I would like to prove to you beyond any shadow of a doubt tonight that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. However I don't believe that I can stand here before you and prove with hard scientific evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Nor can prove to you that the Book of Mormon is true. But I do bear witness that the Lord can prove it to you by the power of the Holy Ghost. And it is through the power of the Holy Ghost that we can indeed know the truth of all things. so in the next few minutes as I speak to you I pray that the spirit of the Holy Ghost will bear witness to you of that these things are true and therefore your testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God will grow.
His family was poor, which left him with no opportunity but for the most rudimentary of educations. He received three years of formal schooling. Even though Joseph was unlearned he possessed strong faith. One evening while in his 15th year Joseph went to a revival put on by Reverend George Lane who quoted from the pulpit the scripture from James that effected Joseph so deeply. In fact he said
12 Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible.
13 At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to "ask of God," concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture.
14 so, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.
When the gospel was to be restored it was important that Joseph be able to bear firm witness that there were three distinct beings in the godhead and that he had seen both the Father and the son and not just a messenger. If you recall throughout the scriptures the most common form of deliverance of a message comes from a messenger that the Lord has sent. It is the common pattern of the priesthood. Like John the beloved on the island of Patmos who thought he was seeing the Savior when the messenger of the Lord appeared to him and said "I am alpha and omega I am the beginning" so down went John to his knees and then the messenger said John would you please get up? and started his message again "I am alpha and omega I am the beginning the end I am he who was slain before the foundations of the world" John again thinks this must be the master and I want to worship him so down to his knees again he goes and then finally the Angel says "John would you please stand up I am one of thy fellow servants a prophet, would you just listen to message".
This was not the case when young Joseph prayed. It was a very significant event, it was in preparation for the restoration of the gospel to the earth. Both the Father and the son appeared to Joseph Smith. The Father did not say much other than "Joseph this is my beloved son hear him".Then the son said "Joseph what do you seek?" Joseph said "I was so frightened that I couldn't speak" He really only came to ask which church to join. All he wanted was a little feeling in his heart that he should be a Catholic, a Baptist or a Methodist. He didn't ask for this at all and he said "that it was only when I got possession of my speech that I said I just wanted to know which church to join" then the savior replied "My son my church is not yet on the earth it is gone, but you will live to see it yet upon the earth". Joseph did not know at this time that he would have anything to do with the restoration of the gospel. It was not until 3 years later when the Angel Moroni told him that his name would be known for good and evil, and that if he was righteous and faithful he would be the one that prophets of old had talked about as the prophet in the last days that would restore the gospel to the earth.
so before Joseph is 15 years old he has seen both the Father and the son
Before he is 17 he had received his 1st 5 visitations from the angel Moroni.
When he reached 21 he received the small plates of Nephi and the plates of Mormon. Over the next two years he would complete the inspired work of the translation (Before he is 23). Studies show that he did this work at the phenomenal rate of 4500 words per day. Isaiah said that he would do it as an unlearned man by the power of God and that the book would be taken to those who were learned and they would say that they could not read the book.
Isn't that just exactly what happened in the incident with Martin Harris?
Can you imagine as Joseph was translating these ancient records he was learning line upon line. sometimes he would come across passages that he knew were about him. They would talk about his mission.What he would do? What his mission would be. How important it would be.
Orson and Parley Pratt used to come to the Prophet and say this is about you Joseph, these scriptures are talking about you. Visualize the feelings of Joseph Smith as gains the knowledge through scripture who he really is. Yet, never at any time does he say these scriptures are about me. He has learned from his own past experiences that he must remain humble to do the work of the Lord. Even when ask by his fellow brethren "What is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah?"
D&C 113:
6 ... it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days.
Joseph doesn't answer the question "well it is I". Joseph would just put it aside because he knew that those revelations also talked about him being killed. Joseph knew that martyrdom would lay ahead.
On May 15th 1829, at the age of 23 he and Oliver Cowdery received the keys and powers of the Aaronic priesthood from the hands of John the Baptist. In addition; the promise was given them that in due time they would also receive the Priesthood of Melchizedek.
When he was 24 revelation was given on church organization and government, and was commanded by the Lord to organize his church once more upon the earth. This would later fulfill the prophecies of Daniel of a stone cut out from the mountain without hands to later engulf the hearts of mankind in all the nations of the world. That very year he launched the first missionary journey to the indians. They informed the indians of the history of their ancestors that was contained within the sacred pages of the Book of Mormon.
