Sermon Notes About Mormons

Mormonism

**Preaching Text:** Galatians 1:6–9 

**Supporting Texts:** Isaiah 43:10; John 1:1; Colossians 1:16–17; Ephesians 2:8–9; 2 Peter 2:1; Deuteronomy 18:20–22; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 11:6; Hebrews 9:27; Luke 16:26 

"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6–9)

**Introduction: The Mirage in the Desert** 

There is a phenomenon that has deceived weary travelers for thousands of years. It is called a mirage. It occurs in the scorching desert when layers of hot air near the ground bend the light from the sky, creating what appears to be a shimmering pool of water on the horizon. The exhausted traveler sees it, believes it, and runs toward it with every ounce of strength he has left. But when he arrives, there is nothing there. Just hot sand and the cruel mockery of an illusion. The mirage looked real. It used the language of water. It promised refreshment. But it was a lie, and a man can die chasing it.

Church, there are spiritual mirages in our world: religious systems that use the vocabulary of Christianity, that talk about Jesus and salvation and heaven and grace, but which, when examined in the clear light of the Word of God, are revealed to be nothing more than deadly illusions. They promise life but deliver death. They promise truth but peddle deception. And the tragedy is that millions of sincere, morally upright, family-loving people are running toward these mirages with all their hearts, not knowing that they are running toward spiritual death.

One of the most prominent of these spiritual mirages in the Western world today is Mormonism, officially known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With over 17 million members worldwide, with their famous missionary program sending 70,000 young people door to door every year, with their well-funded public relations campaigns and their wholesome family image, Mormonism presents itself as simply another branch of Christianity. But it is not. It is a different religion with a different God, a different Jesus, a different gospel, and a different Bible. And the Apostle Paul said that anyone, man or angel, who preaches a different gospel is to be accursed.

Before we go any further, let us establish the tone of this message. We are not here to mock Mormons. We are not here to be cruel or arrogant. Many Mormon people are among the most sincere, hardworking, morally decent people you will ever meet. They love their families. They are generous in their communities. They are not our enemies. They are our mission field. The people in Mormonism are victims of a system of deception, and they need the true Jesus Christ and the true Gospel of grace. We speak the truth today in love, but we will speak the truth.

The Bible commands us in Jude verse 3 to "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." And in 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul charges us to "reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." We cannot be silent when souls are at stake.

Today we will examine Mormonism under four main headings:

- The Founding of the Faith: its history and origins 

- The Fallacies of the Faith: its false doctrines 

- The Failures of the Faith: its contradictions and false prophecies 

- The Faithful Response: how we as believers should respond 

**Point I: The Founding of the Faith** 

**The Origins and History of Mormonism** 

To understand any religion, you must understand its roots. A tree is identified by its roots as much as by its fruit, and the roots of Mormonism are deeply troubling.

**A. The Background of the Boy Prophet** 

The story begins in the early nineteenth century in the "burned-over district" of upstate New York, so called because it had been swept by so many religious revivals that it was said to be spiritually exhausted. It was a time of tremendous religious ferment, with new movements, new prophets, and new revelations springing up everywhere. It was in this environment that Joseph Smith Jr. was born on December 23, 1805, in Sharon, Vermont.

Joseph Smith grew up in a family with a deep interest in the occult and folk magic. His father, Joseph Smith Sr., was a treasure-seeker who used divining rods and "peep stones", smooth stones placed in a hat, to try to locate buried treasure. This is important background, because the same method Joseph Smith Sr. used to look for treasure is the same method his son Joseph Jr. later claimed to use to "translate" the Book of Mormon. The apple did not fall far from the tree.

**B. The Claims of the First Vision** 

According to Joseph Smith's own account, which he did not write down until 1838, eighteen years after it allegedly occurred, in the spring of 1820, when he was fourteen years old, he went into the woods near his home to pray about which church he should join. He claimed that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him as two separate, physical beings. He said they told him that all existing churches were wrong, that all their creeds were an abomination in God's sight, and that he should join none of them.

This event, known as the "First Vision," is the absolute cornerstone of Mormonism. Former LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley stated it plainly: "This is the pivotal thing of our story. Every claim that we make concerning divine authority, every truth that we offer concerning the validity of this work, all finds its roots in the First Vision. If the First Vision did not occur, then we are involved in a great sham. It is that simple."

