Lessons 12 & 13 - Seek Ye for the Kingdom of God / The Allegory of the Olive Trees

Purpose:
To help class members feel a greater desire to magnify their callings, be chaste, and invite others to come unto Christ and better understand the allegory of the olive trees and how it applies in our day.

Reading Assignment:

• Jacob 1-7

Additional Reading:

• The Grandeur of God - Jeffrey R. Holland
• The Olive Press - Truman G. Madsen
• The Call of Duty - Thomas S. Monson
• Absolute Truth - Spenser W. Kimball

Questions to Ponder:

• How can the Allegory of the Olive Tree help us grow closer to our Savior Jesus Christ?
• How can the symbols in the scriptures, in particular those connected to trees, help us better understand the Nature of God and Jesus Christ?
  • How can you liken the meaning of these symbols to your life?
• What does it mean to magnify a calling? How can we know we are doing so?
  • How can we find out what the Lord wants us to do in our callings? 
• How are the absolute truths of the Gospel revealed?
• As he began to preach to the people of Nephi, Jacob said that he was “weighed down with much more desire and anxiety” than he had been before (Jacob 2:3). Why was Jacob’s soul “burdened”? (See Jacob 2:5–9; see also Jacob 1:15–16.) Why do you think that Jacob described sin as “labor”? (Jacob 2:5).
• According to Jacob, how were the Lamanites blessed for being chaste? (See Jacob 3:5–7.) What are the blessings of being morally clean?
• What do you think it meant that the Jews looked “beyond the mark”? (See Jacob 4:14.) How might we sometimes “look beyond the mark” in our daily living? How can we be more diligent in remembering the importance of the Savior in our lives?
• How do the scriptures and the prophets help us gain a testimony of the Atonement? (See Jacob 4:4–6.) How can we obtain the hope in Christ that Jacob spoke of? (See Jacob 4:10–12.)

Lesson 11: Press Forward with a Steadfastness in Christ

Purpose:
To help class members understand the doctrine of Christ and have an increased desire to press forward, feasting on His words.

Reading Assignment:

• 2 Nephi 31-33

Additional Reading:

• How to Press Forward - Neil L. Andersen

Questions to Ponder:

• Why was Jesus baptized? (See 2 Nephi 31:5.) How did He “fulfill all righteousness” by being baptized? (See 2 Nephi 31:6–7.)
• According to 2 Nephi 31:9, for what other reason was Jesus baptized? Why do we need baptism? (See 2 Nephi 31:13, 17 and Doctrine and Covenants 20:37, 71–74)
• What do you think it means to act without hypocrisy or deception before God? How can following the Son “with full purpose of heart” help us avoid hypocrisy and deception? (See 2 Nephi 31:13).
• What gift will we receive when we show our willingness “to follow [the] Savior down into the water” through baptism? (2 Nephi 31:13). What does it mean to “speak with the tongue of angels”? (See 2 Nephi 32:2–3.) In what situations might we be blessed to speak with the “tongue of angels”?
• Nephi also taught that after baptism we receive a remission of sins “by fire and by the Holy Ghost” (2 Nephi 31:17). Why do you think Nephi used the word “fire” in describing this process?
• Nephi taught that the Holy Ghost “witnesses of the Father and the Son” (2 Nephi 31:18). Why is it essential for us to receive a testimony of the Father and the Son through the Holy Ghost?
• In what ways can a witness from the Holy Ghost come to us? (See D&C 8:2 and the following quotation.) Why is it important to understand how the Holy Ghost speaks to us? (See 2 Nephi 32:5.)President Boyd K. Packer taught: “The Holy Ghost speaks with a voice that you feel more than you hear. It is described as a ‘still small voice’” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 77; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 60).
• What question did Nephi ask in 2 Nephi 31:19? What is the answer to this question? (See 2 Nephi 31:19–20.) What do you think it means to “press forward”? (See How to Press Forward - Neil L. Andersen)  What are some things that might distract us from pressing forward? Why is pressing forward an important part of enduring to the end?
• What does it mean to have “a steadfastness in Christ”? (2 Nephi 31:20). How can following Christ help us have a “perfect brightness of hope”? What are some ways we can help one another in our efforts to press forward? What can we do to help new members of the Church as they begin their journeys along the path?President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: “With the ever increasing number of converts, we must make an increasingly substantial effort to assist them as they find their way. Every one of them needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with ‘the good word of God’ (Moroni 6:4). It is our duty and opportunity to provide these things” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1997, 66; or Ensign, May 1997, 47).
• Based on Nephi’s teachings in 2 Nephi 31, how would you define “the doctrine of Christ”? (See 2 Nephi 31:13, 15; see also 3 Nephi 11:31–40. 
• In 2 Nephi 32, Nephi gave additional instructions about what we must do after we have entered in the path to eternal life (2 Nephi 32:1–3). What specific instruction is given in verse three? What sources do we have for receiving the words of Christ?
• What do you think it means to feast on these words? (See the quotation below.) How is “feasting” different from reading or even studying? How can we help others feast? Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “We need to feast upon the words of Christ in the scriptures and as these words come to us from living prophets. Just nibbling occasionally will not do. (See 2 Nephi 31:20 and 32:3.) Feasting means partaking with relish and delight and savoring—not gorging episodically in heedless hunger, but partaking gratefully, dining with delight, at a sumptuous spread carefully and lovingly prepared … over the centuries” (Wherefore Ye Must Press Forward [1977], 28).
• What promise did Nephi give regarding the words of Christ? (See 2 Nephi 32:3.) How have you found this to be true?
• Nephi taught that the Spirit teaches, or encourages, a person to pray (2 Nephi 32:8). Why is it important that we pray before we perform “any thing unto the Lord”? (2 Nephi 32:9). How have you been blessed as you have followed this counsel?
• Why are Nephi’s words “of great worth”? (See 2 Nephi 33:3–5.) How can we learn of the worth of these words? How can we know that the words of Nephi are true? (See 2 Nephi 33:10; see also Moroni 7:13–17.)
• Nephi said that we will meet him “face to face” at the judgment bar (2 Nephi 33:11). How could Nephi’s words “condemn [us] at the last day”? (See 2 Nephi 33:14. If we choose to reject these words or disobey the principles they teach, we will be cut off from the presence of the Lord.)
• Among Nephi’s last written words is the declaration “For thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey” (2 Nephi 33:15). Why is this a fitting end to Nephi’s writings? What have you learned from Nephi’s example that can help you as you strive to be more obedient?

