Seminary Talk - New Testament

[Seminary Talk - 11th May 1997]

Good morning brothers and sisters for my seminary talk today I have chosen the theme of Love. This occurs many times in the New Testament, and most frequently in the Gospel of John. For those of you who have been through the seminary program John 14:15 will probably sound familiar to you, it is a scripture mastery which reads,

“If ye love me keep my commandments.”

Love for God, is a good reason for keeping his commandments and one of those is to love one another. Some people may think that this commandment is easy, but it is not only God, Christ and our friends who we have to love as you can see in Matthew 5:43-48;

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt alove thy bneighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

46 For if ye alove them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Although this can be very difficult to do, this is what we should all strive to do to become more christlike. As it said, it is eay to love someone who loves you, but to love those who hate and use you shows great love even the pure love of Christ.

In John 15:13 it says Christ had this great love for us, his friends, which is shown by the way he suffered and died for us. Christ is not the only one who has this great love for us all, but also God, which you can tell in John 3:16-17

16 For God so loved thecworld, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

We should never forget the great love Christ and Heavenly Father have for us and to return to that love we are only asked to keep the commandments, and if we do we will get a great gift which is revealed in John 14:21

21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

I would like to end my talk by reading 1 John 4:7-8 which really sums it all up;

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sacrament Talk - Seminary

[23rd June 1996 - Sacrament Talk]

I have been asked to speak today about seminary.

While at the Seminary Focus evening on Friday I was thinking about what the speakers said about early morning seminary. How most go on to serve missions and get married in the temple.

Both my two years of seminary so far have been early morning and I have really enjoyed it. It’s not only the fact that you are studying the true word of God, but that you are doing it with church friends, who try to keep the same high standards as yourself. When you meet with your church friends every morning, it gives you a spiritual boost and wakes you up ready for school. But of course the perfect way to enjoy seminary would be like my new found email friend Wendy Molgard who lives in Utah. Her and her friends get time off school to attend seminary, but as this does not happen in England. Early morning seminary will just have to do.

Now there was a lot to cover this year in seminary as we were studying the Old Testament, but the story that sticks out in my mind most is that of Job. How he loses everything he has. His health, property and family. Even when his friends accuse him of having committed a terrible sin and that this is all a punishment; he still has faith and loves the Lord knowing he hasn’t committed a sin. Job prophesies of his own resurrection and that he will see God. In the scripture mastery Job 19:25-26 it says;

25 For I aknow that my bredeemer liveth, and that che shall dstand at the latter day upon the earth:

26 And though after my skin worms destroy this abody, yet in my bflesh shall I csee God:

I have a testimony that the church is true and that the seminary program is a great and wonderful thing. I hope that I will gain a lot in my next two years of seminary. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Gospel a recipe for Happiness

[This was for some Stake Speech Festival, or something like that, I don't have a year....]

Eggs, Milk, Flour, Sugar, Margarine and maybe a flavouring is a recipe that makes what we call a cake. When you follow the recipe you make a wonderful cake that is enjoyed. This next recipe doesn’t make a cake but makes something even more delicious; and that is, HAPPINESS. The ingredients are:

1. Daily Scripture Study - Spencer W Kimball taught that scripture study as individuals and as a family is most fundamental to learning the Gospel. Daily reading of the scriptures and discussing them together has long been suggested as a powerful tool against ignorance and the temptations of Satan. This practice will produce great happiness and will help family members love the Lord and His goodness.

2. Prayer morning and evening - To keep in contact with your Heavenly Father. To ask questions and to thanks him. To ask for blessings and to receive them.

3. Attend Church - To learn more about the church to keep the Sabbath day holy. To meet people with the same high standards to be with those that understand. To partake of the sacrament and to do as the Lord wants us to.

4. Bear your Testimony - This can help others with problems and always makes you feel good inside. When you bear testimony it grows and helps other peoples testimonies to grow. When you share your testimony with someone it’s like lighting their candle, although it lights their candle your candle doesn’t dim but grows stronger.

5. Be a missionary - This doesn’t mean that you have to serve a full time mission but that you should tell friends and family members that are not in the church of your beliefs and then with help of the full time missionaries teach them of the church.

