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THE FOUNDATION OF GOD What God doeth it shall be forever. No man’s wisdom or work could make it better. Why? Read Isaiah 55, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways. For as the heaven is higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. So His foundation stands secure. The foundation of the earth remain. All the heavenly bodies move in such precisions there is no conflict. His foundations are built of the right kind of material. No substitutes are allowed in material or workmanship. Now you put that down in your memo. Search in His word. Read Ecclesiastes 3 :14, John 12 :48-49, Gal. 6, and you and I can travel together for we use the same textbook and stick to it. So God sent His Son to the world to save it (not damn it). He gave to Jesus the order of the kingdom and the laws to preserve it, and the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. He specified the way into His kingdom and told them to teach all nations those things whatsoever He had gave them. So the foundation was laid right, and it was all given to them by revelation. For He said whatsoever the Father said unto me, so I speak. Now you think that through and you are walking with me on the King’s high way. We speak the same things. We hear the same law [66] or gospel, we will not be strangers to each other, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and we do not fight. Jesus said if His kingdom was of this world then would my servants fight that He should not be delivered to the Jews. But My kingdom is not from thence. So if we are fellow citizens you are not in one country and I in another. Jesus Christ is the good Shepherd. He said so. I know my sheep and am known of mine. So the church has one foundation, who is Jesus Christ our Lord. She is His own creation, by water and the word. He came from heaven and sought her to be His holy bride, With his own blood He bought her And for her life He died. They’re called from every nation, Yet one o’er all the earth. Her charter of salvation; One Lord, one Faith, one Birth. One Holy Name she blesses, ‘Tis Jesus Christ our Lord. And in one hope she presses, The kingdom of our Lord. Yet she on earth hath union With God, the Three in One. So she has sweet communion With Jesus Christ the Son. O happy ones and holy. Lord give them grace to see That in that great reunion, We all may dwell with Thee. [67] ANOTHER DREAM You may get tired of my dreams, but if God wants to reveal something to me in a dream, why should you care. Many years ago I was working with C. E. Butterworth in the Northern Nebraska District, and we were preaching in a gospel tent at Waterloo. We took night about and one day when it was my turn to preach, I said to him, what had I better tell them tonight? We talked it over, and decided I should preach on the set up of the church. So I did. But after the service I was not satisfied, although everyone seemed pleased over it. I still felt downcast. I prayed about it and asked the Lord if I had preached it right. I had used those familiar texts of Matt. 4, Luke 19, Eph. 4, 1 Cor. 12 and many more. I went to sleep wondering if I had made a mistake. I dreamed that those twelve disciples that Jesus chose in Galilee appeared before me, and sang, A church without apostles, or prophets and the gifts, is like a ship at ocean, that with the current drifts, without these ancient landmarks, or rudder to direct, soon on the shoals and breakers, she hopelessly is wrecked. This gave me assurance for I preached it just as they said. The Lord will not leave one of His servants in doubt if they trust Him. SERMON — OUR GOAL I’m very happy to be with you and still more happy in the hope that the gospel brings to us. If I can be of service to pass over to you the things that are dear to my heart, I shall have accomplished the desire of my heart. We are now in the mild October and the late summer rains have left the summer harvest field all green with grass again. The first sharp frosts have fallen leaving all the woodlands gay, like the hues of the summer rainbow or the [68] meadow flowers of May. The summer is almost over and the harvest is almost over, and soon will come the wintry blasts that will bring death to the flowers, the grass and the trees, and they will pass through that winter of death, but in the springtime they will come again and bloom in their glory, bringing before our eyes an eternal and ever lasting lesson of the resurrection of the dead. For when I look upon a beautiful tree I’m led to say only God could make a tree. So also I know only God could make a thing like me, and as the tree passes through the winter of death still lives, so can I pass through the winter of death and live again. So we look forward with hope and bright anticipation of living again and every reasonable person should be convinced of God’s plan of salvation for us, for we are the crowning pieces of His creation. That winter time will come to all, we cannot brush it off or turn to the right or left and say we are going to live on. It’s getting close to me now, at four score and nine, so that wintry blast that comes to the flowers will come to us and we will pass through that triumphal arch and eternal gate way into the fair fields of immortality and eternal life. Truth is eternal and lives on although it may be crushed in our memories you will see the resurrection, and I testify to you that I know that my Redeemer lives and that He will come again. Perhaps it would be well at this time to tell you how or why I have this testimony. When 1 was in the general missionary field, some years ago I had a vision, I don’t mean a dream, I mean an open vision. I saw with my eyes and heard with my ears, I saw the coming of the Lord and the earth was changed to its beautiful condition as it is described in Isa. 35, for the habitations of the saints. There are no words in our language that would do justice to describe