Book of Mormon Primary Lessons

“Lesson 37: Jesus Christ Teaches the Nephites to Pray,” Primary 4: Book of Mormon, (1997),132

Pray can help us to not enter into temptation.

Read 3 Nephi 18:15–25, 19, and 20:1. Also read Alma 13:28–29, Matthew 26:41, and Doctrine and Covenants 31:12, 61:39.

Jesus wants us to pray always "lest ye enter into temptation" (3 Nephi 18:15, 18).

"Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in" Jesus's name (3 Nephi 18:19; 3 Nephi 19:6–8).

If you pray in faith for what is best for us, "it shall be given unto you" (3 Nephi 18:20). Heavenly Father always knows what is best for us. Sometimes this is different from what we want.

"Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed" (3 Nephi 18:21).

Jesus Christ said we should pray for those who are not members of the Church, and "suffer them that they may come unto you and forbid them not" (3 Nephi 18:22–23).

To “hold up your light that it may shine unto the world” (3 Nephi 18:24) means to be a good example to others.

The twelve disciples of Jesus Christ taught the Nephites who were gathered to "pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus" (3 Nephi 19:6). Kneeling shows respect for Heavenly Father. We should show reverence while praying.

As the disciples prayed, they desire "that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them" (3 Nephi 19:9). This gift was given to them through baptism (3 Nephi 19:13–14).

Jesus, when he prayed to Heavenly Father, said "Father, I thank thee that thou hast given the Holy Ghost unto these . . . it is because of their belief in me that I have chosen them . . . I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me . . ." (3 Nephi 19:20, 28). Expressing thanks is such an important part of our prayers, because it shows our gratitude for the things God has done for us. What are some things you are thankful for?

We can pray unceasingly and "not cease to pray in [our] hearts" (3 Nephi 20:1). We should always have a prayer in our hearts "lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him" (3 Nephi 18:15, 18).

“There is a great tendency for us in our prayers and in our pleadings with the Lord to ask for additional blessings. But sometimes I feel we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received” - Ezra Taft Benson, thirteenth President of the Church (God, Family, Country, p. 199).

The basic parts of a prayer:

a. Address our Heavenly Father.
b. Thank him for …
c. Ask him for …
d. Close "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Labels: Alma, Book of Mormon, D and C, Jesus Christ, Lesson 37, Matthew, Nephi, Pray

This sunday is probably the only Sunday that I will have two posts for. This is becasuse I was asked to speak durring the Sacrament Meeting. This is typically the longest of the three meeting blocks that we have durring a regular Sunday at Church. The topic my wife and I were asked to speak on was The Sabbath Day. Here are the notes I used as part of my talk:


What Is the Sabbath Day?

The word Sabbath comes from a Hebrew word meaning day of rest. It commemorates God’s day of rest after he finished the Creation.

Genesis 2:2–3

2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had crested from all his work which God created and made. From the beginning of earthly time the tradition of a sacred seventh day has been observed among various people throughout history.

When Moses was given the commandments the 4th one was about the Sabbath day

Exodus 20:8

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

God Further instructed Moses in Exodus 31:13:

13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.

Observing the Sabbath day as a holy day is one of the signs of God’s covenant people. For the Israelites, this day was equivalent to our Saturday, and you still see many Jewish people today worshiping on Saturday.

Unfortunately for the Israelites, as time passed, some Jewish leaders made many unnecessary rules as to what could be done on the Sabbath. They decided things like how far people could walk, what kind of knots they could tie, and so on. Of course we all know how Jesus rebuked them for these unnecessary rules. One such example is the story commonly known as the Ox in the Myer.

Luke 14:1-6

1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.
2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
6 And they could not answer him again to these thing

Jesus had to remind the Pharisees of the purpose of the Sabbath.

Mark 2:27

27 And he said unto them, The asabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

The purpose of the Sabbath is to give us a certain day of the week on which to direct our thoughts and actions toward God. It is not a day merely to rest from work. It is a sacred day
to be spent in worship and reverence. As we rest from our usual daily activities, our minds are
freed to ponder spiritual matters. On this day we should renew our covenants with the Lord and feed our souls on the things of the Spirit.

