Robert L. Simpson – Gospel Study

Robert L. Simpson

First Quorum of the Seventy (October 1, 1976 – September 30, 1989)
Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (April 6, 1972 – October 1, 1976)
First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric (September 30, 1961 – April 6, 1972)

General Conference Addresses

April 1987 General Conference
- No Shortcuts
  - “Because we have been ordained, we are on our way. Not only are we on our way, but it looks like we have reached the point of no return, for the Savior assures us that this is an oath and covenant of the Father “which he cannot break, neither can it be moved.””
April 1984 General Conference
- The Simplicity of Gospel Truths
  - “Everyone wants to be free—free from guilt, free from selfishness, free from the bondage of bad habit. Yes, even political freedom is possible through God’s plan of simple truth.”
  - “People don’t soon forget acts of simple kindness. Pure love can transcend all differences.”
April 1982 General Conference
- A Lasting Marriage
  - “There is really only one way to ensure good family communication, and that is the Lord’s way. He advocates the council method.”
  - “The Lord instructs us to “reason together,” no arguing, no haranguing, no backbiting, but rather reasoning together with soft-spoken voices. What a great example for the children!”
  - “By just going the extra mile almost every couple could make their marriage relationship successful. But an extra effort on just one side of the boat means imbalance, and a capsized marriage is likely. Unselfishness must come from both sides.”
October 1980 General Conference
- The House of the Lord
  - “The temple is a house of revelation—yes, continuing revelation. Whether that revelation be to a prophet or a member who seeks after truth, all who come to the temple seeking are continually taught and edified.”
  - “Everything in this world that is counter to a tender and loyal husband-wife relationship is a tool of the adversary.”
April 1978 General Conference
- “Not My Will, but Thine”
  - “We can say without reservation that the Lord is the greatest paymaster in the world—not 6 percent, not 8 percent, but would you believe something like a thousand percent interest? And not only immediate interest, but it goes on forever. What a tremendous dividend.”
  - “We first must take ourselves out of the world as much as we can; then, standing on higher ground, we can reach out; we can lift up; we can then teach the truth.”
October 1976 General Conference
- The Lord’s Support System
  - “In the work of the Lord we don’t seek positions, nor should we refuse the opportunity to serve when called.”
  - “What a tremendous goal for every Latter-day Saint—to qualify in every way to be worthy of an invitation from the Lord, no matter what that calling may be.”
April 1976 General Conference
- These Four Things
  - “Truth and light must indeed be received before there can be a dissemination of it.”
  - “We seek exaltation. To achieve that means perfection, and the direction is clear. We cannot be made perfect without our dead. We must seek them out; we must do for them that which they cannot do for themselves.”
October 1975 General Conference
- Do It
  - “Prominently displayed on President Kimball’s desk is a slogan which reads simply, “DO IT.” With this inspired leader, personal convenience comes second. Everything is done to meet the Lords convenience. His example for work has become legend and establishes an example for us all to follow.”
  - “First, we must be better informed about the doctrine; second, we must be more willing to just DO IT; and third, we must be more readily available to the gifts of the Spirit.”
  - “Spiritual sensitivity is a gift, freely given, to all who are willing to do their best.”
  - “As we complicate our lives, we discourage the gifts of the Spirit.”
October 1974 General Conference
- The Most Vital Information
  - “Words can hardly convey the joy and the fulfillment that accompany conversion to the truth, all made possible by the miracle of forgiveness, as repentance paves the way for baptism.”
October 1973 General Conference
- Our Fundamental Obligation
  - “It is my conviction that each member of this Church performs his duty in direct ratio to his personal testimony and faith in the First Vision. How well do you believe this story? No man having heard the Joseph Smith testimony can, in good conscience, remain on neutral ground.”
  - “Our fundamental obligation is to the priesthood of God which cannot be regarded casually, as though it were a man-made club or a mere fraternal organization.”