its beauty. I looked upon [69] it and said, 0 how beautiful. A voice spoke to me and said, this is the condition of the earth in the millenium. I saw the temple that will be built. The Lord was standing at the entrance to the temple blessing the people as they entered, and to my utter astonishment I heard the trees, the grass, and all creation, that I could s singing, “Glory to God in the highest, Peace has come to the earth. And as a consequence of this wonderful vision I do not hesitate to tell you I know that my Redeemer lives. You will remember the prophet Job testified and he was so thrilled over his testimony that he wanted it chiseled in the rock so that every one should know. Now that’s the goal we hope to reach. That prophet said strengthen ye the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees and say unto them that are fearful. Fear not, your Lord will come with a recompense and save you. Prepare ye, prepare ye the way of the Lord. He can save you if you will try. Prepare ye the way and make His path straight. He knows the strength or weakness of our foes. 0 yes, He knows the thorns we pluck with every rose, and that we may only wait and see the way He chose is best for me. It’s our job to get ready and I say to you, Repent and be converted to His law and enter His kingdom and the Latter Day glory will shine in your life, and you will be gathered with that number as of Ps. 50, Gather My saints together unto Me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. Lift up your heads ye heirs of glory, cast aside your doubts and fears, He who calls you to His kingdom soon will reign a thousand years. So let’s be up and doing with a heart for any fate still achieving, still pursuing, learn to labor and to wait. So we will travel all the way to Calvary, we will walk the road that Jesus walked for me. I will serve Him to the end for He is my dearest friend, we will travel all the way to Calvary. It’s this preparation [70] that we want to talk about and the things we must take on our journey. The things we must do. As you know this interim between now and the goal, this time we have now in summer, the sowing of good works. He created us unto good works to walk in them. Not idleness. Now is the time to beautify our homes and the house we live in. That’s all He has asked us to do, to beautify our lives and make our lives a fit place where He can come and reveal to us the things we should know. Look over the path He made in Galilee and Judea. He made no crooked paths, He was not a glutton, nor a winebibber, He knew the words of wisdom and took care of His body. He did not smother the lines of transportation that carry our food, with meat, coffee or tea, or any other harmful things to bring on disease. His feet was not found in questionable places. He spoke out against the haunts of the devil, and the stuff that he drinks. His word and His counsel is true. The powerful sermons and works of wonder and amazement were accomplished, Because He always did those things that pleased His lather. Well this work of Restoration calls for men who will work, you can’t fool around and laze on the job. It’s imperative that we arise in the strength of Israel’s God and get the job done. In His strength we will go on. We will prepare our lives and our hearts for the time when He shall call His people together, when He shall call them into the supper room for the feast and eat with them, those emblems of His flesh and blood. So this light from heaven has come. The angel has come and we have felt his presence near us, we know of a surety the work is true. Thousands can testify to that. I dare say every one here could testify to God’s goodness to them. Well let’s see then what is the work before us. Let’s out line some things He has for us to do. You know there may be some things that has held us down and kept us from [71] doing the things we ought to do, preventing us from going where we ought to go, or perhaps saying the things we’d like to say and doing the things we’d like to do. Something just hanging around suggesting other ways or things for us. Let me say this to you, in our Doctrine and Covenants, Section 46, we should ask Him in the Spirit. To pray in the Spirit as to what to ask. When we ask in the Spirit He will give to us in or by the Spirit. You might have to pray a long time before you can do that. For God gives His Spirit when we are humble. I don’t mean to tell you that I am in the light of God all the time. I feel the clouds of darkness and evil around me. I feel them suggesting to me things that are wrong and things that are detrimental to our spiritual growth. Some of those spirits are calculated in the very nature of them to deceive us and lead us in the downward way. So we must humble ourselves that He will come to us by His Spirit and power. Then when you have gone to your closet stay there until He meets you there, when He sees that you mean what you say he’ll meet you by the power of His Spirit and assure us that our prayers are answered. That’s what I mean when I say pray in the Spirit. That’s a good time to keep on praying and when you get up from that prayer and you live in that power you can go to your neighbors and friends, then you have the solution of your problems and being led by His power then you can walk in His ways. Now the Spirit of this Restoration is expressed in Pa. 85:13, “Righteousness shall go before Him and set us in the way of His steps. Perhaps all of you believe the Gospel has been restored. That He has committed unto us the great message of the Gospel in these Latter Days. How wonderful it is to hear the servants of God preach the fundamentals of the Gospel of Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the Laying on of Hands, Resurrection and the Judgment. [72] And that great Master working out His part that sent Him to hell and told those prisoners the conditions of their pardon. That they can be redeemed even from hell, When we begin to see