In the Book of Mormon we can also see that the Nephites observed the Sabbath day according to the commandments of God

Jarom 1:5

. . . and the people of Nephi had waxed strong in the land. They observed to
keep the law of Moses and the sabbath day holy unto the Lord . . .

Before the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he and his disciples honored the traditions of The Jews with the seventh day being the Sabbath. After his resurrection, however, Sunday became sacred as the Lord’s day because of his resurrection occuring on that day. Evidence of this can be see in Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2 were Sabbath day activates were recorded as commencing on “the first day of the week.”

From this time on, Jesus’ followers have appointed the first day of the week as their Sabbath. In either case we see six days of labor and one for rest and devotion towards God.

Even recently, The Lord has again repeated his commandment that we should remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

D&C 68:29

29 And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the Sabbath day to keep it
holy.

The Sabbath is the Lord's day, set apart each week for rest and worship. God's covenant people have always observed the Sabbath every seventh day. Because the Sabbath is a holy day, it should be reserved for worthy and holy activities. Those who merely lounge about doing nothing on the Sabbath fail to keep the day holy. In a revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1831, the Lord commanded: "That thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; for verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High" (D&C 59:9-10).

John H. Groberg, Of the First Quorum of the Seventy “The Power of Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy,” Ensign, Nov 1984, 79

Does the Lord love and bless those who keep the Sabbath day holy? I testify that he does in eternally meaningful ways. I further testify that when we eventually see things through the proper perspective of eternal truth, we will be amazed at how much we were blessed in important—though often unperceived—ways through keeping the Sabbath holy; and to our sorrow we may sense how many blessings we kept from ourselves by not consistently keeping the Sabbath day holy.

In the October conference of 1989 President Hinckley told of how the pioneer’s observed the
Sabbath. He said:

“On July 24, 1847, the pioneer company of our people came into this valley. An advance group had arrived a day or two earlier. Brigham Young arrived on Saturday. The next day, Sabbath
services were held both in the morning and in the afternoon. There was no hall of any kind in which to meet. I suppose that in the blistering heat of that July Sunday they sat on the tongues of their wagons and leaned against the wheels while the Brethren spoke. The season was late, and they were faced with a gargantuan and immediate task if they were to grow seed for the
next season. But President Young pleaded with them not to violate the Sabbath then or in the
future”

Earl C. Tingey, “Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy,” Ensign, Feb 2000, 49

I learned to observe the Sabbath day from my parents. I grew up on a large farm where we had
animals to feed and care for, cows to milk, and vegetables to pick, harvest, and market. It would have been very easy for our family to break the Sabbath day. Although we attended to essential chores on Sunday—such as feeding the animals, milking the cows, and taking the water turns when they came—we never did farmwork on Sunday that could be done at other times during the week. Our tractors were turned off, and no plowing, planting, or cultivating were done on the Sabbath. We never hauled in the hay before a coming storm. My parents had a very simple philosophy: “The day we violate the Sabbath day and have to miss our Sunday meetings to care for the farm is the day we sell the farm.”

D. Kelly Ogden, “Remember the Sabbath Day,” Ensign, Apr 1994, 46

Observance of the Sabbath is not a restriction but a source of strength and protection

Isa. 58:13

“turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy
day; and call the asabbath a delight”

Labels: Acts, Corinthians, D and C, Exodus, Genesis, Hinckley, Isaiah, Jarom, Luke, Mark, Sabbath, Speak, Talk

“Lesson 25: Captain Moroni Defeats Zerahemnah,” Primary 4: Book of Mormon, 87

We are in a spiritual war between good and evil. Put on the armor of God as a protection against evil.

Read Alma 43, 44 and Ephesians 6:11, 13–18. Also read Doctrine and Covenants 27:15–18.

Girdle (belt) — Truth (Ephesians 6:14)
Breastplate — Righteousness (Ephesians 6:14)
Shoes — Preparation of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15)
Shield — Faith (Ephesians 6:16)
Helmet — Salvation (Ephesians 6:17)
Sword — God’s Spirit, or the word of God (Ephesians 6:17; D&C 6:2)

Zerahemnah, the Lamanite commander, appoint Amalekites and Zoramites as chief captains over the Lamanites "as the Amalekites were of a more wicked and murderous disposition than the Lamanites . . . that he might preserve their hatred towards the Nephites" (Alma 43:6–7). The Lamanites wanted to fight the Nephites to "usurp great power over them, and . . . bringing them into bondage" (Alma 43:8, 29).

