A sermon by Rulon C. Allred (April 6, 1941)

Rulon C. Allred

By Rulon C. Allred (1906-1977)

This is a posting of a sermon by Rulon C. Allred, given on April 6, 1941 at the home of Charles F. Zitting. Bro. John Y. Barlow presided and conducted the meeting.

"My brothers and sisters, I don't think I was more surprised in my life. I am filled with a keen sense of responsibility in talking to you today and I am very much aware of the importance of this occasion. It is the true time of the birth of our Lord and Savior on the earth. The main body of us have been cast out by the church because of our belief in the full Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Those words may seem light and immaterial, but those of us who have magnified the Priesthood of God, who have partaken of the holy ordinances of the House of the Lord consider it very serious, and would not be here today if we did not believe we were following the path of God, regardless of the love of the world and the rights of men. We would have bowed our knee, we would have sought the favor of the leaders of the church and pampered after the love of men and the world, if we had not desired to go according to the dictates of our own consciences. 

If there are any of us here today who have other reasons than to follow God, let us get on our knees and pray about it. If you have arrived at the place where you are today, because of the love of God - to consecrate everything you have to God - then you are on the right footing. No matter now keen our love of truth may be, no matter how sincere our desire to serve God is, we have weaknesses which we are constantly having to overcome, that through the love of Jesus Christ we may be saved in the light of our Heavenly Father.

I do not believe anyone ever spoke as did Paul on the subject of charity, which we are told in the Book of Mormon is the pure love of Christ. As the love of Christ comprehends all the virtues of Godliness, so must our charity or love be like Christ's. (I Corinthians 13) The Lord expects us to incorporate in our lives all the virtues of Christ, which, can only be achieved by attaining all the virtues of Godliness.

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”

How great is the gift of prophecy, yet it does not compare with charity, which is the true love of God, and comprehends even prophecy. 

“Though I have faith to remove mountains and have not the love of God, I am nothing.”

Those of us who are attempting to live the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we cannot be concerned so much about having our feelings hurt, as we should be about hurting the feelings of others.

“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charily, it profiteth me nothing.”

A lot of us have the idea that charity means to give our goods to the poor, but that Paul meant it to comprehend more than this is evident from his statement, “Though I give all I have to the poor, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing;” for charity comprises all the attributes which to possess makes us like the gods. Charity is lacking in a lot of us who think we have the love of God and are mean as the devil.

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind;” The lack of kindness, a component part of charity, displays a pettish weakness. Though we may appear outwardly to be very fine, if we are not kind, there is some little rottenness down deep inside.

“Charity envieth not;” If we truly have the love of God in our hearts, we will not envy one another; we will not prize another's goods nor wish we had that which he possesses, but we will magnify our own virtues and possessions and calling and be satisfied with the lot God gives us, “Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.” 

No one can have the pure love of God in his heart and be proud and puffed up, for the scriptures say that all the proud and they that do wickedly and the stiff-necked shall be as stubble and the Lord will burn them up. The very essence of charity is humility. Christ did not hesitate to claim that which was His own, but He did not think it 'incompatible with justice to make Himself equal with God, but He sought to become like God by acquiring His Father's attributes and He knew when He had attained them in their fullness He would be like God. Christ's every action manifested humility and subjection to the will of His Father.

“[Charity] doth not behave itself unseemly,” Charity makes a gentleman out of any man and a lady out of any woman. Charity is careful how it exercises itself in the presence of others lest it step on the toes of others.

“Seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,” Remember that the greatest of all attributes is love, that God is love, and that as we hope to become like Him, we must overcome these personal littlenesses.

“[Charity] thinketh no evil;” - How we love to spread the evil of one another. For example, so many of us are running around with stories of one another, only too glad to believe every evil report, and like busy-bodies scatter it abroad. Paul said God was displeased with the ancient saints because there were busy-bodies, and tale-bearers among them.

These vices exist among us. How we delight in “thinking evil.” For example, this tale came to me: “Do you know what I heard? Rulon's taking steps to see that his girls do not become pregnant and is letting Ruth have all the children because she bears them so easily. He is a doctor; he knows what to do.” 

If we had the love of God in our hearts, we would not repeat such stories, nor would we delight in believing them. Unless we overcome those things we will never have true charity nor become like God.

“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, and endureth all takings.”

If we truly have the pure love of God in our hearts, we will learn to say, “I do not understand,” rather than, “I do not believe.” We will have to attain the power to endure all things; there are no persecutions, trials or hardships that we cannot stand, for we will know that our course, is pleasing unto God, and the virtues of Godliness are made manifest in our lives. It is within the ability of this group to bear your trials, hardships, difficulties, etc., with patience and long-suffering. God will reward you. Often we hear, “Even if it is true, I do not want to believe it.” If there are things that we do not understand, we should say, “We hope we may sometime understand and believe then.”

Our thirteenth article of faith says, “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous and in doing good to all men.; indeed we may say we follow the admonitions of Paul; we believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and we hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.” This plainly shows that one of our basic principles of our religion is to understand charity, and refers to the teachings of Paul.

“Charity never faileth,” True love will never fail, not only as it is manifested in our lives for others, but as it is manifested in the love of God toward us - it will never fail; “but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away,”

“For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.”

When the heavens are open to us, we will know all things in their fullness and that which is spoken in part we will know in full. All these gifts, manifestations of the love of God toward us are given in part, but then we shall know them in full.

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face, now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

Brothers and sisters, let us see if we can acquire it. This I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Great thanks go to Bro. Michael Ness for his work in research on these sermons.

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