April 1973 General Conference
- “Go, and Do Thou Likewise”
  - “It has been truthfully said that the Savior is even more concerned for our success here in mortality than we ourselves are, the reason being, of course, that he has greater capacity for concern and love than do we mortals.”
October 1972 General Conference
- Pollution of the Mind
  - “The mind of man must first depend upon quality input before it can be counted upon to render good decisions. Like the most sophisticated computer, only with its properly designed control panel in proper place and in working order can the system be depended upon to produce the desired results.”
  - “It must naturally follow then that the pollution of a single church member’s mind will indeed affect the whole. If pollution touches even a segment of the church, then the entire church is weakened. The church can be no stronger than its members.”
  - “Now a mind that has been deceived into receiving trashy input cannot but send false signals to the feet, the hands, and the tongue. Future decisions will all be colored by the impurity allowed to enter that control center of his entire being.”
April 1972 General Conference
- Courts of Love
  - “This young man had just taken his first giant step back. As an excommunicated member of the Church and with his heart determined to make things right, he was far better off than just a few days before with his membership record intact but carrying deceit in his heart that seemed to shout the word hypocrite with every move he made toward doing something in the Church.”
  - “Priesthood courts of the Church are not courts of retribution. They are courts of love. Oh, that members of the Church could understand this fact.”
  - “Our mission here in mortality is to overcome weaknesses of the flesh and all irregularities in our lives, to the point that our control of personal desires is sufficient to bring about a daily living and thinking pattern that will be compatible with his holy presence.”
  - “He who procrastinates the day [of his repentance] or hopes for an alternate method that might require less courage waits in vain, and in the meantime, the possibilities grow dimmer.”
October 1971 General Conference
- Strengthen Thy Brethren
  - “Well, it is exciting that you are here; you are special! And furthermore, the Lord has something in mind for you to do about it starting right now. The Church has need of every member, and that means not only you but also four of your friends who should be sitting by you in this meeting tonight but who are missing.”
October 1970 General Conference
- Aaronic Priesthood Standards
  - “Now brethren, we believe that “men are, that they might have joy”; and joy can best come as we obtain victory in the game of life, played according to the only acceptable rules—those set down by our Heavenly Father.”
  - “Anything that symbolizes either rebellion or nonconformity to the local community standard will likely be a distraction to those partaking of the Lord’s Supper. Conservative dress and manner have always been the keynote of priesthood service.”
April 1970 General Conference
- What Is Man, That Thou Art Mindful of Him?
  - “Why must we continually limit God, our Eternal Father, and his abilities by our own mortal incapabilities, immaturities, and our earthbound, physical restrictions? Should he who has the ability to create worlds and father billions of children be denied the right to know his offspring? Of course not. Every father has that privilege. To think otherwise is inconsistent with all that we hold as basic and fundamental in life—life here, life before, and life hereafter.”
October 1969 General Conference
- The Road Back
  - “I wonder how many men there might be in the world who are making wonderful time but without direction. Of what value is speed if the direction is without purpose?”
April 1969 General Conference
- Stand on Holy Ground
  - “There have been some excellent thoughts on repentance during these conference sessions, but this plea is for each and every member of the Church to stand on holy ground, to avoid the inevitable, to make repentance unnecessary. In terms of eternity, there is no such thing as not getting caught. Eternal judgment is undeviating, for it is founded on truth.”
  - “To him who says: “I am lucky, I didn’t get caught,” I say, how unfortunate; for his other foot is already in motion for the next treacherous step.”
October 1968 General Conference
- Conforming to Priesthood Principles
  - “No greater security can ever come into your life than the strength and power that comes through personal testimony. Your parents cannot give it to you without your cooperation. Neither can the Lord force it upon you, for that would be a violation of an eternal law called free agency.”
April 1968 General Conference
- A Frank Discussion with Girls
  - “Can any young woman remain unmoved in the thought that within her is the potential of creation, of providing earthly bodies for spirits previously created by him? No mortal has honor greater than this. Yours is a possible partnership with Heavenly Father in perpetuating the process of life. The very thought is overwhelming. The decision to participate with him demands the best that is in you. It must be premeditated, planned, never by impulse. This sacred process requires worthiness.”
