Lesson 6 - Free to Choose Liberty and Eternal Life

Purpose:

To help class members have a greater desire to “choose liberty and eternal life” through Jesus Christ, “the great Mediator of all men"

Reading Assignment:

• 2 Nephi 1-2

Related Scripture References:

• James 2:10
• 1 Nephi 10:21
• Alma 34:13-16
• D&C 19:15-19
• D&C 45:3-5
• Romans 10:4
• Moses 6:48
• Moses 5:10-12
• Moses 7:32
• 2 Nephi 10:23
• Helaman 14:30-31

Additional Reading:

• Choosing Liberty and Eternal Life - Elder Craig A. Cardon
• Joy and Mercy - Dallin H. Oaks
• To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency - Robert D. Hales
• Joy Cometh in the Morning - Russell M. Nelson

Questions to Ponder:

• According to 2 Nephi 2:24–28, what does our Father in Heaven want for us? (Joy, liberty, and eternal life.) How did He provide a way for us to receive these blessings? (See 2 Nephi 2:26–27; see also John 14:6.)
• Lehi declares, "Men are that they might have joy." What is the difference between the joy/happiness spoken of in the scriptures and the pleasure/happiness sought by the world?  
• Sometimes we may feel that the commandments restrict our freedom. How can obedience to the commandments increase our liberty? 
• Lehi called his sons to repentance by commanding them to “awake … from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which [they were] bound” (2 Nephi 1:13; see also verses 2 Nephi 1:14, 21, 23). How is sinfulness like being in a deep sleep? How is sinfulness like being bound by chains? 
• What parts of the atonement are free? How must we live so we can be justified through Christ’s suffering for our sins? (See 2 Nephi 2:7; see also Romans 10:4; D&C 19:15–16; Articles of Faith 1:3) 
• Lehi told his children that “it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things” (2 Nephi 2:11; 2 Nephi 2:15). How have you seen that it is important to have opposition in our daily lives? (2 Nephi 2:11–13) How can opposition help us progress? 
• 2 Nephi 2 contains the doctrines of the Creation (2 Nephi 2:14–15), the Fall (2 Nephi 2:4–5, 8, 18–25), and the Atonement (2 Nephi 2:3–4, 6–10, 26–27). How are these three doctrines central to Heavenly Father’s plan of redemption?

Lesson 5: “Hearken to the Truth, and Give Heed unto It”

Purpose:

To inspire class members to follow Nephi's example of faith and willing obedience.

Scriptures:

• 1 Nephi 16-22
• Alma 37:38–46

Additional Reading:

• The Holy Ghost as Your Companion - Henry B. Eyring
• Turn to Him and Answers Will Come - James B. Martino

Questions to Ponder:

• Nephi and his family were blessed as they traveled to the promised land because Nephi continued to have an "I will" attitude—he did not hesitate to obey the Lord's commandments. (1 Nephi 3:7)
• Consider the following attitudes:
• I don't want to
• I'll think about it
• I'll try
• I will
• How might these different attitudes bring out different outcomes in our individual lives?
• How might these different attitudes bring affect the Lord's ability to bless us?
• How might these different attitudes bless the lives of those you care about?
• What are some guides in our lives that, like the Liahona, work according to our faith and diligence? (Alma 37:38–46).
• What gifts has the Lord give us that acts like the Liahona?
• How can we obtain guidance from the Lord in our daily lives?
• (The Holy Ghost as Your Companion - Henry B. Eyring)
• (Turn to Him and Answers Will Come - James B. Martino).
• What are some of the blessing of the companionship of the Holy Ghost? (The Holy Ghost as Your Companion - Henry B. Eyring)
• Nephi told Laman and Lemuel that they "were past feeling, that [they] could not feel [the Lord's] words" (1 Nephi 17:45).
• What does it mean to feel the words of the Lord?
• What causes people to become "past feeling"?
• How can we prepare ourselves to feel the words of the Lord? (The Holy Ghost as Your Companion - Henry B. Eyring)
• How can Obedience, Scripture Study, Prayer and Fasting invite Revelation? (Turn to Him and Answers Will Come - James B. Martino).
• As the people traveled through the wilderness and across the sea, what circumstances led many of them to murmur? (1 Nephi 16:18–20, 34–36; 17:6; 17:21.)
• What was Nephi's attitude during these difficult times? (1 Nephi 18:16.)
• Consider the contrast: (Turn to Him and Answers Will Come - James B. Martino). 
• Those who murmured allowed circumstances to rule over them. 
• Nephi was strengthened by the experiences.

