Consider Conference: The Testimony of Jesus

2024 April General Conference, Sunday Morning Session

The Testimony of Jesus

Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Main Points

•  My invitation is to act now to secure your place as one who is valiant in the testimony of Jesus.
• All but a relatively few individuals are eventually redeemed into one of the three kingdoms of glory.
• Our own desires, manifested through our choices, dictate which kingdom we’re redeemed into.
• Note that the distinguishing characteristic for the inhabitants of each kingdom is how they relate to “the testimony of Jesus,” ranging from (1) wholehearted devotion to (2) not being valiant to (3) outright rejection. On each person’s reaction hangs his or her eternal future.
• Our Father wants all His children who will to enjoy eternal life with Him in His celestial kingdom. Jesus suffered, died, and was resurrected to make that possible. He “hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men.”

Gospel Principles taught

Our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ, Agency, The Holy Ghost, The Atonement, Final Judgement, Exaltation 

Gospel Doctrine taught

The Plan of Salvation, Jesus Christ, Testimony, Exaltation

Scriptures

Doctrine and Covenants 76:39, Doctrine and Covenants 76:89, Romans 8:17, Doctrine and Covenants 76:51, 69; Doctrine and Covenants 76:75, 79; Doctrine and Covenants 76:101; JST, John 1:4, John 1:1–3, Doctrine and Covenants 76:22–24, Doctrine and Covenants 76:51–53, Moroni 7:47, Ephesians 4:13, Alma 27:27, Mosiah 16:12, Moroni 6:4, Mosiah 18:9, John 8:31–32,  Doctrine and Covenants 76:75; 58:27, 3 Nephi 27:20; see also verses 16–21; 3 Nephi 11:31–36; Helaman 3:34, Helaman 3:35, Mosiah 5:7; 27:24–31; Alma 5:11–15, 26; Moses 6:59–60, Alma 34:33, Doctrine and Covenants 45:2; see also Helaman 13:38, Alma 35:15, Mosiah 5:12, Luke 14:27 , Moroni 7:27

Other Sources

• John H. Groberg, “Writing Your Personal and Family History” 

Related talks: 

• Dallin H. Oaks, “Kingdoms of Glory”
• Russell M. Nelson, “Think Celestial!”
• Russell M. Nelson, “The Power of Spiritual Momentum”
• Neal A. Maxwell, “Settle This in Your Hearts”
• Quentin L. Cook “Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus”
• Rebecca L. Craven “Careful versus Casual”

Look for Jesus Christ:

• Testimony of Christ.
  • He is the divine Son of God
  • He is the Messiah
  • He is the Redeemer
  • He was in the beginning with God
  • He is the Creator of heaven and earth
  • In Him is the gospel
  • He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven
  • He lives! 
  • He is the Only Begotten of the Father
  • By him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created
  • In this Easter season especially, we joyfully, publicly, and unreservedly proclaim our witness of the resurrected, living Christ. 
  • Jesus is our essential Redeemer
• Description of His Teachings.
  • “Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.”
• Description of His Atonement.
  • “There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh.”
  • Our Father wants all His children who will to enjoy eternal life with Him in His celestial kingdom. Jesus suffered, died, and was resurrected to make that possible. He “hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men.”
• Description of His relationship with us.
  • He is the Mediator of the New Covenant; through him, just people are made perfect.
  • “In Him was the gospel, and the gospel was the life, and the life was the light of men.”
  • The inhabitants (of the worlds) thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

Inspiring Words & Phrases

• God’s plan of redemption constitutes a universal opportunity for all His children, whenever and wherever they may have lived on the earth. 
• Our Father’s hope is that we will choose—and, through the grace of His Son, qualify for—the highest and most glorious of these kingdoms, the celestial, where we may enjoy eternal life as “joint-heirs with Christ.”
• Note that the distinguishing characteristic for the inhabitants of each kingdom is how they relate to “the testimony of Jesus,” ranging from (1) wholehearted devotion to (2) not being valiant to (3) outright rejection. On each person’s reaction hangs his or her eternal future.
• The inheritors of the celestial kingdom “receive” the testimony of Jesus in the fullest sense by being baptized, receiving the Holy Ghost, and overcoming by faith.
• Beyond this testimony (of Jesus) is the question, What do we do about it?
• In this Easter season especially, we joyfully, publicly, and unreservedly proclaim our witness of the resurrected, living Christ.
• God does not force us into the better path, the covenant path, but He instructs His prophets to make us fully aware of the consequences of our choices.
• It is this mighty change of heart—yielding our hearts to God and being spiritually reborn through the grace of the Savior—that we seek.