But here is the problem: the historical record does not support this account. There are multiple, contradictory accounts of this vision. In the earliest account, written in 1832, Smith does not mention God the Father at all, only "the Lord." In another account, he says he saw an angel. The story grew and changed over the years. Furthermore, if this vision had caused the kind of public persecution Smith described, why is there no mention of it in any newspaper, journal, or church record from 1820? Why did it take twenty-two years for the official account to appear in LDS publications?

The answer is uncomfortable but clear: the First Vision story evolved over time to support doctrines that were developed later. It is not a reliable historical account.

**C. The Golden Plates and the Book of Mormon** 

In 1823, Smith claimed that an angel named Moroni visited him and directed him to a hill called Cumorah, near Manchester, New York, where golden plates were buried. He said he retrieved these plates in 1827 and translated them by placing "seer stones" in a hat, burying his face in the hat, and dictating words to a scribe as they appeared. The plates were never shown to the public. Eleven witnesses claimed to have seen them, but several of those witnesses later left the church and gave conflicting accounts. The plates were supposedly taken back to heaven by the angel when the translation was complete.

The resulting book, published in 1830, was called the Book of Mormon. It claims to be a history of ancient peoples who migrated from the Middle East to the Americas around 600 B.C. and of Jesus Christ's appearance to them after His resurrection. But there is not one shred of verified archaeological evidence for the peoples, places, cities, coins, crops, or animals mentioned in the Book of Mormon. The Smithsonian Institution has officially stated that it has never used the Book of Mormon as a guide to archaeological research. DNA evidence consistently shows that the indigenous peoples of the Americas descended from Asian ancestors, not Middle Eastern ones. The Book of Mormon is a 19th-century fabrication.

**D. The Development of the Church** 

On April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith officially organized what he called the "Church of Christ" in Fayette, New York. The church grew rapidly, but so did controversy. Smith introduced increasingly bizarre doctrines, including polygamy, which he practiced secretly while publicly denying it. He eventually had between 30 and 40 wives, including several women who were already married to other men and girls as young as 14.

In 1844, Smith was arrested and jailed in Carthage, Illinois, on charges of inciting a riot after he ordered the destruction of a newspaper that had exposed his polygamy. While in jail, a mob stormed the cell, and Smith was shot and killed. He was 38 years old. After his death, Brigham Young led the main body of followers on a westward migration to the Salt Lake Valley in Utah, where the church established its permanent headquarters.

The church today is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and claims over 17 million members worldwide. It is a wealthy, powerful, and influential organization. But wealth and influence do not equal truth. And a beautiful building does not mean God is in it.

**Point II: The Fallacies of the Faith** 

**The False Doctrines of Mormonism Examined by Scripture** 

Now we come to the heart of the message. What does Mormonism actually teach, and how does it compare to the Word of God? Here are four major areas where Mormon doctrine directly contradicts the Bible.

**A. A Distorted God: The Doctrine of Eternal Progression** 

The God of the Bible is eternal, unchanging, all-knowing, and all-powerful. He has always been God. He was never anything less than God. He will never be anything more than God. He is the great I AM.

But the God of Mormonism is something altogether different. Joseph Smith taught in his famous "King Follett Discourse" in 1844: "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form, like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man."

This is the doctrine of "eternal progression." Mormons believe that God the Father was once a mortal man on another planet, that He lived a righteous life, died, was resurrected, and was exalted to godhood. They believe that He has a physical body of flesh and bone. And they believe that faithful Mormon men can follow the same path, that they too can become gods of their own worlds. This is summed up in the famous couplet of Lorenzo Snow, the fifth LDS president: "As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be."

This is not Christianity. This is not the Bible. This is paganism dressed in a white shirt and a tie.

What does the Word of God say? 

Isaiah 43:10: "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." 

God says it plainly: there was no God before Him, and there will be no God after Him. He did not become God. He has always been God. He is the only God. There is no "eternal progression" to godhood. There is no pantheon of gods. There is one God, and He alone is God!

Isaiah 44:6: "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." 

Isaiah 46:9: "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me." 

The Mormon god is not the God of the Bible. They are not worshipping the same God we worship. And if they are worshipping a different God, then they are not saved, no matter how sincere they are.

**B. A Different Jesus: The Doctrine of a Created Christ** 

When a Mormon missionary says, "We believe in Jesus Christ," you must press them and ask: "Which Jesus?" Because the Mormon Jesus is fundamentally different from the biblical Jesus in every essential way.