Lesson #3 & 4 - The Vision of the Tree of Life

Purpose:

To help class members understand the symbols in the vision of the tree of life and the application of these symbols in their lives.

Scriptures:

• 1 Nephi 8-15

Additional Reading:

• A Reservoir of Living Water - David A. Bednar
• Hold Fast to the Words of the Prophets - Neil L. Andersen
• Cairns on the Path of Mortality - J. Kelly Flanagan
• Lehi's Dream and You - Boyd K. Packer

Questions to Ponder:

• What do the tree and fruit in Lehi's dream represent?
• How does the love of God (the tree) produce eternal life (the fruit)?
• How can we “partake” of the Atonement?
• How has the Savior’s Atonement brought happiness and joy to your life?
• What is the difference between "clinging to the rod of iron" (1 Nephi 8:24) and "holding fast to the iron rod." (1 Nephi 8:30)?
• What does the river of filthy water represent in your life? (1 Nephi 12:16 15:26-29)
• What does the mist of darkness represent in your life? (1 Nephi 12:17) 
• What are the effects of the mist of darkness in your life? (1 Nephi 8:23 12:17)
• In what ways does Satan try to blind our eyes from the tree in our day?
• What does the great and spacious building represent in your life? (1 Nephi 11:34-36 12:18.) 
• Why is it significant that the building “stood … in the air”? (1 Nephi 8:26.) 
• How does pride keep a person from receiving eternal life?
• Some people in the vision tasted of the fruit but were ashamed because the people in the great and spacious building reviled them (1 Nephi 8:26-28). How can we receive strength to stand with conviction when the Church's policies or God's commandments are unpopular?
• What are the four categories of people described in the vision? (1 Nephi 8:21-33)
  • How are these categories manifest in the world today?
• What are some of the “forbidden,” “strange,” or “broad” roads that we might be tempted to take in our day?
  • How can we return to the strait and narrow path?
• In what ways did Laman and Lemuel’s response to their father’s vision differ from Nephi’s response? (1 Nephi 15:1-2.) 
• Why were Laman and Lemuel unable to understand the truths Lehi had taught them? (1 Nephi 15:3, 8-11.)

Lesson #2 - "All Things According to His Will"

Purpose:

To help class members see, through the examples of Lehi and Nephi, that safety and salvation come through obedience to the Lord.

Scriptures:

• 1 Nephi 1-7
• Mosiah 1:3–7
• Alma 3:11–12

Additional Reading:

• Blessed and Happy Are Those Who Keep the Commandments of God - Elder Von G. Keetch of the Seventy

Questions to Ponder:

• What can we learn from Nephi about how to make our hearts more receptive to the teachings of the prophets? 1 Nephi 2:16, 19
• How did Nephi respond to the commandment to return to Jerusalem? 1 Nephi 3:7
• How does knowing the will of the Lord make difficult things easier? 1 Nephi 3:5
• How can we know the will of the Lord?
• What are some situations in which we might need to be “led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which [we] should do”? (1 Nephi 4:6).
• What can we learn from Nephi’s words: “Nevertheless I went forth”? (1 Nephi 4:7).
• How are the commandments of God like the barriers on the reef in Elder Keetch’s talk?
• What are some of the barriers that protect us from spiritual predators and the gaping jaws of sin?
• Elder Dallin H. Oaks has taught us: “It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to Become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”
• Compare and contrast Nephi & Sam V Laman & Lemuel
• Elder Keetch defined True obedience, as giving ourselves entirely to Him and allowing Him to chart our course both in calm waters and in troubled ones, understanding that He can make more of us than we could ever make of ourselves.
• How does this definition of obedience influence your ability to be obedient in the future?
• How does this definition help you to endure trials and difficulties in this life?
• Who did King Benjamin would be blessed and happy in all things, both temporal and spiritual? Mosiah 2:41