  - “Only the adversary has a vacillating, ever-changing program always geared to trap the uninformed, the misled, those who choose to run the risk of questionable company.”
October 1967 General Conference
- The Law of the Fast
  - “Yes, the law of the fast is a perfect law, and we cannot begin to approach perfection until we decide to make it a part of our lives. When you start and stop the fast is up to you, but wouldn’t it be nice to culminate it and be at your spiritual peak for the fast and testimony meeting?”
  - “The world’s future depends upon an urgent return to family unity. Fasting and prayer will help to guarantee it. Each person has greater need for divine guidance. There is no better way. We all have need to overcome the powers of the adversary. His influence is incompatible with fasting and prayer.”
April 1967 General Conference
- Commitment
  - “A long, long time ago—yes, even before the foundations of this earth were laid—the plan was clear; the process for the successful undertaking of building souls for eternal purposes was established. The covenant procedure was decided upon as an essential element to that end.”
  - “Unfortunately, there are those who choose to commit themselves by covenant to the adversary. Conspiring men have formed secret combinations all through the ages to promote wickedness and evil. Immediately preceding the advent of the Savior on this continent 2,000 years ago, we are told of such a group who “did enter into a covenant one with another, yea, even into that covenant which was given by them of old, which covenant was given and administered by the devil, to combine against all righteousness.”
  - “The only effective tool against evil and darkness is truth and light, particularly truth and light held in the hands of those bearing God’s Holy Priesthood.”
October 1966 General Conference
- Forgiveness
  - “In contemplating the subject of forgiveness as a possible conference theme, it was most enlightening to observe the overwhelming importance of this oft-neglected principle as a necessary prerequisite to individual salvation and exaltation.”
  - “To abide in light is to abide in the pathway that leads to the very presence of our Heavenly Father. In forgiveness there is a divine satisfaction that is also sublime. The fruit is sweet, the way is easy, and the time is so short. Slow forgiveness is almost no forgiveness.”
April 1966 General Conference
- What Would Thou Have Me Do?
  - “Someone has properly observed that it doesn’t take money to pay tithing—it takes faith.”
  - “Few topics have received as much time and attention from this pulpit as has the subject of tithing. There is good reason for such emphasis. Compliance to the great law of tithing develops and trains men in the vital attribute of obedience, which has been referred to as the first law of heaven. It trains men in the vital attribute of faith, without which there can be little hope for anyone, and also in the vital attribute of unselfishness, man’s most immediate need for solving the world’s dilemmas in this day of hate, greed, and distrust.”
October 1965 General Conference
- Building a Foundation of Personal Revelation
  - “Peter was the recipient of personal revelation! And in like manner this same sweet confirmation of testimony can permeate the hearts of all truth-seeking, conscientious Latter-day Saints the world over. This great gift of personal revelation is unmistakable; it is direct. It is a more sure communication than the audible spoken word, for that which we hear through mortal ears is sometimes distorted, so often misunderstood. This precious gift of spirit speaking to spirit is infallible and direct and, in the case just cited, came from a loving Heavenly Father to his faithful disciple Peter.”
  - “Only in the doing can we be assured of a confirmation by the spirit—yes, by good works we do become eligible for personal revelation.”
April 1965 General Conference
- Not as the World Giveth
  - “Now in the world today, I think if there were one common wish among all mankind, that wish would be for peace—peace in the world, peace in each nation; peace in the community; even a feeling of peace in each home; and perhaps most important of all, peace of mind.”
April 1964 General Conference
- A Memo to Dads
  - “Let us place first things first and mention love as the prime ingredient. I rather think that Heavenly Father would like the idea of love heading our list, for his Only Begotten, the Savior of the world, had unlimited capacity for love. This single trait of love was most typical of his brief mortal ministry.”
