Read 2 Nephi 15:20
20 Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Lesson
Watch the first 90 seconds of the video “You will be Freed.”
Discuss
Why does the fisherman disguise his hook? Why does Satan disguise sin? How does Jesus Christ help us avoid being deceived by Satan?
Watch
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Read or Summarize 2 Nephi 9:6-10; 19-24
When I have huge scripture chunks like this, I like to summarize parts and then read some of the verses word for word. This helps familiarize scriptural language for kids.
6 For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.
7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
8 O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.
9 And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.
10 O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.
19 O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.
20 O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.
21 And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.
22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.
23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.
24 And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it.
Lesson/Activity
You can use the activity page, at the bottom of this lesson (also found in the Come Follow Me Manual here) If Adam and Eve had stayed in the Garden of Eden, they would never die, and they would never have children. They would just live in the garden forever as if they were little kids. As soon as they partook of the fruit, they had to leave the garden. They knew right from wrong, and they became mortal, meaning that they could now die. Because they couldn’t be perfect their whole lives, when they died, they would die in their sins. Since we are all born after Adam and Eve, we too would be doomed to die without being perfect and would also be forced to live with Satan for all eternity as spirits, because when we died, our bodies would go into the ground and never be resurrected. We would be much like this man at the bottom of this pit. (Put the man at the bottom of the pit) No matter how hard he tries, there is no way that he can get himself out of there.
Heavenly Father loves His children, and didn’t want them to be doomed forever, so He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for all sins, pains, and afflictions and be resurrected. When Jesus died and was resurrected, He gave us a free gift. Resurrection. All people, who have ever lived, will be resurrected and live again. (Put the ladder between Jesus and the man at the bottom of the pit). Jesus Christ gave us a way out of the pit.
Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can live forever with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. (2 Nephi 9:22) The ladder is now this man’s way out of the pit, but he can choose, with something we call agency, to use the ladder or not. We too can use our agency to receive the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 2 Nephi 9:23-24 tells us 4 things that we must do to “climb the ladder” out of the “pit of sin.” We need to (as you read each step, move the man up the ladder, until he reaches Jesus Christ)
Repent
Be baptized in His name
Have perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel
Endure to the end
Close
In closing, share your testimonies of Jesus Christ as a family.
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Read or summarize 2 Nephi 5:15-16
15 And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance.
16 And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.
Lesson
It is no wonder why when the Nephites began to build their cities, one of the first things they built was a temple. They knew what a Jewish temple looked like and how it was built, but they didn’t have the same materials to build with, but they were able to find other materials to build the temple. They were able to still build a beautiful temple with what they had, and they dedicated it as a building unto the Lord, and the Lord accepted it as such.
Currently, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has 335 temples in various phases, which includes 188 dedicated temples (with 183 operating temples and 5 previously dedicated, but closed for renovations), 52 under construction, and 95 that are announced but they haven’t started building yet. Temples are beginning to be found all over the world, and more temples are announced each General Conference.
Temples are buildings, unlike any other building in the world. They are beautiful on the outside and peaceful and quiet on the inside. They are like a piece of Heaven on earth. When you even walk around the outside of the temple, you can feel the peace, love, and comfort that Heavenly Father gives to you so freely. Inside the temple, we make sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father and learn more about His great and Eternal Plan of Happiness. The Nephites remembered how happy King Solomon’s temple made them in Jerusalem, and they wanted to feel that same happiness in the Promised Land. That is why they built a temple.
Discuss
Talk about how the temple makes you feel. Why is the temple important to you?
Watch
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Activity
Cut 1-2 inch wide strips of paper, cutting the paper from left to right, along the short side. Help your children write different sins on the strips of paper. Glue the strips together to create a chain.
Wrap the chains around one, or all of your children as you Read 2 Nephi 1:13, 15, 23. When you read the word, “Lord,” tell your children to shake off the chains.
13 O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.
15 But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.
23 Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.
Lesson
Sins always come with a consequence. A consequence is something that happens, because of a choice we make. The consequence of sin may come with the price of an addiction, bad habit, or both. Once an addiction or bad habit forms, they begin to run your life and they seem impossible to escape. Oftentimes, our friendships with other people and family members are changed by these addictions. For example, if we develop a habit of lying, then people don’t trust us. On the other hand, when we tell the truth, it strengthens our family bonds. Gratefully, Jesus paid the price for these chains that bind us. When we pray and repent, we can feel the freedom that comes from repentance and following Heavenly Father’s commandments.
Discuss
Talk about some habits and addictions that you’ve had in your life. How did you overcome them?
Watch
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