Today's Talk

I gave a talk today at church. I don't usually write out talks, but this time I felt like I was speaking of things that were deeper than I could find words for. So, I wrote things down as thoughts came to my mind and I spent most of the time quoting scripture because I was so amazed at how clearly the scriptures outline such beautiful things.

Here's the talk.

Today I’d like to talk about L. Tom Perry’s talk, “The Great Plan of Our God”. I would specifically like to discuss the lessons that we can learn by looking at the beginning and the end of the plan, and what these lessons teach us to do today.

In his talk, he lists a summary of lessons we learn throughout the whole plan.

L. Tom Perry’s “The Great Plan of Our God”:
Lessons from Gospel Dispensations

The Dispensation of Adam: Become Like Our Father in Heaven

The Dispensations of Enoch and Noah: Choose Righteousness over Wickedness

The Dispensation of Abraham: Make and Keep Covenants

The Dispensation of Moses: Follow the Lord’s Prophets

The Meridian of Time: Let Your Light Shine

The Dispensation of the Fulness of Times: Rejoice in the Fulness of the Gospel

What does the word fullness mean? What is a fullness of joy?

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3 Ne. 28: 10
10 And for this cause ye shall have afulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one;
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D&C 93: 33-34
33 For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy;
34 And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy.

From these two scriptures, we understand that the purpose of the plan is to receive a fullness of joy by becoming like our Heavenly Father and receiving a body.

Let’s start at the beginning of the plan. What is necessary for the plan of God to work?

The creation story told in Abraham highlights the importance of obedience.
Abraham 4:

21 And the Gods prepared the waters that they might bring forth great awhales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters were to bring forth abundantly after their kind; and every winged fowl after their kind. And the Gods saw that they would be obeyed, and that their plan was good.


In verses 27 and 28, we are created and given instructions to have families and to cultivate the earth. And in 31 we read:
31 And the Gods said: We will do everything that we have said, and organize them; and behold, they shall be very obedient.

Later in Moses, Heavenly Father asks Adam to be baptized. He explains that he has forgiven him for his transgression in the Garden but that he needs to be baptized in order to enjoy eternal life. In the next few verses, he explains the plan of salvation to Adam and tells him to teach his children the plan.

Heavenly Father explains the Plan of Salvation to Adam:

Moses 6:53-62

58 Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:
59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;
60 For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified;

In order for the Plan to work and for us to become like our Heavenly Father and receive a fullness of joy—we must show our obedience through baptism and there must be a Savior.

Moses 7:32 and 33—we read.

32 The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
33 And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood;

Commandments: Love One Another, choose God.
Gifts: Knowledge and Agency.

God unveils the plan to Enoch. He shows him the coming of the Lord and the last days.

67 And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their redemption, and received a fulness of joy;

We live in the fullness of times, we are invited to embrace the lessons of each dispensation.

As children, we learn to care for ourselves and value ourselves as children of God. We are invited to make and keep covenants.

As we grow older, we have opportunities to follow the Prophet’s voice in making our own life choices.

We can choose to let our light shine and share the joy of the gospel with friends and neighbors.

And finally, as we seek to become more like our father in heaven, we take on his mission to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

. As we have become converted, we bear a responsibility to let our lights shine and help others to find their light.

It is time to dedicate ourselves to living the plan of salvation through our own obedience and through love for one another. There are others who need our help, and our own self indulgence might not seem to come from a cold place, but we are warned that men’s hearts will be hardened in the last days. Perhaps it isn’t an obvious hatred, but rather an apathy. We care for ourselves and our own little dramas, but how often do we take the time to help someone who is struggling? We have gifts that we need to share with others. I encourage you to pray for an opportunity to actively participate in the plan of salvation this week—and not just for yourself.

We have the stake website, call the young men’s president and see if they need chaperones on a camping trip. Call the young women’s president and see if they would like help with an upcoming activity.

Call the primary and see if they would like to advertise free babysitting for couples who would like a night to themselves.

We are in a position where we could begin to overanalyze our own needs and although we may be quite the needy bunch, we can solve our own problems as we take the time to love one another.


Doc and Cov 93:19

I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fullness.

20: For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fullness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you you shall receive grace for grace.

27: And no man receiveth a fullness unless he keepeth his commandments.
28: He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is gloriried in truth and knoweth all things.

39: And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.
40: But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.

We gain light and truth through our obedience. This leads to a fullness of joy.
I leave you with my testimony that the key to the success of this great plan is in our obedience. And the first commandment is to love. As you find opportunities to love and to obey, you will become more like our Father in Heaven everyday, receiving grace by grace through the atonement of Jesus Christ until you receive a fullness of joy.