6-Jan-14 Lesson 66 Mosiah 26 1 David Anna7-Jan-14 Lesson 67 Mosiah 27 2 Jackson Eden

8-Jan-14Lesson 68 Mosiah 28-29 3 Foster David

9-Jan-14 Lesson 69 Alma 1-2 4 Anna Jackson10-Jan-14 Lesson 70 Alma 3-4 5 Eden Foster

#1 - The Morning Breaks#2 - The Spirit of God#3 - Now Let Us Rejoice#4 - Truth Eternal#5 - High on the Mountain Top

Hymn: #1 - The Morning BreaksOpening Prayer: TBS

Scripture Mastery: 2 Nephi 32:8-9 DavidFirst Reader: Anna

6 Jan 2014 Lesson 66: Mosiah 26

Scripture Mastery 2 Nephi 32:8-9And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

Scripture Mastery 2 Nephi 32:8-9A__ now, my b______ brethren, I p_______ that yep_____ still in y___ hearts; and i_ grieveth me t___ I must s____ concerning this t____. For if y_ would hearken u___ the Spirit w____ teacheth a m__ to pray y_ would know t___ ye must p___; for the e___ spirit teacheth n__ a man t_ pray, but t_______ him that h_ must not p___ But behold, I s__ unto you t___ ye must p___ always, and n__ faint; that y_ must not p______ any thing u___ the Lord s___ in the f____ place ye s____ pray unto t__ Father in t__ name of C_____, that he w___ consecrate thy p__________ unto thee, t___ thy performance m__ be for t__ welfare of t__ soul.

Scripture Mastery 2 Nephi 32:8-9A__ now, m_ b______ brethren, I p_______ that y_p_____ still i_ y___ hearts; a_ i_ grieveth m_ t___ I m_ s____ concerning t___ t____. For i_ y_ would h______ u___ the S_____ w____ teacheth a m__ to p___ y_ would k___ t___ ye m___ p___; for t__ e___ spirit t_______ n__ a m__ t_ pray, b__ t_______ him t___ h_ must n__ p___ But b_____, I s__ unto y__ t___ ye m___ p___ always, a__ n__ faint; t___ y_ must n__ p______ any t____ u___ the L___ s___ in t__ f____ place y_ s____ pray u___ t__ Father i_ t__ name o_ C_____, that h_ w___ consecrate t__ p__________ unto t___, t___ thy p__________ m__be f__ t__ welfare o_ t__ soul.

Scripture Mastery 2 Nephi 32:8-9A__ n__, m_ b______ b_______, I p_______ t___ y_p_____ s____ i_ y___ h_____; a_ i_ g_______ m_ t___ I m_ s____ c_________ t___ t____. F__ i_ y_ w____ h______ u___ t__ S_____ w____ t_______ a m__ t_ p___ y_ w____ k___ t___ y_ m___ p___; f__ t__ e___ s_____ t_______ n__ a m__ t_ p___, b__ t_______ h__ t___ h_ m___ n__ p___ B__ b_____, I s__ u___ y__ t___ y_ m___ p___ a_____, a__ n__ f____; t___ y_ m___ n__ p______ a__ t____ u___ t__ L___ s___ i_ t__ f____ p____ y_ s____ p___ u___ t__ F_____ i_ t__ n___ o_ C_____, t___ h_ w___ c_________ t__ p__________ u___ t___, t___ t__p__________ m__ b_ f__ t__ w______ o_ t__ s___.

Scripture Mastery 2 Nephi 32:8-9A n, m b b, I p t y p s i y h; a i g m tI m s c t t. F i y w h u t S w t a m tp y w k t y m p; f t e s t n a m t p, bt h t h m n pB b, I s u y t y m p a, a n f; t y m n pa t u t L s i t f p y s p u t F i t n oC, t h w c t p u t, t t p m b f t w o ts.