The Mormon Jesus is the literal spirit-child of Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother. He is the firstborn of all the spirit children of God. That means He is a created being, the first and greatest creation of God, but a creation nonetheless. Furthermore, Mormon theology teaches that Lucifer, Satan himself, is the spirit-brother of Jesus, also a child of Heavenly Father. Jesus and Satan are brothers in Mormon theology.

The Mormon Jesus earned His own exaltation and godhood through perfect obedience. He was not eternally God; He became God. And His death on the cross, in Mormon theology, does not provide full atonement for sin. It only guarantees universal resurrection. The rest of salvation must be earned by the individual.

This is not the Jesus of the Bible. Let us look at what the Word of God says about the true Lord Jesus Christ.

John 1:1–3: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." 

The Word, Jesus Christ, was not created. He was not a spirit-child who became God. He was God from the very beginning. He is the Creator, not the created. He did not become God; He has always been God.

Colossians 1:15–17: "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." 

The phrase "firstborn of every creature" does not mean He was the first thing created. In the Hebrew and Greek cultural context, "firstborn" was a title of preeminence and supremacy, the position of highest honor. Paul makes this clear in the very next breath: "For by him were all things created." You cannot be created by someone and also be that person. He is the Creator of all things, which means He Himself is uncreated.

Micah 5:2: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." 

The goings forth of Christ have been from everlasting. He is the eternal, uncreated, self-existent Son of God. He is not Satan's brother. He is Satan's Creator and Satan's Judge!

**C. A Corrupted Gospel: The Doctrine of Works-Based Salvation** 

Perhaps the most dangerous false teaching in Mormonism, because it directly affects eternal destiny, is its doctrine of salvation. Mormons believe in a multi-tiered system of salvation that is fundamentally dependent on human works and obedience.

Their own scripture, 2 Nephi 25:23, states: "For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." After all we can do. That phrase is the key. In Mormonism, grace only kicks in after you have exhausted every effort of your own. And what does "all you can do" include? You must be baptized in the LDS Church. You must receive the LDS priesthood (for men). You must be married in an LDS temple. You must tithe faithfully. You must keep the "Word of Wisdom", no coffee, tea, alcohol, or tobacco. You must attend temple regularly. You must perform temple ordinances, including baptism for the dead, being baptized by proxy on behalf of deceased ancestors who never had the chance to hear the Mormon gospel. And even after all of that, your final exaltation to the highest level of heaven (the Celestial Kingdom) is not guaranteed.

That is what a works-based gospel produces. It produces exhaustion and terror, not rest and assurance. But the Word of God offers something gloriously different.

Ephesians 2:8–9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." 

Salvation is a gift. You do not earn a gift. You do not work for a gift. You receive a gift by faith. The moment you place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in His death, burial, and resurrection, you are saved. Completely. Permanently. Not because of anything you have done, but because of everything He has done.

Romans 11:6: "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." 

You cannot mix grace and works in salvation. They are mutually exclusive. The moment you add works to grace, you have destroyed grace. The Mormon system of "grace after all you can do" is not grace at all. It is a system of works with a thin veneer of grace painted over it.

Titus 3:5: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." 

The true gospel is not "do." The true gospel is "done." Jesus cried from the cross, "It is finished" (John 19:30). The work of redemption is complete. Our salvation rests not on our performance but on His perfection.

We should also address one specific Mormon practice that grows directly out of their false view of salvation: baptism for the dead. Mormons believe that deceased individuals who never heard the Mormon gospel can be given a second chance at salvation if a living Mormon is baptized by proxy on their behalf in an LDS temple. It is for this reason that the LDS Church maintains the largest genealogical database in the world. They are identifying the dead so that they can perform saving ordinances for them.

But the Word of God leaves no room for a second chance after death.

Hebrews 9:27: "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." 

Once to die, then judgment. Not once to die, then a proxy baptism, then another opportunity. Death is followed by judgment. There are no second chances, no temple ordinances that reach beyond the grave, no posthumous do-overs. The Lord Jesus Himself confirmed this in Luke 16:26 with the account of the rich man and Lazarus, where Abraham told the rich man in torment: "beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence." The gulf is fixed. The door is shut. Baptism for the dead is not a second chance. It is a false hope built on a false gospel.

