I do not wish to sound disrespectful, but Fast Sunday is a terrible day of the month for me. Don’t misunderstand: I want to fast, and I believe in the fast. It’s just that I forget. I’ll be leaving Sacrament Meeting, heading down that hallway, where I encounter the drinking fountain and want to get a drink. Somehow, it always happens that the moment I push the button is the moment I remember it's Fast Sunday and have to step back. This wouldn't be so bad, but every 10 seconds, I seem to rediscover to drinking fountain, get up to it, remember it's Fast Sunday and then I "Step Away" from the fountain. I often wonder what people think when they see me doing the Texas two-step with the drinking fountain.
It all reminds me of this scripture in Amos 8:11-12: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:
“And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of Lord, and shall not find it.”
This, of course, refers to the people who lived during the time of the Great Apostasy. When I read this scripture in Amos, I envision the hungry slamming the doors shut on empty food cupboards, and the thirsty finding only dry fountains. Can you imagine what it must have been like to live during that time—without the guidance of a prophet, without the shelter of The True Church of Jesus Christ, without the presence of the divine priesthood to bless our lives? Can you imagine seeking the word of God at a time when the only source was the Bible, which had been drained of many of its plain and precious truths, and during a time of prevalent illiteracy and when Bibles were few in number. Such was the situation for the honest seekers in truth for nearly 2,000 years.
Fortunately, in our day, we only imagine those circumstances; they are not our reality, for in our day God has granted unto us a marvelous restoration of his words, including the marvelous Book of Mormon—the centerpiece of the Restoration.
President James E. Faust said, “[The Book of Mormon] is the text for this dispensation. Nothing took priority over getting the Book of Mormon translated and published. Everything was held until that was accomplished. There were no Apostles until it came into being. Ten days after the book’s publication the Church was organized. Publication of the Book of Mormon preceded missionary work because Samuel Smith needed to have it in hand before he could go forward as the first missionary of the Church.”
That the Book of Mormon had to come forward before The Church of Jesus Christ could be restored makes sense; after all, it is, as Joseph Smith said, “the keystone of religion;” and, as we were so often taught in seminary, the keystone is the stone that holds the arch together; without it, the other stones tumble to the ground. And so it is with our religion—the keystone had to be in place. Before the Church could be built, the Book of Mormon had to be available to the children of God.
What is it about this Book that makes it so important? The best way to answer that is to look at the Book’s thesis statement, which tells us that the Book of Mormon is for “the convincing of Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.”
And how has it done in living up to this promise? Very, very, very well. I count myself among the millions—and even tens of millions—whose life has been forever altered because of the teachings I have found in this book. I, like so many others in this room, gave two years of my life to tell the world that this book is from God—and we knew that if anyone read from the pages of the Book of Mormon, they, like we had, would draw closer to Christ. And if they prayed about its truthfulness, they would receive a confirmation that the book is true, and, hopefully, this confirming witness would lead them to be baptized and enter the Kingdom of Christ, which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And I, like so many of you, am here today because I have a strong, burning testimony that the Book of Mormon is true.
Let me share with you how I gained this testimony. I was in my first week at the MTC. Now had I always believed in the Church and had lived up to its principles, and I was now fulfilling a desire of mine to serve a mission. But I realized that I was lacking that burning testimony that this work was true. So I prayed unto the Lord to give me a testimony of these things. It was a prayer I’d said many times before—but this time was different because I sincerely wanted to know. On that next morning, I received a witness that Christ was my Savior. That night, my roommate, Elder Nibarger, got a shipment from his brother … included in it was some information regarding the Book of Mormon, which Elder Nibarger handed to me to read. And as I read, my heart caught fire in an indescribable manner in a way that only the Spirit of God can cause a man’s heart to burn. As I read, I knew this was my confirmation; this book was God’s book!
Months later, my companion and I were teaching a man named Michael Cormason, who was reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. We asked him how it was going, and he said, “Well, I’m praying, but I haven’t received an answer yet, but I think it’s because I’m not being sincere enough. So I’m going to try to be more sincere in my prayers.” I knew right then that Mike would be baptized because I knew his sincerity would be rewarded, as mine had been, with a deep, burning testimony of the Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon. And, indeed, he did receive that witness; he was baptized, and one year later, he was sealed to his wife and daughter in the London Temple, where I had the privilege to be one of the witnesses to the sealing. Today, Mike remains a strong member and leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Not because of me or my companion—but because he sincerely sought a testimony, gained that testimony and followed the Good Shepherd. That his life was patterned after Christ because he read, pondered and prayed about the Book of Mormon is one of the many evidences I have had that this Book does convince mankind that Jesus is the Christ.
I can tell you the Book of Momon brings a man closer to his Atoner because I have experienced. I understand this because, quite honestly, my reading of the Book of Mormon is cyclical instead of constant, as it ought to be. And when I’m in a cycle where I have not been faithful in my reading, I will invariably come to a point, where I ask myself, “What is going wrong here?” It is then that I will realize how distanced I am from God because of my lax reading. It is then that I will realize how adversely the absence of the Book of Mormon has affected my life. It is then that I will repent and read with more intent. And then I am again moved closer to Christ, and then is my life more fully enriched and more fully blessed by the Light of Christ that shines forth from the Book of Mormon.
When I read the Book of Mormon daily, I have an increased desire to be faithful to my covenants, and I more frequently remember Christ, and I am more often cognizant of his suffers which he endured on my behalf. Resultantly, I have a sharply increased desire to walk His path so that I may honor, revere, respect and partake of the Great Atonement forever.