Scripture Mastery 2 Nephi 32:8-9And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

Introduction

During Mosiah’s reign, many of the rising generation—those who were little children at the time of King Benjamin’s final discourse—did not believe in the teachings of the Church and refused to call upon the Lord. These unbelieving youth influenced other members of the Church to commit serious sins. Many of these transgressors were brought before Alma, the leader of the Church. Alma did not know what to do at first, but he finally asked the Lord for guidance on how to judge the disobedient members. The Lord revealed the process that Alma should follow in holding members of the Church accountable for their sins. Alma also learned of God’s mercy and willingness to forgive those who repent. Alma followed the Lord’s counsel and brought order to the Church.

Read Mosiah 26:1–3 aloud.

• What choice did many of the rising generation make? (They chose not to believe the traditions of their parents.)

• Why do you think people’s unbelief hinders their ability to “understand the word of God”? (Mosiah 26:3).

Believing (or even having a desire to believe) leads to actions that strengthen our testimonies. On the other hand, when people choose not to believe, they also choose not to do certain things that would help them develop strong testimonies.

Read Mosiah 26:3–4, 6 David and Foster look for what the rising generation would not do because of their unbelief. Jackson, Eden, and Anna, look for the results of this unbelief.

• What did the rising generation refuse to do because of their unbelief?

• What were the effects of their unbelief?

“Testimony requires the nurturing by the prayer of faith, the hungering for the word of God in the scriptures, and the obedience to the truth we have received. There is danger in neglecting prayer. There is danger to our testimony in only casual study and reading of the scriptures. They are necessary nutrients for our testimony. …“Feasting on the word of God, heartfelt prayer, and obedience to the Lord’s commandments must be applied evenly and continually for your testimony to grow and prosper” (“A Living Testimony,” Ensign orLiahona, May 2011, 127).

Read the following statement by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency. All listen for ways to complete this sentence:

To develop and maintain a testimony, we need to …

• What practices did President Eyring identify that will help us nourish our testimonies?

To develop and maintain a testimony, we need to… feast on the word of God, pray in faith, and obey the Lord’s commandments.

• How have these practices influenced your testimony?

“Testimony requires the nurturing by the prayer of faith, the hungering for the word of God in the scriptures, and the obedience to the truth we have received. There is danger in neglecting prayer. There is danger to our testimony in only casual study and reading of the scriptures. They are necessary nutrients for our testimony. …“Feasting on the word of God, heartfelt prayer, and obedience to the Lord’s commandments must be applied evenly and continually for your testimony to grow and prosper” (“A Living Testimony,” Ensign orLiahona, May 2011, 127).

• Consider the following statement: “It became expedient that those who committed sin, that were in the church, should be admonished by the church” (Mosiah 26:6). What do you think this means?

(It was necessary for Church members who had sinned to be judged and held accountable to mark their actions as sins.)

Imagine what it would be like to be the bishop of a ward with members who have committed serious sins and are unrepentant.

• What would you do in this situation? • How would you fulfill your responsibility to hold members accountable for their sins and to help them repent? Alma, the leader of the Church, faced a similar challenge.

Read Mosiah 26:7–14 Alma asks the Lord for guidance on how to judge those who commit sin.

Re-read Mosiah 26:13–14. Look for how Alma felt about his responsibility to judge those who had sinned.

• When Alma felt troubled about his duty to judge the transgressors, what did he do?

• Why is it important to know that bishops and branch presidents seek and receive the Lord’s guidance when helping those who have sinned?

Mosiah 26:15–32 The Lord reveals to Alma how to hold members of the Church accountable for their sins and sets forth conditions of repentance

These verses contain the Lord’s answer to Alma’s question regarding what he should do about the transgressors.

As you study the Lord’s answer, look for principles and doctrines that help us better understand the role of priesthood judges, such as bishops and branch presidents (and, for Melchizedek Priesthood holders, stake, district, and mission presidents). Also look for principles and doctrines about seeking forgiveness.

Re-read Mosiah 26:17–28 silently, noticing each time the Lord uses the word my or I. Please mark these words each time they appear.

• In Mosiah 26:17–28, what do the words I and my suggest about the Lord’s place in the repentance process? Please share specific phrases or verses that support your answers.

