The Lamb of God Takes Away Our Stumbling Blocks - I Nephi 14:1

Now here’s a scripture I’ll bet you haven’t paid too much attention to as you’ve read I Nephi chapter 14.  It’s the very first verse of the chapter.

“And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks.”  (I Nephi 14:1)

 Well, let’s look at this scripture for a moment.  In this part of the Book of Mormon “the Gentiles” are all those who have been directed to come to this country from other countries.  In other words, it’s each one of us … because all of us have ancestors who have come from other counties to settle here.  For some it may have been one generation ago, for others it might have been 10 generations ago, but we all have ancestors who have come from other countries.  So, we are the Gentiles mentioned here.  Secondly it says “in that day.”  I believe that is “our day” … it is the day of the restoration of the gospel in which we are all privileged to live in today.

So what does this scripture, written almost 600 years before Christ was born, mean to us today?  I believe it means, very simply, if we obey the laws and commandments of the restored gospel, the Savior promises to bless us and take away the stumbling blocks that will cause those who don’t obey His laws and commandments to stumble.  If there’s anything we don’t want to do in the race of life, it’s to stumble and fall.

Think about it.  We live in a world that screams to us that it’s all right to be immoral; that viewing pornography hurts no one; that drinking alcohol is a social norm; that harmful drugs should be legalized; that immodest clothing is necessary to be noticed.  These are all stumbling blocks that the Lord takes away from those who are obedient to the laws of the Gospel. 

 Those who participate in immorality, viewing pornography, consuming alcohol or illegal drugs, or who turn to immodesty to get noticed all will have a price to pay.  As a Bishop and Stake President I’ve had the responsibility to talk to people whose happiness has been ruined and lives have been shattered because they have been fooled into believing these things bring joy.  I’ve seen so many cheeks watered by tears and I’ve seen the inward soul wounded severely.  On the other hand those who have obeyed the commandments, have been worthy to receive priesthood ordinances and the blessings of the temple have found lasting happiness because the Savior has “taken away” the stumbling blocks that usually accompany wrong choices.

I’d like to share with you a story that took place over ninety-years ago (in 1919) where the Lord took away a stumbling block of a young man who was greatly pressured to break the word of wisdom.  This is the story of a track star for the University of Pennsylvania who was also a member of the Church.  His name was Creed Haymond and he was a sprinter … particularly good at the 100 and 220 yard dashes.  The following story about Creed Haymond is taken from a talk by Elder L. Tom Perry in the General Priesthood Session of General Conference on Oct. 5, 1996.

Elder Perry speaks:

I particularly remember a Primary teacher reading a story to us from the Improvement Era. I had the Historical Department find it for me and found it was worth repeating. The story is taken from the October 1929 Improvement Era, and is about Creed Haymond, a young Mormon who applied for and was accepted at the University of Pennsylvania. He was an athlete who was known for his speed and, because of the way he acted and participated, he was chosen to be the captain of the track team.

The Annual Meet of the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America was held at Harvard Stadium at the end of May of 1919. To Cambridge came the greatest college athletes -- seventeen hundred in all. In tryouts, Penn had qualified seventeen men. Cornell, their most feared rival that year, had only qualified ten. The Penn team was in a position to be crowned the champions. The scores were made on the first five places--five for first, four for second, three for third, two for fourth, and one for fifth. Naturally, the team that qualified the most men had the greatest opportunity of winning the meet.

The Penn coach was in good spirits the night before the meet. He made the rounds of his team members before they retired. He came into Creed's room and said, ''Creed, if we do our best tomorrow, we will run away with it." Then the coach hesitated. ''Creed, I'm having the boys take a little sherry wine tonight. I want you to have some -- just a little of course.'' ''I won't do it, Coach.'' ''But, Creed, I'm not going to get you drunk. I know what you 'Mormons' believe. I'm giving you this as a tonic, just to put you all on your metal.'' ''It won't do me any good, coach; I can't take it." The coach replied, ''Remember, Creed, you're the captain of the team
and our best point winner. Fourteen thousand students are looking to you personally to win this meet. If you fail us we'll lose. I ought to know what is good for you."

Creed knew that other coaches felt that a little wine was useful for the men who have trained muscles and nerves almost to the snapping point. He knew also that what the coach was asking him to do was against all that he had been taught from his early childhood. He looked his coach in the eye and said, ''I won't take it."

The coach replied, ''You're a funny fellow, Creed. You won't take tea at the training table. You have ideas of your own. Well, I'm going to let you do as you please.''