The Nephites were ready to fight "for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church" (Alma 43:45, 47). What do you value enough to fight for?

Captain Moroni prepared his army to meet the Lamanites at Jershon. "Moroni, had prepared his people with breastplates and with arm-shields, yea, and also shields to defend their heads, and also they were dressed with thick clothing" (Alma 43:18–19.) This preparation frightened the Lamanites because "they were naked, save it were a skin which was girded about their loins" (Alma 43:20–21). In what ways can you put on the spiritual armor of God and be prepared to stand for what is right?

Captain Moroni find out where he should send his armies by sending "men unto [Alma], desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord whither the armies of the Nephites should go to defend themselves against the Lamanites" (Alma 43:23–24). Prophets help us today to prepare ourselves against evil.

Captain Moroni’s army receive strength and courage to fight as "they cried with one voice unto the Lord their God, for their liberty and their freedom from bondage . . . and in that selfsame hour . . . the Lamanites began to flee before them" (Alma 43:49–50). Prayer can help you put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:18).

After Moroni had surrounded the Lamanites, he showed he was not a man of bloodshed, and offered a truce (Alma 43:54; 44:1–2, 6).

Zerahemnah would not make the oath of peace, but became angry. (Alma 44:12). The Lamanites who covenanted not to fight were allowed to leave without their weapons (Alma 44:15).

Satan uses many things today to try to wound or kill us spiritually. They include things as certain movies, television programs, videos, books, or magazines; temptations to break the Word of Wisdom; temptations to not go to church; and so on. What are you doing to strengthen their spiritual armor? Things that can help include having personal and family prayers, having personal and family scripture study, having family home evenings, attending church, and so on.

Labels: Alma, Amalekites, Armor, Book of Mormon, Captain Moroni, D and C, Ephesians, Lesson 25, War, Zerahemnah, Zoramites

Every few months, each Primary class is asked to give the lesson during Sharing Time. Usually the Primary Presidency gives this lesson, but on the last Sunday of each month it is presented by one of the Primary classes. My class got the opportunity to do it a second time for the year in May.

The Theme for May was, "Heavenly Father planned for me to come to a family. I can strengthen my family now."

The priesthood can bless and strengthen our families.

With the oldest boy in the class representing a priesthood leader, have the other children close their eyes and attempt to walk through the room. Have the "priesthood leader" guide them.

What is the priesthood? - Power and authority of God

How do men receive the priesthood? - "by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority" (Article of Faith 1:5)

How are men to use the priesthood they bear? - To bless the lives of others (D&C 121:36,41)

What can priesthood bearers do to bless and strengthen families? - Counsel, teach, lead, perform ordinances, etc.

2 Nephi 4:3-12 - Lehi gave his family members priesthood blessings

Other priesthood leaders can bless families when there is not a priesthood bearer in the home.

Labels: D and C, Family, Nephi, Priesthood, Sharing Time

“Lesson 12: Alma Baptizes at the Waters of Mormon,” Primary 4: Book of Mormon, 39

It is important for us to make and keep baptismal covenants. When we keep our covenants with Heavenly Father, he will always fulfill his part. But if we do not keep our covenant promises, the covenant is broken. Keeping our baptismal covenants is a key to blessings and eternal life.

Read Mosiah 17:2–4; 18.

To prepare him self for baptism, Alma believed the words of a prophet, and repented of his sins (Mosiah 17:2–4; 18:1).

The Kind had sent his men to find Alma, but he found refuge at a place called Mormon within a thicket of trees. It was a good hiding spot for Alma to teach the people, because it was sometimes infested with wild beasts, and had clean water near by (Mosiah 18:4–5).
The people of Alma feel joy and clapped when they learned they could be baptized. (Mosiah 18:11).

The people promises to "bear one another’s burdens . . . mourn with those that mourn yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things . . ." and in return Heavenly Father promised that they would "be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that [they] may have eternal life" (Mosiah 18:8–10).
None of us is perfect but we must do our best to keep our covenants with God.

