Lessons on the Temple
Lesson No. Sixty-Four

The Temple and the Knowledge and Power of God

The temple is the key to the knowledge of God - "And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God" (D&C 84:19).  Mysteries are sacred knowledge reveal by God to men. In the temple we are given the knowledge and power necessary to return to the Father.  Joseph Smith explained we obtain these blessings "in the same way Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord" (TPJS, p. 308). 

Temple ordinances gives us the power of God - "Therefore in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.  And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh" (D&C 84:20-21).  Power is knowledge made useful and active.  Through the ordinances of the temple our knowledge of God is made useful and active, and we receive the power of God in our lives. 

Sacrifice gives us power unto eternal life and exaltation - "A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation” (Lectures on Faith, Lecture Sixth, Paragraph 7).  We covenant to live our lives fully to build up the kingdom of God.  We best do that by sustaining and defending our families which is the basic unit of the kingdom of God, both on earth and in heaven.  Each day we have the privilege to serve and sacrifice for our spouse, our children, and our grandchildren.   

In serving and sacrificing for our family we do for them what only we can do, just as He did for us what only He could do.  In this way we come to know the Lord because we are like him.

Power to come forth in the resurrection - Between his death and resurrection Jesus went to the spirit world and taught the righteous spirits.  Then he “gave them power to come forth, after his resurrection from the dead, to enter into his Father's kingdom, there to be crowned with immortality and eternal life" (D&C 138:51).  I believe this power, at least in part, is given through the sealing ordinance to all those who receive the promises of celestial marriage.
 

Susan and I have come to know the Lord and to receive His power in our lives – We know that he was the Great Jehovah, the creator of heaven and earth and all things that in them are. 

We know He is "the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity" (Mosiah 3:5); that He condescended to come to the earth as the Mortal Messiah.   

We know that He atoned for our sins and the sins of the world. 

We know that he ministered to the righteous spirits in the spirit world and gave them power to come forth in the resurrection to be crowned with immortality and eternal life. 

We know that He was resurrected, and is on the right hand of His Father. 

We know because He was resurrected we will all be resurrected.     

We know He ministered to the Nephites as recorded in the Book of Mormon.

We know He restored his Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

We know He leads His Church today through living prophets.

He is our Lord, our God, our Savior, and our King.  We are his servants and his disciples.  We desire to be his friend so that, with our family, we can come unto Him and be saved.