Lesson 10: He Inviteth All to Come unto Him

Purpose
To help class members understand that through the Restoration of the gospel and the teachings of the Book of Mormon, the Lord will cause truth to triumph over evil.


Reading Assignment:

• 2 Nephi 26-30

Additional Reading:

• Alma 1:16
• 3 Nephi 18:24
• Moroni 7:45-47
• Joseph Smith - History 1:5-65
• Ether 5:2-4
• 2 Corinthians 13:1
• 2 Nephi 3:12
• Spiritual Guides for Teachers of Righteousness - Gene R. Cook
• The Gift of the Holy Ghost - A Sure Compass - James E. Faust
• Beware of Pride - Ezra Taft Benson

Questions to Ponder:

• What are some illusions that Satan uses to lead people astray? How can we discern between these illusions and the truth?
• How did Nephi describe those who would be preserved at the Savior's coming? (See 2 Nephi 26:8.) Why are these same qualities important for us today? How were the righteous Nephites and their posterity blessed? (See 2 Nephi 26:9.)
   
• How did Nephi describe the way Satan leads people to destruction? (See 2 Nephi 26:22. You may want to explain that a flaxen cord is made of thin, light strands.) What are some ways Satan uses "flaxen cords" before binding people with "strong cords"?
   
• How did Nephi describe the way the Savior leads people to salvation? (See 2 Nephi 26:23–27, 33.) How can we help others "partake of his salvation"? (2 Nephi 26:24).
   
• Nephi warned against priestcrafts. What are priestcrafts? (See 2 Nephi 26:29; Alma 1:16.) What examples of priestcraft are evident in the world today? How can we counteract these conditions? (See2 Nephi 26:30–31; 3 Nephi 18:24; Moroni 7:45–47.)
   
• How did Nephi describe the false teaching that people would use to justify sinning? (See 2 Nephi 28:7–9.) What are some of the rationalizations people use today to excuse sin? What are the dangers of not worrying about "committing a little sin"? (2 Nephi 28:8).
   
• Nephi also foresaw that people in the last days would be filled with pride (2 Nephi 28:12–15). What was the eventual result of the pride of the Nephites? (Se e2 Nephi 26:10–11.) How is pride a stumbling block to our spiritual growth? How can we overcome pride?
   
• Nephi taught that pride would lead many to "rob the poor" (2 Nephi 28:13). How might a desire for "fine clothing" or other luxuries cause us to neglect the poor? In what ways can we help those who are less fortunate, both physically and spiritually?
   
• According to Nephi, how would many people react to the word of the Lord in the last days? (See 2 Nephi 28:20, 28.) Why do the words of God often "stir [many] up to anger against that which is good"?
   
• Nephi prophesied that Satan would pacify the people and "lull them away into carnal security" (2 Nephi 28:21). What is carnal security? How can the contentment of carnal security keep us from repentance? What does the phrase "leadeth them away carefully" (2 Nephi 28:21) suggest about Satan's tactics?
   
• How can studying the Book of Mormon help us be spiritually alert and avoid becoming "at ease in Zion"? (2 Nephi 28:24).