, if called upon, to sacrifice all things   for the gospel. “If thou wilt be perfect,” Jesus  said to the rich young man, “go and sell that   thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt  have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” Hearing this injunction, Peter said, “Behold,   we have forsaken all, and followed  thee; what shall we have therefore?” To this query, our Lord replied, “Every one that  hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or   father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands,  for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold,   and shall inherit everlasting life.” Joseph Smith said this about sacrifice: For a man to lay down his all, his character  and reputation, his honor and applause,   his good name among men, his houses, his lands,  his brothers and sisters, his wife and children,   and even his life—counting all things but filth  and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of   Jesus Christ—requires more than mere belief or  supposition that he is doing the will of God;   but actual knowledge, realizing that, when these  sufferings are ended he will enter into eternal   rest; and be a partaker of the glory of God. . . .  A religion that does not require the sacrifice of   all things never has power sufficient to produce  the faith necessary unto life and salvation;   for, from the first existence of man, the faith  necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation   never could be obtained without the sacrifice of  all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice,   and this only that God has ordained  that men should enjoy eternal life. Elder Bruce McConkie said,  “Sacrifice pertains to mortality;   in the eternal sense there is none. Sacrifice  involves giving up the things of this world   because of the promises of blessings  to be gained in a better world. In the   eternal perspective there is no sacrifice  in giving up all things—even including the   laying down of one’s life—if eternal  life is gained through such a course.” But just as when one loses his life to God  he really finds the abundant life; so also,   when one sacrifices all to God, then God in return  shares all that he has with him. Try as you may,   you cannot put the Lord in your debt—for every  time you try to do his will he simply pours out   more blessings upon you. Sometimes the blessings  may seem to you to be a little slow in coming;   perhaps this tests your faith, but come they  will and abundantly. And it has been said,   “Cast your bread upon the waters and after  a while it comes back toasted and buttered.” Said President Brigham Young: I have heard a great many tell about what they  have suffered for Christ’s sake. I am happy to   say I never had occasion to. I have enjoyed a  great deal, but so far as suffering goes I have   compared it a great many times, in my feelings  and before congregations, to a man wearing an old,   worn-out, tattered and dirty coat, and somebody  comes along and gives him one that is new,   whole and beautiful. This is the comparison  I draw when I think of what I’ve suffered   for the Gospel’s sake—I have thrown away  an old coat and have put on a new one. The saints never suffer as the  sinners do, President Young explained: As to trials, why bless your hearts, the  man or woman who enjoys the spirit of our   religion has no trials; but the man or  woman who tries to live according to the   Gospel of the Son of God, and at the same  time clings to the spirit of the world,   has trials and sorrows acute and  keen, and that, too, continually. Cast off the yoke of the enemy,  and put on the yoke of Christ,   and you will say that his yoke is easy and his  burden is light. This I know by experience. Do you know one reason why righteous mothers  love their children so much? It’s because   they sacrifice so much for them. We love what we  sacrifice for, and we sacrifice for what we love. But when you give little you  receive little. Said the poet: I bargained with life for a penny And life would pay no more;  However I begged at evening When I counted my scanty store. For life is a just employer, It pays you what you ask;  But once you have set the wages, Why you must bear the task. I work for a menial’s hire, Only to learn, dismayed;  That any wage I had asked of life, Life would have willingly paid. Why don’t we go all the way with  the Lord—not part way? Why don’t   we sacrifice all of our sins—not some of them? She was a young girl. She had sacrificed  her worldly plans to spend long,   tedious hours in work in order to provide  for and raise her younger orphan brother.   But now she lay on her bed, dying of  a sickness. She called for her bishop,   and as she talked to him in her last  moments, he held her rough, hard,   work-calloused hand in his. Then she asked the  question “How will God know that I am his?” Gently he raised her wrist and  answered, “Show him your hands.” Someday we may see that pair of hands  that sacrificed so much for us. Are   our hands clean, and do they show  the signs of being in his service?   Are our hearts pure and filled with his thoughts? Each week we make a solemn covenant to  be like him and take him for our leader,   to always remember him in everything and keep all   of his commandments. In return he  promises to give us his Spirit. A few years ago, we knew our Elder Brother and  his and our Father in heaven well. We rejoiced   at the upcoming opportunity for earthly life that  could make it possible for us to have a fullness   of joy as they had. We could hardly wait to  demonstrate to our Father and our Brother,   the Lord, how much we loved them and how we  would be obedient to them in spite of the   earthly opposition of the evil one. And now we’re  here—our memories are veiled—and we’re showing God   and ourselves what we can do. Nothing is going to  startle us more when we pass through the veil to   the other side than to realize how well we know  our Father and how familiar his face is to us.   And then, President Young said, we’re going  to wonder why we were so stupid in the flesh. God loves us, he’s watching us, he wants us  to succeed, and we’ll know someday that he   has not left one thing undone for the eternal  welfare of each of us. If we only knew that   there are heavenly hosts pulling for us—friends in  heaven, whom we can’t remember now, who yearn for   our victory. This is our day to show what we can  do—what life and sacrifice we can daily, hourly,   instantly bring to God. If we give our all,  we will get his all from the greatest of all. I close with this last true story, as it was given  by Bob Richards in his book Life’s Higher Goals.   It always touches my heart and it may touch  yours. Lou Little tells this story about his   greatest football team. They were on their way to  the conference championship—one last game. He had   a boy on his squad who had not quite been able  to make the team for four straight years. Just   before the game—three days before—Lou was given a  telegram to give to this boy that informed him his   only living relative had just died. The boy  looked at the telegram and said, “Coach,   I’ll be back for Saturday’s game.” The morning  of the game he came up to his coach and said,   “Lou, I want you to put me in this game.  I know I haven’t made the first team yet,   but let me in for this kickoff. I’ll  prove to you that I’m worthy of it.” Well,   Lou could see that the boy was emotionally  upset, and he made all kinds of excuses,   but finally he thought, “Well, he can’t do much  harm on the kickoff, so I’ll put the boy in.” The roar of the crowd followed the kickoff. The  opposing quarterback took the ball on the goal   line, moved up, and on the seven-yard line  there was a tremendous tackle. The boy had   dropped him in his tracks. On the next play  Lou left him in. He made the next tackle;   he was in on the next tackle; you couldn’t  move him out of there. He made practically   every tackle that day—terrific downfield  blocking. He was the reason why Columbia   won the championship. Afterwards, all  the guys were pounding him on the back.   When they were all done, Lou Little went up to the  boy and said, “Son, I don’t understand it. Today   you were an all-American. I’ve never seen you play  like this in four straight years. What happened?” And the boy looked up at his coach and said,  “Coach, you knew my dad died, didn’t you?” “Yes, I handed you the telegram.” He said, “You knew he was blind, didn’t you?” “Yes, I’ve seen you walk him  around the campus many times.” He said, “Coach, today is the first  football game my dad ever saw me play.”   It makes a difference, friends,  when those unseen eyes are watching. Give God your best, and his best will  come back to you. May God be with you   this season and always, I pray in  the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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Channel: BYU Speeches
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Length: 48min 36sec (2916 seconds)
Published: Wed Dec 14 2016
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