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1 Nephi 5-7 “I learned from a mission president recently that one of his young sister missionaries, nearing the end of her very faithful and successful mission, said through her tears that she must return home immediately. When he inquired as to the problem, she told him money had become so difficult for her family that to continue her support, the family had rented their home and were using the rental proceeds to pay her mission expenses. For living accommodations, they had moved into a storage locker. For water, they used a neighbor's outdoor tap and hose; and for a bathroom they went to a nearby gasoline station.
1 Nephi 5-7 “This family, in which the father had recently passed away, was so proud of their missionary and so independent in spirit that they had managed to keep this recent turn of events from most of their friends and virtually all of their Church leaders. When this situation was discovered, the family was restored to their home immediately. Long‑term solutions to their economic circumstances were put in place, and the complete amount of remaining missionary support for their missionary daughter was secured overnight. With her tears dried and fears allayed, this faithful, hardworking young sister finished her mission triumphantly and was recently married in the temple to a wonderful young man.” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2001)
1 Nephi 5-7 • Read 1 Nephi 5:1–3 looking for a precept about communication. • Have you ever complained without having all the information? • Have you ever hastily came to conclusions that were incorrect? • Read 1 Nephi 5:4–6 looking for a precept from Lehi’s response. • How do you respond when you are unjustly criticized? • Have you learned to take responsibility for your actions? • Read 1 Nephi 5:7–8 looking for a precept about receiving a testimony. • What is the role of the family in helping us face problems and difficulties? • Do you turn to your friends or family during crises?
1 Nephi 5-7 • 1 Nephi 5:10, 22. • Where do we carry them - in our hands or in our hearts?
1 Nephi 5-7 Elder D. Todd Christofferson: “When I say ‘study,’ I mean something more than reading. It is a good thing sometimes to read a book of scripture within a set period of time to get an overall sense of its message, but for conversion, you should care more about the amount of time you spend in the scriptures than about the amount you read in that time. I see you sometimes reading a few verses, stopping to ponder them, carefully reading the verses again, and as you think about what they mean, praying for understanding, asking questions in your mind, waiting for spiritual impressions, and writing down the impressions and insights that come so you can remember and learn more. Studying in this way, you may not read a lot of chapters or verses in a half hour, but you will be giving place in your heart for the word of God, and He will be speaking to you.” (“When Thou Art Converted,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 11–12).
1 Nephi 5-7 Elder Robert D. Hales: “When we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures; for His words are spoken through His prophets. He will then teach us as we listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.“If you have not heard His voice speaking to you lately, return with new eyes and new ears to the scriptures. They are our spiritual lifeline” (“Holy Scriptures: The Power of God unto Our Salvation,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 26–27).
1 Nephi 5-7 • (L+S+L+L+N+S)+Z+(I+IW+(2S+F)+5D) = 1LF • How many of you would trust your parents to pick a spouse for you? • Best friend? • Bishop?
1 Nephi 5-7 • 1 Nephi 7:4-5 – find a precept • What is the best way to woo?
1 Nephi 5-7 Sister Julie B. Beck: “There are media messages everywhere that are anti-family, and our young people are very connected with media: Internet, TV, the things that they get on their phones, all electronic devices are delivering anti-family messages to them every day. Increasingly, they are seeing no reason to form a family or get married.... They are being desensitized about the need to form eternal families.... “These messages that you are hearing, a lot of them are targeting our young women. Anti-family messages targeting young women. Satan knows this. He will never have a body. He will never have a family. He will target those young women who create the bodies to come, and who should teach the families. They don’t even know what they’re being taught in the messages. It’s just seeping in almost through their pores. Because Satan can’t have it, he’s luring away many women, and also men, and they’re losing confidence in their ability to form eternal families.” (An address to Seminary and Institute Teachers, 4 August 2009)
1 Nephi 5-7 President Howard W. Hunter: “Just as baptism is a commandment of the Lord, so is temple marriage. As baptism is essential to admittance to the Church, so temple marriage is essential to our exaltation in the presence of God. It is part of our destiny. We cannot fulfill our ultimate aims without it.“Do not be satisfied with anything less. You wouldn’t accept a worldly form of baptism, would you? God has his mode of baptism—by immersion by one who holds the authority.“Then would you accept a worldly form of marriage? He has his mode of marriage also: It is temple marriage” (Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1997], 131–32).
1 Nephi 5-7 • Read 1 Nephi 7:16–18. How did the Lord sustain Nephi in these verses? • Did God answer his prayer? • (trick question – look carefully at what he asked for and what he got)
Read 1 Nephi 7:16–18. How did the Lord sustain Nephi in these verses? • Did God answer his prayer? • (trick question – look carefully at what he asked for and what he got) • Principle: • When in a bind, __________ • can help you get out of it. His Atonement included His suffering for the sins of mankind in the Garden of Gethsemane, the shedding of His blood, His suffering and death on the cross, and His Resurrection from the tomb (see Luke 24:36–39; D&C 19:16–19). (Basic Doctrines, “Atonement of Jesus Christ”, S&I) How would you define the word “Atonement?”
Redeem and cleanse. Strengthen and enable. What can the Atonement do for you?
Grace It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.
1 Nephi 7:16–18 Do you know what I likely would have prayed for if I had been tied up by my brothers? “Please get me out of this mess NOW!” It is especially interesting to me that Nephi did not pray to have his circumstances changed. Rather, he prayed for the strength to change his circumstances. And I believe he prayed in this manner precisely because he knew, understood, and had experienced the enabling power of the Atonement. David A. Bednar The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality, April 2012
Nephi Accesses the Atonement I do not think the bands with which Nephi was bound just magically fell from his hands and wrists. Rather, I suspect he was blessed with both persistence and personal strength beyond his natural capacity, that he then “in the strength of the Lord” (Mosiah 9:17) worked and twisted and tugged on the cords, and ultimately and literally was enabled to break the bands. David A. Bednar The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality, April 2012
Nephi Accesses the Atonement The implication of this episode for each of us is straightforward. As you and I come to understand and employ the enabling power of the Atonement in our personal lives, we will pray and seek for strength to change our circumstances rather than praying for our circumstances to be changed. We will become agents who act rather than objects that are acted upon. (see 2 Nephi 2:14).” David A. Bednar The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality, April 2012
1 Nephi 5-7 When have you prayed in faith and received strength or help from the Lord, either immediately or after some time? Read 1 Nephi 7:21. What does it mean to frankly forgive? Why is forgiveness especially important in our families?
1 Nephi 5-7 Stories on forgiveness? Turkey Story See Matt 18:15 . Look for the best way to resolve disputes. Matt 18:22 - how often should we forgive? Read D&C 64:9-11. How have you been blessed by forgiveness?