For when I read, I made completely aware that He is the Great Rescuer of my Soul; I am reminded that I have been purchased with a price, and I know that I have a need—a great need—to remember Him who paid that price for me.
The Book of Mormon is a Testament of Christ, and, like no
other book can, it drivers it readers to Christ. I know the Book of Mormon is of God because the Spirit of God stays with me more fully in the times that I am faithful in reading it than in the times when I am not. I know that this a causal, not a coincidental relationship, so I can say to myself and to you: Read the Book of Mormon and be committed to Christ; don’t read and be committed to something else.
Also, I know the Book of Mormon brings a man closer to Christ because of the teachings contained in that book. Of all the great Book of Mormon stories, there is one that I love most, and it is that of Alma the Younger. There is no chapter in the Book of Mormon that I hold closer to my heart than that of Alma 36, when Alma relates to his Son, Helaman, the story of how his life was redirected when he was visited by an angel. This story convinces me of that great need for the atonement in all of our lives, for it is in this story that Alma explains the torturings of his own soul when he thought it damned compared to the rejoicings he had when he was washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. Let me read you a portion of the story:
“And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.
“And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
“Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
“And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
“And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
“Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.” (Alma 36:16-21)
I like this scripture because I think Alma had a perfect understanding of what it was like to be condemned because of the shocking and forceful way that he was shown the error of his ways. But I love it more because it shows in a very real way how wonderful it is to have a Savior—who provided a way that we don’t have to suffer those awful torturings of a damned soul—and it shows how much joy we can have if we take advantage of the atonement by making and keeping covenants and enduring to the end. And this is certainly our goal—to be washed clean through Christ’s merciful Atonement.
That such a story is found in the Book of Mormon is not by accident. President Ezra Taft Benson taught that part of the way the Book of Mormon draws a man closer to Christ is that it testifies of the “necessity of for a Redeemer.” And, certainly, this book does just that.
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But this is just one of the ways mentioned by President Benson in how the Book of Mormon draws one closer to Christ. The other ways include the following: the telling of the gospel of Christ in a plain manner, testifying of His divinity and our need to trust Him, bearing witness of the fall and the need for a broken heart and a contrite spirit. It also, said President Benson, counsels us how not to fall into Satan’s snares by exposing the enemies of Christ, confounding false doctrines and laying down contention. Or, as President Benson put it: “God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time.”
How blessed are we to have this book in our hands. The honest seekers of truth no longer have to run to and fro—they can quench their thirst for the knowledge of Christ—by reading this divine book. By feasting upon the words of Christ found in this book, can they be filled with the great light that shines from the gospel of Jesus Christ found herein.
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And not only has God prepared this great feast for the honest seekers of truth, but he knew no good feast could be complete without a delicious dessert. And so he has given us another great blessing, the Doctrine & Covenants.
Said Ezra Taft Benson of this complement to the Book of Mormon: “The Book of Mormon brings men to Christ. The Doctrine and Covenants brings men to Christ’s kingdom, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth” (D&C 1:30). I know that.
The Book of Mormon is the “keystone” of our religion, and the Doctrine and Covenants is the capstone, with continuing latter-day revelation. The Lord has placed His stamp of approval on both the keystone and the capstone.”
I could spend hours telling you of my great love for the Doctrine & Covenants and how grateful I am for the plain and precious truths restored in this sacred volume, including the explanations on the Spirit World, temple work, the Three Degrees of Glory and the organization of the restored church. I have gained a better and greater love for God, as I have read this sacred volume!
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But, wait! There’s more! Call now, and you can get the Pearl of Great Price included with the Doctrine & Covenants absolutely free! This short volume will teach you about the Spirit World and contains tales from each of the major dispensations up until our day, including Adam, Enoch, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Christ and the must-read story of Joseph Smith—not to mention the Articles of Faith. In addition, we also have great blessings to have available to us at this time the inspired Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, the Bible Dictionary, and a Topical Guide that will help us learn about any subject. Perhaps, most importantly, we have a prophet of God, Gordon B. Hinckley, along with the Apostles, to guide us in these latter-days.
Truly, this great feast is a fitting way to end of famine that was on the land for nearly 2,000 years. With all these great gifts given to us in our day, is there any reason to be spiritually malnourished?! No. Come and feast upon the words of Christ, found in the Book of Mormon and these other sacred volumes. And as, you do, may I implore you, as Moroni did, to read, search, ponder and pray about the things that you read. As you do, I know you will receive, as I have, a strong confirmation, from the Spirit of God, that these things are true! Please do so. It will be to your everlasting benefit to partake of these mighty and great volumes of holy writ that we have in our day. How blessed are we to have these volumes in our midst—these volumes that point us to the greatest of all gifts—the Atonement of Jesus Christ, that will bestow upon us immortality, and, if we are faithful to our covenants, eternal life.
I testify that he is our Redeemer, our Savior and our Friend. He died so that we might live. How grateful I am that I need not be paralyzed by the foolishness of my sins. How grateful I am for the chance to repent and the chance to be forgiven, as Alma was, and experience the joys of eternal life! I know the Book of Mormon is true, as are the Doctrine & Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. I know Joseph Smith was God’s prophet, and Gordon B. Hinckley is God’s prophet today. I know that this is Christ’s church, and I know it is He that stands at the head of it. Again, how eternally grateful am I for my Atoner. And this, I say, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