6. Keep the Word of Wisdom - In Joseph Fielding Smiths book Gospel Doctrine, he said, “Now, I do wish with all my heart -- not because I say it, but because it is written in the word of the Lord - that you would give heed to this Word of Wisdom. It was given unto us ‘not by commandment’; but by the word of President Brigham Young, it was made a commandment unto the Saints. It is written here for our guidance, for our happiness and advancement in every principle that pertains to the kingdom of God, in time and throughout eternity, and I pray you to observe it… and all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive heath in their naval and marrow to their bones… and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures… and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.”

7. Keep the Commandments - In Mosiah 2:22 it says; And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

8. Turn your hearts to your fathers - In other words if we work for our ancestors at the temple, their hearts will turn to us and we can all live together in happiness, and finally

9. Love everyone - If you love everyone including God then all of the other ingredients in this recipe will become a lot easier.

These ingredients combine to make up the Gospel and if you have a good balance of all these ingredients in your life then it will give you everlasting happiness because you will be able to return to live with our Heavenly Father.

Well; you’ve probably tried making a cake how about trying to make yourself some happiness.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

[10th September 2005 - Tom Barratt's Baptism]

The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead. He works in complete harmony with our Heavenly Father and our Saviour Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost is the revealer and testifier of all truth. In Moroni 10:5 it states that “By the power of the Holy Ghost you may know the truth of all things”.

Knowing the truth, how powerful is that! We can know the truth of who we are - Sons and Daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. We can know the truth of His plan for us, and that it is through Jesus Christ, our Saviour that we can gain everlasting joy. We can know the truth about the things that we should do, collectively as a people, and for our own individual lives.

In D&C 11:13 it says that the Spirit will enlighten our minds and fill us with joy. I have seen this begin to happen in you Tom, and it has helped me to feel of the Spirit more.

However there is a difference between the feelings that you have felt so far in your life, the influence of the Holy Ghost and how you can feel after receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

Although the Holy Ghost may temporarily comfort someone or reveal truth to them, the gift of the Holy Ghost is reserved for those who have been baptized into Christ’s Church. This gift is the privilege of enjoying the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

President Wilford Woodruff called the gift of the Holy Ghost the greatest gift we can receive in mortality (see The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, ed. G. Homer Durham [1990], 5). And I agree.

Through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, you can recognize and understand truth and make right choices and inspired decisions. The Holy Ghost can inspire you with thoughts and ideas, warn you of danger, and comfort and help you through your troubles and sorrows. The Holy Ghost also provides peace of conscience and assurance that our sins have been forgiven when we truly repent.

In 2 Nephi 31:17 it says, “For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost”. It is through the gift of the Holy Ghost that we receive a remission of our sins. Sometimes called a baptism of fire.

Someone having Priesthood Authority will lay their hands upon your head and ask you to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, but whether or not you do that, receive the gift, depends on you. We are told that to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost we must seek earnestly to obey the commandments of God, be faithful and desire help from this heavenly messenger.

And that is the same for us all, whether we were baptised today, last month or years ago. The blessings available through the gift of the Holy Ghost are conditioned upon our worthiness. Even though we have a right to his constant companionship, the Spirit of the Lord will dwell only with us when we keep the commandments.

Now none of us need worry that we need to be perfect before we can receive of the blessings of the Gift of the Holy Ghost. It is true that we must be worthy, but it is also important to remember the wise words of President Spencer W. Kimball who taught that the Holy Ghost “comes a little at a time as you merit it. And as your life is in harmony, you gradually receive the Holy Ghost in a great measure” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 114).

As we receive this great gift from God, we need to remember to keep using it. There are always more blessings to gain, and more things for us to do. Gifts have only limited value unless they are used. The Holy Ghost will be our constant companion if we submit ourselves to the will of our Father in Heaven, always remembering Him and keeping His commandments.

I know that at the times when I have hoped more, had greater faith been more obedient, those are the times that I have felt the guidance, comfort and help of the Holy Ghost most.

I hope that we will all receive the Holy Ghost more abundantly and strive to live the Gospel more fully. Tom, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, live worthy to have him as a constant companion in your life and you will be blessed. Keep asking questions, they will be answered. I know that the church is true!