  - “All boys seem to have a favorite game. They play it most of the time without even realizing it. It is called “Follow the Leader” and, dads, whether we like it or not, this is the way it is. So maybe we had better decide right here and now to lead right. Can we constantly break promises and teach our sons integrity? Speak an occasional falsehood and expect undeviating truth from them?”
  - “The methods of compulsion and dictatorship are not compatible with the Lord’s plan, but rather kindly persuasion through love and patience.”
October 1963 General Conference
- Youth of Zion, Stand Up, and be Counted!
  - “Courage is an easy word to say. To be effective, there must be action—just like our serviceman a moment ago—positive action in the right direction which can only happen when that courage is inspired through positive, proper motivation.”
  - “I suggest that this Church is not idly named. We are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These are the latter days; this is the final dispensation of time, and the programs of the Church are all moving toward a sort of finalization or culmination. There is an urgency as never before about what needs to be done; and be sure of this, what needs to be done will be done on schedule, we hope by those initially foreordained to the task. But just as surely as night follows the day, if we choose not to accept our station, or if we grow weary along the way, placing less important things first, there will be substitutes raised to take our place, that the Lord’s time-plan and ultimate purposes will not be thwarted.”
April 1963 General Conference
- God’s Law of Health
  - “Obedience to the law whether it be physical, intellectual, or spiritual brings harmony, peace, joy, and happiness.”
October 1962 General Conference
- He Knocks—We Open the Door
  - “Sometimes we avoid dedicating ourselves to the direction that common reason tells us to be right until a circumstance forces the issue.”
  - “The gospel, as set down by the Savior of the world, was never intended to be the least bit confusing, for he is the author of truth and light. Our Heavenly Father has but one desire and that is to have as many of his children as possible, regain his presence.”
  - “We ofttimes lose sight of basic goals as we struggle against the adversary in this mortal realm of existence. Nothing would please him more than to have us distracted in our attempts to regain the presence of our Heavenly Father, and such was the plight of my friend.”
  - “Now, as the Lord draws close to us in fulfillment of his promise, his advice and counsel will be direct and clear and undeviating from that original theme which has been the very core of his message from the beginning of time. He will tell us that our overcoming can best be accomplished in terms of others; for example, the priesthood has been restored in our day. Thousands of priesthood holders are here this morning.”
  - “Selfishness and ingratitude are tools of destruction. The civilized world rocks and reels today because of selfish attitudes.”
April 1962 General Conference
- Following Proven Paths
  - “Brethren, have you ever heard the beautiful song, “No Man Is an Island”? Seclusion is incompatible with the spirit of the priesthood, and when you really analyze it, what can a man do for himself with the priesthood? You young men administer the Sacrament for others. You usher and do things around the chapel for the convenience and comfort of others. The priests administer the Sacrament that others might partake.”
  - “To willfully hide ourselves and live as hermits would be to allow our priesthood to wither and die. The Savior showed us the way; he set the pattern. His was a life of thinking and doing for others. This was the sum and substance of his entire existence in mortality.”
  - “Is there a priesthood holder within range of my voice that does not have as the foremost desire of his heart the great possibility of one day regaining the presence of his Heavenly Father? This is the sum and substance of it all. To aspire to this great blessing supersedes all else in the mind and heart of the priesthood holder.”
  - “All of us need help in this important process of overcoming. The man doesn’t live that is capable of doing it on his own. “No man is an island”; no being can stand alone.”
  - “It would be foolish for us to waste time in remaking all of the mistakes of our predecessors. In the first place, we would not live long enough to make all the mistakes, so we must do the wise thing. We must take advantage of mistakes that have already been made.”
  - “Certainly that man is intelligent who would take advantage of a path that has already been clearly marked.”
  - “Young men of the priesthood, tomorrow’s challenge is great. Why don’t you exert the effort to do some running in the sand? Do a little plugging uphill, and work when it is not always convenient, when it might be a little stormy out; and I want to tell you young men, you will be headed in the direction of a champion in the priesthood of your Heavenly Father.”

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