Sealed ... for Time & all Eternity

What an amazing day! Elder Robert E. Wells, emeritus member of the 70, came to speak in our ward today and it was such a powerful message. It was interesting because we must have been riding the same spiritual wave. His talk was practically everything I had prepared for my lesson! So, I improvised a little and the Spirit brought it all together :)

My lesson today was "Sealed ... for Time & all Eternity". I can't say that I was most excited to teach. In fact I struggled for many days as I pulled material together, temptations from Satan, not feeling right about much, and experiencing this big dark cloud. It was not a fun experience. Because of all that opposition, I began to understand how important the lesson was.

I began the lesson with photos of temples posted up on a board. Then I asked, mostly the girls, what they planned for their weddings when they were growing up. I began to cover the temples with worldly things and pretty soon you could not see the temples at all. Knowing what we do as Latter-day Saints, what would be wrong with that picture?

Where is our focus? Are we focused on the temples? Or are we focused on all the other fan fair? Are we willing to settle for "Till death do you part"? In D&C 132, the Lord said:

7 And verily I say unto you, that the ^aconditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, ^boaths, ^cvows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and ^dsealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is ^eanointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by ^frevelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this ^gpower (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this ^hpower in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the ⁱkeys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.
15 Therefore, if a ^aman marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore, they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world.

16 Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in ^amarriage; but are appointed angels in ^bheaven, which angels are ministering ^cservants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.

17 For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are ^aangels of God forever and ever.

18 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that ^acovenant is not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God.

If your marriage is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, it is null and void when you die. There is only one place where the key and authority to bind on earth and in heaven exist. God has restored them to the living prophet today to bless our lives and take us back to His presence.

I have often said that I don't want a reception. My focus is on the temple and the special promises I will make there with my future eternal companion. I don't want the headache and unnecessary expense. I will have an open house when I come home. But I am not letting other events take away form the Spirit of a day I will have waited so long for.

Go back to the Old Testament with me. In Genesis 24 Abraham sends his servant back to his country, back to the land of his fathers to find Isaac a wife. Abraham is at a loss, so his servant covenants that he will not return until he has found a wife for Isaac. The only requirement that is recorded in scripture is that she needs to be a woman from the land of his fathers, a woman of covenant lineage. There were no requirements on age, appearance, hair, complexion, weight, etc. Just a woman of covenant lineage.

The servant is at a loss. He goes to the well where the women go to draw water (odds are pretty good here, right?) He prays to God, "And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast ^aappointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master"

Elder Richard G. Scott said, " There is more to a foundation of eternal marriage than a pretty face or an attractive figure. There is more to consider than popularity or charisma. As you seek an eternal companion, look for someone who is developing the essential attributes that bring happiness: a deep love of the Lord and of His commandments, a determination to live them, one that is kindly understanding, forgiving of others, and willing to give of self, with the desire to have a family crowned with beautiful children and a commitment to teach them the principles of truth in the home.

“An essential priority of a prospective wife is the desire to be a wife and mother. She should be developing the sacred qualities that God has given His daughters to excel as a wife and mother: patience, kindliness, a love of children, and a desire to care for them rather than seeking professional pursuits. She should be acquiring a good education to prepare for the demands of motherhood.

“A prospective husband should also honor his priesthood and use it in service to others. Seek a man who accepts his role as provider of the necessities of life, has the capacity to do it, and is making concerted efforts to prepare himself to fulfill those responsibilities”

The most important part of marriage is the covenant! Rebekha was pretty, kind, and I am sure an all around amazing woman, but without the covenant nothing else matters when the portal of the grave slams shut. It won't matter if you had the trophy wife or not. It only matters where you chose to marry her.

President Spencer W. Kimball said, "Are you willing to jeopardize your eternities, your great continuing happiness, your privilege to see God and dwell in his presence? For the want of investigation and study and contemplation; because of prejudice, misunderstanding, or lack of knowledge, are you willing to forego these great blessings and privileges? Are you willing to make yourself a widow for eternity or a widower for endless ages-a single, separate individual to live alone and serve others? Are you willing to give up your children when they die or when you expire, and make them orphans? Are you willing to go through eternity alone and solitary when all of the greatest joys you have ever experienced in life could be "added upon" and accentuated, multiplied, and eternalized? Are you willing, with the Sadducees, to ignore and reject these great truths? I sincerely pray you stop today and weigh and measure and then prayerfully proceed to make your happy marriage an eternal one. Our friends, please do not ignore this call. I beg of you, open your eyes and see; unstop your ears and hear.