**D. A Deficient Scripture: The Doctrine of Continuing Revelation** 

Mormons claim to believe the Bible, but they add a crucial qualifier: they believe it only "as far as it is translated correctly." This is a convenient escape hatch that allows them to dismiss any biblical text that contradicts their doctrine by simply claiming it was mistranslated. In practice, they elevate four books as their standard of scripture: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. And above all of these, they place the living prophet, the current president of the LDS Church, whose words are considered binding revelation that can supersede all previous scripture.

This is a direct attack on the sufficiency and finality of the Word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16–17: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." 

The Bible says that Scripture, the Word of God, is sufficient to make the man of God perfect and throughly furnished. That means complete. That means lacking nothing. If the Bible is sufficient to make us complete, then we do not need the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, or the Pearl of Great Price. We do not need a living prophet who can override the Word of God.

Revelation 22:18–19: "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life." 

God takes the completeness of His Word very seriously. Adding to it is not a minor doctrinal disagreement. It is a grave offense against the living God.

And then there is the warning of Galatians 1:8: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." 

Notice that Paul specifically mentions an angel. Joseph Smith's entire religion is built on the claim that an angel named Moroni brought him new revelation. But Paul said that even if an angel from heaven brings you a different gospel, that angel is accursed. The angel Moroni, if he existed at all, brought a different gospel. And the Word of God pronounces a curse on it.

**Point III: The Failures of the Faith** 

**The Contradictions and False Prophecies That Expose Mormonism** 

A tree is known by its fruit, and a prophet is known by his prophecies. God gave us a clear test for identifying false prophets in Deuteronomy 18:20–22.

Deuteronomy 18:20–22: "But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." 

The test is simple: if a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord and the thing does not come to pass, he is a false prophet. Period. No exceptions. No second chances. No "he was speaking as a man, not as a prophet" escape clause. Let us apply this test to Joseph Smith.

**A. The Prophecy of the Temple in Missouri** 

In Doctrine and Covenants Section 84, given in September 1832, Joseph Smith prophesied: "Verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house." He was speaking of a temple to be built in Independence, Missouri, in the lifetime of his generation. The Mormons were driven out of Missouri by persecution. The temple was never built. That generation passed away. The prophecy failed.

**B. The Prophecy of the Coming of the Lord** 

In 1835, Joseph Smith prophesied that the coming of the Lord was "nigh, even fifty-six years should wind up the scene." Fifty-six years from 1835 is 1891. The Lord did not return in 1891. The prophecy failed.

**C. The Prophecy of the Overthrow of the Government** 

In 1843, Smith prophesied that unless the United States government redressed wrongs done to the Mormons in Missouri, "the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left." The government did not redress those wrongs. The United States government was not overthrown. It still stands today. The prophecy failed.

**D. The Fabricated Translation: The Book of Abraham** 

In 1835, Joseph Smith purchased several Egyptian papyrus scrolls from a traveling exhibitor and announced that he could translate them by divine gift. The result was the Book of Abraham, now contained in the Pearl of Great Price, one of Mormonism’s four standard works. Smith declared the papyri to contain the actual writings of the patriarch Abraham. This was a major claim. It meant that Joseph Smith possessed the ability to translate ancient languages by the power of God, the same gift he said he used to produce the Book of Mormon.

For over a century those papyri were believed to be lost. But in 1966, they were rediscovered in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. They were promptly submitted to trained Egyptologists for examination. The verdict was unanimous and devastating: the papyri are ordinary Egyptian funerary documents, a portion of the Book of Breathings, a common text placed in tombs to assist the deceased in the afterlife. Not one word of Smith’s “translation” corresponds to what the papyri actually say. Characters he identified as referring to Abraham, to God, and to the creation have no such meaning in the Egyptian language.

This is not a matter of theological interpretation. It is a matter of language scholarship. The papyri exist. Egyptologists can read them. What Smith produced as a “translation” is a provable fabrication.

And this matters enormously. The entire foundation of Mormonism rests on the claim that Joseph Smith was a divinely gifted translator of ancient texts. The Book of Mormon is claimed to be a translation of golden plates. If Smith could not accurately translate Egyptian papyri that still exist and can be verified today, what confidence can we have in his translation of plates that conveniently returned to heaven? God has given us the test. The test has been taken. The test has been failed.

Deuteronomy 18:22: "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." 