• What truths can we learn from Mosiah 26:20–21 about the role of the Lord’s servants in the repentance process?

(priesthood leaders represent the Lord and in cases of serious sin, bishops and branch presidents can help us repent and receive forgiveness.)

• In what ways can a bishop or branch president help those who struggle with sin and temptations?

Search Mosiah 26:29–32 to identify principles that help us understand what the Lord requires of us when we repent. (list)

Confession of sins leads to forgiveness.The Lord will forgive those who repent in the sincerity of their hearts.We must forgive others to receive the Lord’s forgiveness.

• In Mosiah 26:29, what is the meaning of the phrase “confess his sins before thee and me”? (In this verse, the word thee refers to Alma.)

• When someone has committed a serious sin, why do you think the person is required to confess to the Lord and to the appropriate Church leader?

• When someone has committed a serious sin, why do you think the person is required to confess to the Lord and to the appropriate Church leader?

(Serious transgressions, such as violations of the law of chastity, may jeopardize a person’s membership in the Church. Therefore, in such cases a person needs to confess the sin to both the Lord and His representative in the Church. Bishops and branch presidents hold priesthood keys to help those who have sinned seek forgiveness. While only the Lord can forgive sins, priesthood leaders play a supporting role in helping people receive that forgiveness. They keep all confessions confidential and help those who confess throughout the process of repentance.)

• What do you think it means for someone to repent “in the sincerity of his [or her] heart”? (Mosiah 26:29).

• Why do you think the Lord requires us to forgive others? How are repenting and forgiving others connected? (See 3 Nephi 13:14–15;D&C 64:8–11.)

• What phrases in these verses might give courage or comfort to someone who desires to repent but doesn’t feel he or she can be forgiven?

Read Mosiah 26:33–39 Alma obeys the Lord’s counsel, judging those who have sinned and bringing order to the Church

Mosiah 26:33–37 recounts how Alma followed the Lord’s instructions, judged the Church members who had sinned, and brought order to the Church. As we read Mosiah 26:34–37 look for the results of Alma’s efforts to follow the Lord’s counsel.

As we repent and live righteously, we can have peace in our hearts and prosper spiritually.

Commentary and Background Information

Mosiah 26:29–30. The 5 (or 6) essential elements of

repentance by Elder Richard G. Scott of the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the essential elements of repentance:“Spencer W. Kimball [gave] a superb guide to forgiveness through repentance. It has helped many find their way back. He [identified] five essential elements of repentance.“Sorrow for sin. Study and ponder to determine how serious the Lord defines your transgression to be. That will bring healing sorrow and remorse. It will also bring a sincere desire for change and a willingness to submit to every requirement for forgiveness. …“Abandonment of sin. This is an unyielding, permanent resolve to not repeat the transgression. By keeping this commitment, the bitter aftertaste of that sin need not be experienced again. …

“Confession of sin. You always need to confess your sins to the Lord. If they are serious transgressions, such as immorality, they need to be confessed to a bishop or stake president. Please understand that confession is not repentance. It is an essential step, but is not of itself adequate. Partial confession by mentioning lesser mistakes will not help you resolve a more serious, undisclosed transgression. Essential to forgiveness is a willingness to fully disclose to the Lord and, where necessary, His priesthood judge all that you have done. …“Restitution for sin. You must restore as far as possible all that which is stolen, damaged, or defiled. Willing restitution is concrete evidence to the Lord that you are committed to do all you can to repent.

“Obedience to all the commandments. Full obedience brings the complete power of the gospel into your life with strength to focus on the abandonment of specific sins. It includes things you might not initially consider part of repentance, such as attending meetings, paying tithing, giving service, and forgiving others. …“I would add a sixth step: Recognition of the Savior. Of all the necessary steps to repentance, I testify that the most critically important is for you to have a conviction that forgiveness comes because of the Redeemer. It is essential to know that only on His terms can you be forgiven” (“Finding Forgiveness,” Ensign, May 1995, 76).

AnnouncementsClosing Prayer

Dismissal