When he was 25 he had reached the frontier of western Missouri were he designated the land that would be dedicated for the site of New Jerusalem.
When he was 26 the Lord revealed that wars would break out in the south and the states the war would start in, the issues that the war would be over and the church would publish this prophecy 30 years before it would be fulfilled. He prophesied that Great Britain would be called in on behalf of the southern states. That after that war would be poured out on every nation.
When he was 27 he received the Word of Wisdom a code of health with wisdom far superior to the knowledge of science of that day, and one which modern day science stills proves out as prophetic.
At 29 he was authorized to set up the first divinely commissioned quorum of 12 apostles since the days of christ. He also set up the first quorum of seventy since the apostolic period. These revelations each and every one were ones that not one single church on the earth possessed or understood. During this same year he published 102 revelations from God.
At 30 he completed and dedicated the first temple of modern time at Kirkland. It was constructed from a blueprint that he had received from the lord.
During the dedication of the Kirkland temple Joseph was successful taking several quorums of the priesthood across the veil. They were administered to by heavenly beings just as in the days of Pentecost. It was also in this temple that the Savior visited and accepted the temple and gave instruction and the keys to the dispensation of Abraham from Noah, the keys to the gathering of Israel were conferred by Moses and the keys to the priesthood and sealing power from Elijah
At 31 launched the missionary work to the continent of Europe were 1500 people were converted the first year.
At 32 he saw the whole membership of the church put to flight by an extermination order by the governor of Missouri. He was arrested and condemned to death, but later escaped after spending 6 cruel months in a makeshift jail in liberty.
At 33 he established a settlement on the banks of the Mississippi which later became the largest community in Illinois within five years. The city was called Nauvoo "The City Beautiful". In this same year he visited the president of the United States and was told that there would be no redress for the suffering and losses of the saints in Missouri
When he was 34 he dispatched Orson Hyde to Palestine to dedicate that land for the return of the Jews.
At 35 was given the design an layout for a sacred temple in which the holy endowment could be administered. It was considerable more detailed than the Kirkland temple and more like the ones from the days of solomon and the ones that we have today. This was the year that he organized the women of the church into what we know today as the Relief society. In this same year, editors of the New York and Boston newspapers were so fascinated by Josephs' translations of the facsimiles found in the catacombs of Egypt that they published them in their entirety in both newspapers.
At 36 while in Nauvoo while the church seemed at peace an prosperity Joseph reveled that not soon hence that the church would be driven once again from their homes, their homes burned and then described their desperate trek to the rockies. He said thousands would die on the way and that he would not be with them on this trek. He prophesied that the saints would prosper in tops of the mountains and that the message would go forth unto the entire world from there.
At 37 Joseph told an obscure judge Steven Douglas that he would aspire to be the president of the United states. Then warned judge Douglas that if he ever turned against these people whom you personally know that you will feel the wrath of God. The church published this revelation. As Steven Douglas became popular and nationally know he ignored it and turned against his mormon friends. He was popular and it was for sure that there was no way that Steven could be beaten But he was. He went down, and the unlikely candidate Abraham Lincoln was elected president. The election loss was so devastating that Douglas suffered badly from indebtedness and sickness and died just a few months after the election.
Now of course Joseph had a frightening assignment. He worked out his assignment in fear and trembling in fact it was not until the year that he was martyred that he said "the fear of fulfilling my assignment has finally left me. Now when I ask the Lord for anything It seems as if I get it immediately it is like he is filling me full of light more than ever before, I seem to be accepted of the Lord now."
Joseph was accepted of the Lord. His prophetic administration had lasted some 24 years, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints had been established for 14 of them. It was late in the afternoon on the 27th day of June 1844 shortly after 5 pm Joseph had ask John Taylor to sing all 14 verses of his favorite song "A poor wayfaring man of grief". It was the second time he had sung the same song this afternoon. When one listens to the words it is easy too see why it was the prophets favorite song. While in this his 38th year Joseph was assassinated while in the protective custody of the governor of that state. Joseph had fulfilled all the prophecies including his death.
Testify to you Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God,
That he did translate the Book of Mormon and that
Did restore the Church of Jesus Christ back to the earth.
In the name of ....