Good morning brothers and sisters. What an honor. I feel so blessed to be here this day, and would like to publicly thank you all for coming. I have family and friends here from hundreds of miles away, just to hear me speak. Its my turn to grow up and give a big boy talk. What a hard task that is..not only giving a big boy talk, but growing up!! But my time has finally come! When I chose to speak on the 30th, I didn't realize that I had to follow last weeks primary program! That was fantastic. Brothers and sisters, I hope today you bare with me as I speak these words to you. I am not the best public speaker and hoping that will change! I sometimes I find myself reading my whole talk, so Im sorry if that happens!
Let us rejoice brothers and sisters!! God lives! His Son Jesus Christ lives. I would like to speak on the protection that comes from our older brother, the perfect example to the world, my savior and redeemer, Jesus Christ. God has set up a way for us to be protected from damnation and that is through Jesus Christ, and only through Jesus Christ.
I agree wholeheartedly with paul when he writes his epistle to the Ephesians "For we awrestle not bagainst cflesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the drulers of the edarkness of this world, against spiritual fwickedness in high places." Through 19 years of my life, I have had some battles with the physical struggles of life. But the spiritual struggles far outweigh them. Paul gives us a perfect way to be protected from Satan. It is found in Ephesians 6:11-17
11 Put on the whole aarmour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we awrestle not bagainst cflesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the drulers of the edarkness of this world, against spiritual fwickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins agirt about with btruth, and having on the cbreastplate of drighteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of apeace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of afaith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery bdarts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of asalvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
First: Loins girt about with truth- Your loins refer to the hips and waist area. Gird means to be clothed or wrapped. It also means to be ready for action. To have your "loins girt about with truth" means to be wrapped, clothed, and protected by truth, chastity and virtue.. ready for the action of the onslaught that Satan will throw your way.
Breastplate of Righteousness- Obviously the breastplate protects our vital organs. Having righteousness be the most important thing we strive for, we are protecting our spiritual lives.
Feet Shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace- President Harold B Lee said "“Your feet … represent your goals or objectives in life. … Preparedness is the way to victory, and ‘eternal vigilance is the price of safety.’ … The tide of victory rests with him who is prepared”
Shield of faith- In order to be protected from Satan's fiery darts, we must build our faith on nothing more than Jesus Christ and his gospel. It is also important to note that this shield must be built and strengthened. It can be upgraded so to say. You can have a very large shield by working toward strengthening your faith in Jesus christ. How well does your shield fit? Does it wear down and slip when the darts actually hit it?
Helmet of Salvation- If we have our thoughts on Christ and His salvation, we will be protected from poor thoughts. We need to have our "eye single to the glory of God"
Sword of the Spirit- Taken from an article in the Jan 2009 New Era.. "A sword is a weapon used to strike at the enemy. The word of God is “sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), and the power of the Spirit can “carry [the truth] unto the hearts of the children of men” (2 Nephi 33:1), help people to “know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5), and even “thrash the nations” through the preaching of the gospel (D&C 35:13). With our testimony and the power and peace of God’s Spirit, we can strike against and conquer the enemy of all righteousness." May we use this sword to kill satan's plan of destroying the world. Use your sword of the spirit to help others realize the protection and goodness of Jesus Christ. Although we may have our full armor of God on, Satan will continue to want to go to war with us, knowing that he can wear our armor down.