A man who fabricates a translation of God’s Word is not a prophet. He is a deceiver. And thou shalt not be afraid of him.

**E. The Shifting Sands of Mormon Doctrine** 

Beyond failed prophecies, Mormon doctrine itself has changed dramatically over time, and always, conveniently, in response to political and social pressure.

For example: polygamy was introduced by Joseph Smith as an "everlasting covenant" and a requirement for the highest exaltation. Brigham Young declared, "The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy." But in 1890, when the United States government threatened to seize all LDS Church property and imprison its leaders, LDS President Wilford Woodruff suddenly received a "revelation", the Manifesto, ending the practice. An eternal covenant became a temporary policy the moment it became politically inconvenient.

Similarly, for over 130 years, the LDS Church taught that black men could not hold the priesthood, citing the "curse of Cain." But in 1978, as civil rights pressure mounted and the church’s tax-exempt status was potentially threatened, LDS President Spencer W. Kimball received a "revelation" extending the priesthood to all worthy males regardless of race.

There is a third example that is perhaps the most startling of all. Brigham Young, the second prophet and president of the LDS Church and the man who led the saints to Utah, publicly taught what has come to be called the Adam-God doctrine. In the Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, p. 50, Young declared: "When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days! He is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do." Young taught that Adam was God the Father, that he came to earth and became mortal, and that he was the literal physical father of Jesus Christ. This was not a passing remark. He taught it repeatedly over many years. And yet the LDS Church today officially distances itself from this teaching, labeling it false doctrine. But here is the question that demands an answer: if Brigham Young, the prophet who succeeded Joseph Smith and who led the church for thirty years, was wrong about the identity of God Himself, on what basis can any Mormon trust anything else he taught? A prophet who teaches false doctrine about the nature of God is no prophet at all.

The God of the Bible does not change His eternal decrees based on political pressure. "For I am the LORD, I change not" (Malachi 3:6). A church whose doctrines change with the wind of public opinion is not guided by the Holy Spirit. It is guided by the spirit of the age.

**Point IV: The Faithful Response** 

**How Believers Should Respond to Mormonism** 

We have seen the history. We have seen the heresy. We have seen the failures. Now what do we do? How should we as Bible-believing Christians respond?

**A. Be Warned Against Deception** 

First, we must heed the warning of the Word of God. 2 Peter 2:1 says: "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

False teachers are not always obvious. They do not always come with horns and a pitchfork. They come in white shirts and ties. They come with beautiful buildings and wholesome families and impressive moral standards. They come with a smile and a copy of the Bible. But they bring with them "damnable heresies", doctrines that lead souls to damnation. We must be warned.

Colossians 2:8: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

The antidote to deception is not ignorance. It is knowledge. Know your Bible. Know what you believe and why you believe it. Be grounded in doctrine so that when someone knocks on your door with a different gospel, you are not shaken.

**B. Be Willing to Engage with Compassion** 

Second, do not slam the door in the face of Mormon missionaries. They are young people, often 19 or 20 years old, who genuinely believe they are doing the right thing. They have been raised in this system, often from birth. They are not our enemies. They are mission field.

Invite them in. Offer them a glass of water. Be kind. And then, with gentleness and respect, share the truth of the Word of God. 1 Peter 3:15 says: "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."

**C. Be Equipped with the Right Questions** 

When you sit down with a Mormon, do not start with polygamy or the Book of Mormon. Start with the Person of Christ and the nature of salvation. Ask them penetrating questions:

- Question 1: "Can you tell me about your God? Has He always been God, or did He become God?" Then open your Bible to Isaiah 43:10 and read it together. 

- Question 2: "Your scripture says we are saved by grace 'after all we can do.' Have you done all you can do? Are you sure you have done enough?" Watch the weight of that question settle on them. Then offer them the rest found in Ephesians 2:8–9. 

- Question 3: "If Jesus is the spirit-brother of Lucifer, who created Lucifer?" Then show them Colossians 1:16: "For by him were all things created... whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him." Jesus created Lucifer. He is not Lucifer's brother. He is Lucifer's Creator and Judge. 

- Question 4: "The Bible says in Galatians 1:8 that even if an angel from heaven preaches a different gospel, he is accursed. Mormonism began with an angel named Moroni bringing a new revelation. Does that concern you?"