the scope of this great Latter Day Restoration and read His word, righteousness shall go before Him and set us in the way of His steps. There is promise and hope for you and hope for them as in Zech. 9, Turn you to the stronghold ye prisoners of hope. There is no need of our steps going astray. There is no need of our feet being found in questionable places. There is no need of our saying those things that are evil and corrupt and spoil the beauty of conversation and the peace and beauty of society. I have heard some of our people disgrace our name and standing by using language unfit for civilized people. Let us make our lives free from those things that blight the soul and corrupt society and shuts out the light. Let your light so shine that others may see it. The Lord is calling us to show a finer distinction in our life. It is demanded. He said ye are called to be the light of the world. A city set upon a hill. Impossible to hide from above. There is no cloud that can hide the gift of God, shining through the life of a good man. There is no cloud that can dim the light of God and tell Him you have gone as far as you can go. He will have to turn on the light then as you cannot see another step. Lead kindly light amid the en circling gloom. Lead me on. Now for those who have no testimony. I was talking to a person not very long ago, telling some missionary experiences, and that good sister said, “Well Brother Case why can’t I receive things like that.’’ I said, “Jesus said more blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe. I have been weak and He knew it. So He gave to me many things I could see and hear. I almost envy [73] you of your faith. If He will only open my eyes that I can see my way I shall be satisfied.” Our goal is Zion Redeemed. Our goal is to accomplish the task of beautifying this place by the lives of the people who live here now. What a challenge it is to you. What a challenge to me that we may exemplify the life of Jesus Christ unto the people of this place and those who are called to gather together. Come and see the light of God burning on our altars and in our homes. So we say to you, Go on ye Saints, in faith go on. Fear not the cause is good. The Jews have built Jerusalem as the prophets said they would. The Jews would once again return and build their city up, their loved .Jerusalem. Though many years have rolled away and generation passed. the Jews have gathered home and builded it at last. Said God, when you see this take place, know ye the time is nigh. When you see your Saviour come with Saints amid the sky, To execute His judgments here, upon this wicked earth. Rejoice, rejoice and do not fear. With shouts of joy, go forth. Gird up yourselves and be ye strong. The chosen time has come when Zion must in beauty rise, as well Jerusalem. So let us awake from our slumber, shake off those fetters that hold us. Let’s walk with Him that He may walk with us. Hear the call of the Spirit today. Amen. I CALLED ON MY NEIGHBOR Hi Neighbor! Lay aside your work for a little while and lets study the Bible together. I’ve been studying my Bible and I found a lot of things in there that challenge me. I really miss my mother since she’s gone. She used to teach me the story of Jesus and teach me the songs of Zion, and if I could phone to her or write to her I’d tell her I’ll be there in answer to her prayer. But there’s no [74] phones in Paradise nor mail service either, so I’ll have to wait my time. You know we will all have to go, whether we want to or not. Its a wonderful thing to be prepared to go. Now John, the real purpose of my coming to see you is my Lord said I should warn my neighbor and I sorta wanted to tell you what I’ve found. Did you know the Gospel is restored to earth again. I mean that old Jerusalem Gospel that was preached by Jesus Christ and the apostles in Galilee and Judea? Yes I mean that very thing (John) (I thought we already have the Gospel in the Bible) well we do have a record of it, but Paul said the gospel that had came in power, that’s authority and in much assurance and in the Holy Ghost. So that’s what I mean. An angel came down from heaven and delivered it. He laid His hand on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and said, upon you, my fellow servants, I confer the priesthood after the order of Aaron. And you know how Aaron was called. God talked to Moses and told him to choose Aaron, his brother, to he his spokesman. You know Moses stuttered so God gave him a helper, and these God-called and anointed men preach faith. I mean living faith just like Peter and John had when they went in at the beautiful gate of the Temple. That lame man was healed. right on the spot. They teach baptism by immersion just like Jesus told them. You know in John 3 there was a man named Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and requested baptism. Jesus said, except a man be born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Now you believe that. I do and Jesus told them to teach the people all over the world. They should observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and do you know the very first place they went after he told them to go? They went to Samaria where Philip had baptized some and laid [75] their hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost, just as Jesus said they would. Don’t you believe that? I do. So these God-called and anointed men preach and practice Baptism by immersion in water and the Laying on of Hands. It is spreading all over the land and every where this Gospel is preached. These signs follow the believers. Don’t that sound like its really here. Will you go to church with me, and you can see for yourself? Another thing I wanted to tell you before I go is, if anyone will do the will of God by obeying this Gospel they will receive a testimony from Heaven. I really think that is good, what more could any one ask. [76] |
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