The coach then left the captain of the team in a state of extreme anxiety. Suppose he made a poor showing tomorrow. What could he say to his coach? He was going up against the fastest men in the world. Nothing less than his best would do. His stubbornness might lose the meet for Penn. His teammates were told what to do and responded. They believed in their coach. What right did he have to disobey? There was only one reason. He had been taught all his life to obey the Word of Wisdom.

It was a critical hour in this young man's life. With all the spiritual forces of his nature pressing in on him, he knelt down and earnestly asked the Lord to give him a testimony as to what was the source of the revelation he had believed in and obeyed. Then he went to bed and slept in sound slumber.

Next morning the coach came into the room and asked, ''How are you feeling, Creed?''

''Fine,'' the captain answered cheerfully.

''All of the other fellows are ill. I don't know what's the matter with them,'' the coach said seriously.

''Maybe it's the tonic you gave them, Coach.''

"Maybe so," answered the coach.

Two o'clock found twenty thousand spectators in their seats waiting for the meet to begin. As the events got under way, it became plain that something was wrong with the wonderful Penn team. Event after event, the Penn team performed well below what was expected of them. Some members were even too ill to participate.

The hundred and two-hundred-twenty-yard dash were Creed's races. The Penn team desperately needed him to win for them. He was up against the five fastest men in the American colleges. As the men came to their marks for the hundred-yard dash and the pistol was shot, and every man sprang forward into the air and touched the earth at a run -- that is, all except one -- Creed Haymond. The one using the second lane in the trials -- the one that Creed was running in at this particular event -- had kicked a hole for his toe an inch or two behind the spot where Haymond had just chosen for his. They didn't use starting blocks in those days. With the tremendous thrust that Creed gave, the narrow wedge of earth broke through, and he came down on his knee behind the line.

He got up and tried to make up for the poor start. At sixty yards, he was last in the race. Then he seemed to fly past the fifth man, then the fourth, then the third, then the second. Close to the tape, heart bursting with strain, he swept into that climax with whirlwind swiftness, he ran past the final man to victory.

Through some mistake in arrangements, the semi-finals of the two-twenty were not completed until almost the close of the meet. With the same bad break that had followed the Penn team all day, Creed Haymond had been placed in the last qualifying heat for the two-hundred twenty yard dash. Then five minutes after winning it he was called to start in the final of the two-twenty, the last event of the day. One of the other men who had run in an earlier heat rushed up to him. ''Tell the starter you demand a rest before running again. You're entitled to it under the rules. I've hardly caught my breath yet and I ran in the heat before yours."

Creed went panting to the starter and begged for more time. The official said he would give him ten minutes. The crowd was clamoring for the final race to begin. Regretfully he called the men to their marks. Under ordinary conditions Creed would not have feared this race. He was probably the fastest man in the world at that distance, but yet he had already run three races that afternoon--one the heart-stopping hundred-yard dash.

The starter, ordering the breathless men to their marks, raised his pistol and with a puff of smoke, the race began. This time the Penn captain literally shot from his marks. Soon Creed emerged from the crowd and took the lead. He sprinted all the way up the field and with a burst of speed and eight yards ahead of the nearest man, he broke the tape, winning his second race -- the 220 yard dash.

Penn had lost the meet but their captain had astounded the fans with his two excellent runs.

At the end of that strange day, as Creed Haymond was going to bed, there suddenly came to his memory his question of the night before regarding the divinity of the Word of Wisdom. The procession of that peculiar series of events then passed before his mind -- his teammates had taken wine and had failed; his abstinence brought victories that even amazed himself. The sweet simple assurance of the Spirit came to him, the Word of Wisdom is from God.  (''Speed and the Spirit,'' Joseph J. Cannon, The Improvement Era, October 1928,
pp. 1001-1007).

I believe that because of Creed Haymond’s courage in obeying the Word of Wisdom, the Lord removed the stumbling block which would have caused him to be sick and not be able to participate in perhaps the most important meet of his life. 

Think again for a moment.  What stumbling blocks has the Lord taken away from you because you have been obedient to His commandments?  I’m sure there have been many as there have been in my life.  I want each of you to know that true and lasting happiness comes from obeying the laws and commandments of the Lord.  Satan does a wonderful job of counterfeiting evil to make it look like it will bring happiness.  Don’t believe him.  Believe your parents and your Church leaders.  Believe in this great promise found in the Book of Mormon that if you “hearken” to the Savior, he will manifest himself to you in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of your stumbling blocks.

It’s my prayer that we will all remember this great promise as we “press on” in our lives and choose to “hearken to the Lamb of God” who is our Savior, Jesus Christ.