"An eternal marriage plus a worthy continuing consecrated life will bring limitless happiness and exaltation."

If you think you are the exception, think again. Only 1 in 7 people are baptized into the Church after marriage, and those numbers are 30 years old. Even then, it is a rocky and risky road. I lived as a child of a mixed-faith family for 16 years. It was not pleasant. I would not recommend it. Do it right the first time. Sacrifice whatever you need to sacrifice to live worthy of a companion who will love you and respect you enough to take you to His Holy House.

When a man and woman are married in the temple for time and all eternity, what are the blessings they will receive if they are true to their covenants? God extends more promises to us through the scriptures in D&C 131 and 132.

1 In the ^acelestial glory there are three ^bheavens or degrees;

2 And in order to obtain the ^ahighest, a man must enter into this ^border of the ^cpriesthood [meaning the new and ^deverlasting covenant of ^emarriage];

3 And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.

4 He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an ^aincrease.(D&C131)

19 And again, verily I say unto you, if a man ^amarry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and ^beverlasting covenant, and it is ^csealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of ^dpromise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the ^ekeys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit ^fthrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s ^gBook of Life, that he shall commit no ^hmurder whereby to shed innocent ⁱblood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their ^jexaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the ^kseeds forever and ever.

20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from ^aeverlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be ^bgods, because they have ^call power, and the angels are subject unto them.

21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my ^alaw ye cannot attain to this glory.

22 For ^astrait is the gate, and narrow the ^bway that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the ^clives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me.

23 But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that ^awhere I am ye shall be also.

24 This is ^aeternal lives—to ^bknow the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath ^csent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law.
30 ^aAbraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins—from whose ^bloins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph—which were to continue so long as they were in the world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in the world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the ^cstars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them.

31 This promise is yours also, because ye are of ^aAbraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law is the continuation of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself. (D&C 132).

How amazing is all of that?!?! If I found someone I loved with all of my heart and they loved me, and we had a family who we also loved, I don't know that I could think of the eternities without them. President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “Marriage, as understood by Latter-day Saints, is a covenant ordained to be everlasting. It is the foundation for eternal exaltation, for without it there could be no eternal progress in the kingdom of God”

So... Here we are. Single. Now what? We fall in with 1/3 of the Church membership who are single. Some people are dating, some may have forgotten what it's like to go out on a date, some are on the verge of taking that next big step in their lives and making those sacred covenants with one another.

President Spencer W. Kimball said, "To you we say this: You are making a great contribution to the world as you serve your families and the Church and the world. You must remember that the Lord loves you and the Church loves you. To you women, we can only say we have no control over the heartbeats or the affections of men, but pray that you may find fulfillment. And in the meantime, we promise you that insofar as eternity is concerned, no soul will be deprived of rich and high and eternal blessings for anything which that person could not help, that the Lord never fails in his promises, and that every righteous person will receive eventually all to which the person is entitled and which he or she has not forfeited through any fault of his or her own. We encourage both men and women to keep themselves well-groomed, well-dressed, abreast of the times, attractive mentally, spiritually, physically, and especially morally, and then they can lean heavily upon the Lord’s promises for these heavenly blessings... Every person should want and plan to be married because that is what God in heaven planned for us."

I once dated a kid and we were driving down the road and he asked me where I saw myself in five and ten years. My list always had my school and career first, then family. We didn't date long after that. I always struggled with why that was so. But I learned that he was looking for someone who was planning for their life, but had their priorities straight. People now ask me what I am going to do with my master's degree. I tell them I am going to be a mom. My life will go on, but I need to make sure I have my priorities in line.

Is it scary? Heck yeah! But I know that is where my promised blessings are. I can have all the promises in the world of an eternal companion, but it won't do me any good unless I am living for those promises every day. In the General Relief Society meeting we were reminded of priorities. Are our lives so full that we don't have time for the eternal essentials of life?

"Behold, mine is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion ... in order to obtain the highest [glory], a man (and woman) must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]."