In 3 Nephi 11:29, we read that Satan is “the father of contention”, “the author of all sin” (Helaman 6:30), and the “enemy unto God” (Moroni 7:12).. Satan truly does anything and everything he can do to tear us down. He knows where our weaker parts of our armor are and will attack them. He will send the fieriest of fiery darts at us. He wants us to fail. and when we do, he laughs. He knows that Gods plan for us it to have eternal life which will be more glorious and perfect than any of us can fathom. He is jealous. He is jealous of our bodies and wants to destroy them! Alma 41:10 says that "wickedness never was happiness" That is satans goal.. for us to be miserable. Romans 3:23 reads "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" I have sinned..and on more than one occasion. But does this mean we are damned? Are we cut off from the presence of our Lord? In 2 Nephi: 2:18. We read that Satan is “the father of all lies”. When we sin, Satan is obviously present..but he continues to try to convince us that there is no way out of it. There is no more hope for us. Brothers and sisters, this is the falsest false. Although Satan can try to convince us there is no way out and that we will have no eternal life, I know that I have a savior who was persecuted, suffered, and died for me..for me to be able to live with God again!! And this is the truest true! And this is the protection that Jesus Christ offers us. I love what Elder Uchtdorf has to say about this.. "It is not repentance per se that saves man. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that saves us. It is not by our sincere and honest change of behavior alone that we are saved, but “by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23)." It is not the act of repenting that saves us, although me must do it, but it is made possible through Jesus Christ blood. HE is the reason we even have the opportunity to repent. This blood that was shed for you and I is single handedly the most precious gift given to us. It is the ultimate protection given to us. It is to save us from damnation to be able to live with our Father in Heaven again. This past semester at BYU Idaho, I had the opportunity and privilege to take an Early Christian History class. The book we read is called "The Story of Christianity" written by Justo L. Gonzalez. Justo is not a member of our church. I find it a testimony builder to me that we studied from a non-members book, and led by the spirit to know which was truth and what was false or bias information. Back in the early church, their communion used bread and wine. There was much debate about this topic, but many believed in the doctrine of transubstantiation . This was the belief that after consecration, the bread and wine was transformed into the literal flesh of Jesus Christ and the actual blood He shed..yet still being in bread and wine form. Today, we still practice the communion, or sacrament, but do not believe that we are eating flesh and drinking blood. Rather this be a sign unto us all of the great gift Jesus Christ has preformed for us.
I quote Elder Holland "As a final and specially prepared Passover supper was ending, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to his Apostles, saying, “Take, eat” (Matt. 26:26). “This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). In a similar manner he took the cup of wine, traditionally diluted with water, said a blessing of thanks for it, and passed it to those gathered about him, saying: “This cup is the new testament in my blood,” “which is shed … for the remission of sins.” “This do in remembrance of me.” “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come”. surely that is why this particular ordinance with all its symbolism and imagery comes to us more readily and more repeatedly than any other in our life. It comes in what has been called “the mostsacred, the most holy, of all the meetings of the Church. Perhaps we do not always attach that kind of meaning to our weekly sacramental service. How “sacred” and how “holy” is it? Do we see it as our passover, remembrance of our safety and deliverance and redemption? What is stressed in both prayers is that all of this is done in remembrance of Christ. In so participating we witness that we will always remember him, that we may always have his Spirit to be with us…" How do we remember Christ? I pray that we all take more time during the sacrament to truly remember Christ. To remember the price he paid for us. May we all use this protection He has given us. Let us use the armor of God that Paul speaks of..and when the adversaries darts pierce us, may we use the Atonement. I think about me being the cause of some of his pain, and then not using the atonement. What a terrible feeling. Use it. Use the perfect protection from being cut off from the presence of God, to drink of the blood of Christ and in so doing, using Gods Grace to be saved eternally. This I know to be true.
Well, here it is. Its my time brothers and sisters. I would like to leave you with my testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel. God lives. Jesus Christ lives. This is his church. His gospel. If it wasn't, I would not spend two years of my life walking around. Its true. I know that the sacrament is such a beautiful reminder of Gods loves and Jesus' sacrifice. There is hope for us. We are not damned once we sin. Repentance is real. Gods love for us is everlasting. I know without a doubt that there is eternal life. It has been made known unto me. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God who at a young age, desired to know the truth. He as an unlearned, illiterate boy, then translated the Book of Mormon from plates of Gold. This book works hand in hand with the Bible to show us the way to salvation. It is the word of God. I have a prophet today, along with apostles, who talk directly to God. To lead me, guide me, and warn me. This man, Bishop Bateman, is called of God to lead this ward. He is one of the best men in the world and has so much love for us. Look around you. There are mortal angels right next to you. I truly believe people in our life today have been placed there, at this time, in this place, for a certain reason. I thank everyone for all the love and support you have shown me. I cant wait to be able to befriend the people of Brazil. To teach them about God and Jesus Christ. That they live! I will be back in two years!! It will be a hard two years, but who cares. I can do hard things! For Israel!!
I would like to leave you all with my own "I am a mormon" ad….My name is Ryken Quinn Lakey. I am 19 years old. I am 6 feet tall topped off with red hair. I am a Sumpter stingray, judson jaguar, and sprague olympian, with an Oregon duck at heart. I am a lacrosse player and sports fanatic. I am an artist, chef, comedian, and stunt man. I am a doctor in training. I am the 5th out of 6 children. I have the best family on earth!! I am a son, grandson, brother, nephew, uncle, and friend. I am a member of the battle creek ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am a messenger of Jesus Christ. I am a Mormon Missionary.
I say these things in the name of my redeemer, Jesus Christ, Amen.