How can we show that we have taken Jesus Christ’s name upon us and that we are standing as his witnesses?

What does it mean to bear one another’s burdens and mourn with others? In what ways did Christ serve us and others while he lived on the earth? How can we follow Jesus Christ’s example and serve others?

Alma give his people commandments to help them keep their baptismal covenants. They included: Having no contention with each other, to have faith, to have their hearts knit together in unity, to love each other, to teach each other, to observe the sabbath day, give thanks to the lord, and to give of their "substance" that none of them would be without. (Mosiah 18:21–23, 27–29). How can we live more like Alma’s people?

We can renew our baptismal covenants each Sunday threw the ordinance of the sacrament. To renew means to make like new or begin again. Review the sacrament prayers to find the covenants contained in them (see Moroni 4:3; 5:2 - also see D&C 89:6 about the use of wine for the sacrament - today we use typically use water instead).

Think about how well you are honoring the name of Jesus Christ as you read the following story from President George Albert Smith, the eighth President of the Church:

· “A number of years ago I was seriously ill. … I became so weak as to scarcely be able to move. One day … I lost consciousness of my surroundings and I thought I had passed to the Other Side. … I began to explore … and after I had walked for some time … through the forest, I saw a man coming towards me. I became aware that he was a very large man, and I hurried my steps to reach him, because I recognized him as my grandfather. … I remember how glad I was to see him coming. I had been given his name and had always been proud of it. When Grandfather came within a few feet of me, he stopped. … He looked at me very earnestly and said:

“‘I would like to know what you have done with my name.’
“Everything I had
ever done passed before me as though it were a flying picture on a screen. … My
whole life had passed before me. I smiled and looked at my grandfather and
said:
“‘I have never done anything with your name of which you need be
ashamed.’
“He stepped forward and took me in his arms, and as he did so, I
became conscious again of my earthly surroundings. My pillow was as wet as
though water had been poured on it—wet with tears of gratitude that I could
answer unashamed”

(“Your Good Name,” Improvement Era, Mar. 1947, p. 139).

If we are willingly keeping the commandments and give service to others, we are honoring the name of Jesus Christ.

Labels: Alma, Baptize, Book of Mormon, D and C, Jesus Christ, Lesson 12, Moroni

“Lesson 45: The Book of Mormon Is a Witness of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Easter),” Primary 4: Book of Mormon, 160

The Book of Mormon is another scriptural witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
When we are born, the spirit and the body are temporarily joined together, and the spirit gives the body life. The body cannot move by itself. When we die, the spirit separates from the body. After we die, the spirit is still alive and can it move. At the time of the Resurrection the body and spirit will be reunited. Everyone who lives on the earth will be resurrected after death. Jesus Christ was the only one who could make resurrection possible for us.

Read Alma 11:40–45; 40; and 3 Nephi 11:1–17.

Jesus Christ died a terrible death. (see: Luke 23:33; 2 Nephi 10:3). Because of his great love for us, Jesus Christ volunteered in pre-mortality to be our Savior. He knew he had to die for Heavenly Father’s plan to work for us.On the third day after he died, Jesus Christ "rose again" (1 Corinthians 15:4; Mosiah 3:10). For those three days his spirit "went and preached unto the spirits in [spirit] prison" (1 Peter 3:18–19; D&C 138:11–12, 18 - some people call this place "Hell").

". . . the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow" (Alma 40:12 - some people call this place "Heaven").

Resurrection is when "the spirit and the body [are] reunited again in its perfect form" (Alma 11:43; 40:18). Resurrection is when the spirit reunites with the body and will never leave the body again.

People in Jerusalem knew Jesus Christ was resurrected because ". . . he was seen [by many]" (1 Corinthians 15:5–7). The Nephites, who lived in America, know Jesus Christ was resurrected, because "they saw [Jesus] descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them" (3 Nephi 11:8–10). Jesus wanted the Nephites to touch the prints of the nails in his hands and feet that they "may know that [he is] the God of the whole earth, and [had] been slain for the sins of the world" (3 Nephi 11:14–15).

How would you have felt if you had been among those who saw the resurrected Christ? Even though you weren't there, you can know Jesus Christ was resurrected by seeking and gaining a testimony.