Lists

Descriptions of who inherits each Kingdom of Glory:

• The Celestial
  • they who received the testimony of Jesus
  • just men (and women) made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant
• The Terrestrial
  • They are essentially good people.
  • They are the “honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men.” 
  • They “are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus.”
• The Telestial
  • Those who “received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus.”

The distinguishing characteristic of the inhabitants of each kingdom is how they relate to the testimony of Jesus :

• wholehearted devotion 
  • They don’t just accept the testimony of Jesus; they act on their testimony of Jesus
  • They are distinguished by their zeal towards God
• not being valiant 
  • They accept the testimony of Jesus, but they don’t act on it
  • A degree of apathy or casualness
  • Being “lukewarm”
• outright rejection
  • Reject the testimony of Jesus
  • Reject the gospel
  • Reject the covenants
  • Reject the prophets
  • Live according to their carnal wills and desires
  • Not calling on the Lord for mercy

What is the testimony of Jesus?:

• It is the witness of the Holy Spirit that He is the divine Son of God, the Messiah and Redeemer. 
• It is John’s testimony that Jesus was in the beginning with God, that He is the Creator of heaven and earth, and that “in him was the gospel, and the gospel was the life, and the life was the light of men.” 
• It is “the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, … that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven.” 
• It is the knowledge that “there is no other name given whereby salvation cometh.” 
• It is the “testimony, last of all,” given by the Prophet Joseph Smith, “that he lives! … That he is the Only Begotten of the Father—that by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.”

The inheritors of the celestial kingdom “receive” the testimony of Jesus by:

• Being baptized
• Receiving the Holy Ghost
• Overcoming by faith
• Allowing gospel principles and truths to govern their priorities
• Allowing gospel principles and truths to govern their choices
• Manifesting their testimony of Jesus in what they are & what they are becoming
• Being motivated by charity, “the pure love of Christ”
• Focusing on pursuing “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” 

What does it mean to be valiant in the testimony of Jesus?:

• Nurturing and strengthening that testimony
  • prayer, study of the scriptures, Sabbath observance, partaking of the sacrament, repentance, ministering, and worship in the house of the Lord.
• Being open and public about one’s witness.
• Heed His messengers.
• Encouraging others, by word and example, to likewise be valiant, especially those of our own families.
• Pursue individual holiness

Invitations/Challenges

• President Nelson has urged us to “Think celestial!” by making the celestial kingdom our eternal goal and then “carefully considering where each of [our] decisions while here on earth will place [us] in the next world.”
• My invitation is to act now to secure your place as one who is valiant in the testimony of Jesus.
• “do not procrastinate the day of your repentance”
• Be zealous in keeping your covenants with God. 
• Do not be “offended [by] the strictness of the word.” 
• “Remember to retain the name [of Christ] written always in your hearts, … that ye [may] hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.” 
• “settle this in your hearts, that ye will do the things which [Jesus] shall teach, and command you.”
• I pray that we may all be blessed with a burning testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ, rejoice and be valiant in that testimony, and enjoy the fruits of His grace in our lives continually. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Warnings

• “Do not procrastinate the day of your repentance,” lest “in an hour when ye think not the summer shall be past, and the harvest ended, and your souls not saved.” 

Stories:

• In 1832, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon received a remarkable vision concerning the eternal destiny of God’s children. 
• Elder Groberg’s story of a young family in a branch in Hawaii. The daughter had been hospitalized with an unknown illness, and when the father and his son began to prepare the sacrament in church, the branch president jumped up and told them they couldn’t and told them to leave immediately. The family was embarrassed and dejected and left immediately.  The father told his family how much he loved them and that they would go back to church and that “We will not allow any man or any hurt or embarrassment or pride to keep us from being together forever.”

Application Ideas

1. Decide today to make the celestial kingdom your goal. Create a vision board or vision statement reflecting your decision and put it in a prominent place.
2. Spend some time studying and pondering the word “zeal.” You might include the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary definition of Zeal, and the resources in the index and topical guide. Brainstorm ways that you could show more zeal in keeping your covenants. Act on your ideas.
3. Ponder what daily repentance looks like in your life. If you have negative feelings or associations with repentance, pray diligently for a greater understanding and desire to repent.
4. Choose one of the talks Elder Christofferson quotes and incorporate it in your study.