**D. Be Grounded in the Word of God** 

When a Mormon shares their testimony, they will often say, "I prayed about it, and I received a burning in my bosom that it is true." They are trained to rely on subjective feeling as the ultimate test of truth. You must lovingly but firmly respond with the Word.

Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" 

I cannot trust my feelings to determine eternal truth. My heart can deceive me. My emotions can mislead me. The standard of truth is not what I feel. It is what God has said. The Word of God is the objective, unchanging, eternally reliable standard of truth.

Proverbs 14:12: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." 

Something can seem right, feel right, and look right, and still be deadly wrong. The Mormon system seems right to millions of people. But the end thereof is the way of death, because it is built on a false god, a false Christ, and a false gospel.

**E. Be Bold to Share the True Gospel** 

Finally, share the true gospel with clarity and confidence. Tell them about the true God, the eternal, unchanging, all-knowing, all-powerful God of the Bible who has always been God and will always be God. Tell them about the true Jesus, the eternal Son of God, the Creator of all things, who took on human flesh, lived a perfect life, died on the cross as the full and final payment for sin, and rose from the dead on the third day. Tell them about the true gospel, that salvation is not earned, it is received; it is not achieved, it is believed; it is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift to the unworthy.

Romans 10:9–10: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." 

Romans 10:13: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." 

Not whosoever shall be baptized in the right church. Not whosoever shall keep the Word of Wisdom. Not whosoever shall perform enough temple ordinances. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That is the gospel. That is the truth. That is the Living Water.

**Conclusion: Come to the True Oasis** 

Several years ago, a man named Ed Decker, who had been a devout Mormon for nearly twenty years, a temple Mormon, a man who had given his life to the LDS Church, found himself sitting in a small Bible study. A Christian woman opened her Bible and read to him from the Book of Hebrews, chapter 10, verse 14: "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."

By one offering. He hath perfected. For ever.

Ed Decker said that when he heard those words, something broke inside him. All those years of striving, all those years of temple ordinances and tithing and keeping every rule, all those years of never knowing if he had done enough, and here was the Word of God saying that Jesus Christ, by one offering, had perfected for ever those who are sanctified. Not partially perfected. Not conditionally perfected. Perfected for ever. The work was done. The price was paid. The debt was cancelled. Ed Decker left Mormonism that night and gave his life to the true Lord Jesus Christ. He went on to spend the rest of his life reaching out to Mormons with the true gospel of grace.

Church, that is the power of the Word of God. That is the power of the true gospel. And that is why we must know it, preach it, and share it.

There are people in your neighborhood, in your workplace, in your family, who are running toward a mirage. They are sincere. They are thirsty. They are desperate for something real. But they are running in the wrong direction, toward a system that cannot save them, toward a god who is not God, toward a Jesus who is not Jesus, toward a gospel that is not a gospel.

You have the Living Water. You have the true oasis. You know the true Lord Jesus Christ, who said in John 4:14, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

Will you go and tell them? Will you be equipped? Will you be bold? Will you love them enough to speak the truth?

And if you are here today, if you have been trusting in your own works, your own righteousness, your own religious performance to earn your way to heaven, whether you are a Mormon or a Baptist or anything else, I want to speak directly to you. You are thirsty. You know you are thirsty. And no amount of religious activity will quench that thirst. Only Jesus can. Only the true Jesus, the eternal Son of God, the Savior of sinners, can give you rest.

He said in Matthew 11:28–30: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Come to Him today. Not to a church. Not to a religion. Not to a system of rules. Come to Him. Trust His finished work. Receive His free gift of grace. And you will find the rest that no religion on earth can give you.

**Mormon Doctrine**   **Biblical Refutation** 

---|--- 

God was once a mortal man (eternal progression)   Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 46:9; Malachi 3:6 

Jesus is the spirit-brother of Lucifer   John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:15–17; Micah 5:2 

Salvation by grace "after all we can do"   Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 11:6; Titus 3:5 

Additional scriptures beyond the Bible   2 Timothy 3:16–17; Revelation 22:18–19 

New revelation through living prophets   Galatians 1:6–9; Jude 3 

Baptism for the dead   Hebrews 9:27; Luke 16:26 

Becoming gods (exaltation)   Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 44:6–8 

Joseph Smith as a true prophet   Deuteronomy 18:20–22 

Smith as divine translator (Book of Abraham)   Deuteronomy 18:22 (verified by Egyptology, 1966) 

"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." (Jude 3)