Becuase of Jesus, we will all be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:20–22; Alma 40:4). Any disabilities or infirmities we might have will be for this earth life only. We will be made whole and perfect in the Resurrection.

The Book of Mormon, just like The Bible, is a scriptural witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. ". . . the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also" (2 Nephi 29:8).

Since most of us have not seen the resurrected Jesus Christ as the Apostles and the Nephites did, we can gain knowledge of the Resurrection from the scriptures and the Holy Ghost. "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 10:4–5).

Labels: Alma, Book of Mormon, Corinthians, D and C, Easter, Jesus Christ, Lesson 45, Luke, Mosiah, Nephi, Peter

“Lesson 8: The Prophet Jacob Is Confronted by Sherem,” Primary 4: Book of Mormon, 25

Having a testimony of Jesus Christ will help us have power to withstand evil influences.

Read Jacob 7:1–23 also read 1 Nephi 18:7, 2 Nephi 2:1–4, 2 Nephi 11:2–3, and Jacob 1:17–19.

Breaking a string is easy, but to break the rope is much harder. Our testimonies start like single pieces of string, but we can strengthen them until they become unbreakable. We can all develop strong testimonies that will help us when others try to challenge us and our beliefs or try to deceive us. This lesson is about Jacob, whose testimony was unbreakable, and Sherem who tried to break it. Jacob was one of Nephi’s younger brothers. They lived on the American Contients around 500 B.C.

Jacob knew about Jesus Christ, who had not been born yet, because Angels had ministered to him, and he had read the revelations within the scriptures. (Jacob 7:5, 10–12). Sherem tried to convince the people that Jesus Christ would not come. "He preached many things which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ" (Jacob 7:2–4). Flattery means to give insincere or excessive praise, a form of dishonesty.

Sherem "had been deceived by the power of the devil" (Jacob 7:4, 18). How does Satan try to influence us? Read about some of Sherem’s lies in Jacob 7:7, 9–10, 19.

Jacob withstood the evil influence of Sherem because he had "heard and seen; and it also has been made manifest unto [him] by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, [he] know if there should be no atonement made all mankind must be lost" (Jacob 7:5, 8, 10–12). Although we may not see angels or hear God’s voice, we can be strong when people tempt us to do wrong. The Holy Ghost can testify to us of the truth of things, and help to strengthen our testimony.

Sherem asked to be shown a sign, but Jacob replied saying: "What am I that I should tempt God to show unto thee a sign in the thing which thou knowest to be true? Yet thou wilt deny it, because thou art of the devil." (Jacob 7:13–14). Seeking signs is not a good way to gain a testimony of Christ, because "he that seeketh signs shall see signs, but not unto salvation . . . But, behold, faith cometh not by signs . . ." (D&C 63:7–12). Signs may come after we demonstrate faith and obedience, but we should not seek them. Review from past lessons Laman and Lemuel’s lack of faith even though they had seen signs: 1 Nephi 3:29–31, 1 Nephi 16:39, 1 Nephi 17:45, and 1 Nephi 18:20.

Sherem is given a sign, but at the cost of his life. He confesses his deception that was of the devil, then dies. "And when the multitude had witnessed that he spoke these things as he was about to give up the ghost, they were astonished exceedingly; insomuch that the power of God came down upon them, and they were overcome that they fell to the earth" (Jacob 7:21–23).

Why do we need to have strong testimonies of Jesus Christ? How can we gain and strengthen our testimonies of the Savior? How can we share our testimonies with others? Why do our testimonies grow stronger when we bear them to others? Use the lesson to help you answer these questions. Also read Alma 5:46 and Alma 37:35. In these scriptures you can find ways to strengthen your testimonies of Jesus Christ.

Your friend goes with you into a store and tries to get you to steal some candy. Based on Exodus 20:15 or Mosiah 13:22, what should you do? Someone offers you a taste of an alcoholic beverage. Based on D&C 89:7, what should you do? You are tempted to stay home and not go to church. Based on D&C 59:9, what should you do?

Labels: Alma, Book of Mormon, D and C, Exodus, Jacob, Lesson 8, Mosiah, Nephi, Sherem