Family Home Evening for 2 Nephi 6-10

 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)

1. Repent

2. Be baptized in His name

3. Have perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel

4. Endure to the end

Close

In closing, share your testimonies of Jesus Christ as a family.

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Family Home Evening for 2 Nephi 3-5

 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?

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Family Home Evening for 2 Nephi 1-2

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?

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Family Home Evening for 1 Nephi 16-22

 Read 1 Nephi 18:9, 28-29

10 And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness.

28 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.

29 And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.

Lesson

Imagine that you are going to go on a trip to a far away place that you have never visited before. How would you know how to get there?

Some people might use a compass.

Some people might use a paper map.

Some people might use a GPS system.

The Liahona was like these things. It told Lehi how to guide his family through the wilderness. It also had writing on it that would appear and help them understand what Heavenly Father wanted them to know.

Going back to your imaginary trip, what could make the thing or things you are using stop guiding you? Maybe you could tell a story when something that was guiding you stopped working.

In 1 Nephi 18:9-12, 20-22 we learn that the Liahona stopped giving Lehi’s family directions. This was because they were doing things that were not good, and when Nephi told them that they needed to stop and repent, they tied him up. A huge storm came and almost broke the boat that they were traveling on. The Liahona didn’t begin working again until they repented and untied Nephi. Nephi prayed, and the storm stopped.

Discuss

What has God given us to guide us back to him, the way that the Liahona guided Lehi’s family through the wilderness.

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Family Home Evening for 1 Nephi 11-15

 Last week we learned about Lehi’s vision and Nephi’s desire to have the same vision and understand what the symbols in the vision meant. Do you remember what the tree of life represents?

When Nephi prayed, the first thing that he was shown was Mary, Jesus’s mother. The next thing the angel asks him is, “knowest though the condescension of God?”

What does the word “condescension” mean? It is when someone who has a high rank, like a captain or a king, chooses to leave their position to be with people that are below their ranking. When the angel asks Nephi if he knows the condescension of God, he is asking if Nephi truly understands the importance of Jesus leaving His Heavenly throne, as the Son of God and co-creator of this world, to come to earth. The angel then showed Nephi 5 events of the Savior’s life.

Read these verses and show these corresponding pictures from Chapter 11

1. 20-21- And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!

2. 24- And after he had said these words, he said unto me: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.

3. 27- And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him. And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him; and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abide upon him in the form of a dove.

4. 
   

5. 31- And he spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; and the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.

6. 33- And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.

Jesus was born as a baby, performed miracles, taught people about God and how to obtain eternal life, healed people and casted out devils, descended below all things by offering an Atonement for the remission of all of our earthly sins and afflictions, and was resurrected, before being able to take up His throne again next to God. This was the condescension of God and the ultimate display of God’s love for us. As we make Jesus and Heavenly Father the center of our lives, it will be the most joyous to our soul.

Discuss

What did you learn about Jesus Christ from these verses?

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Family Home Evening for 1 Nephi 6-10

 Summarize Lehi’s Dream, found in 1 Nephi 8

Here is our summary

Lehi had a vision of a man, dressed in white, who asked him to follow him. While he was following him, he discovered that he was in a dark place. He wandered around this dark place for many hours, before he prayed that he could be somewhere safe.

Then, he saw a big field and a tree. He knew that the fruit on the tree would make people happy, if they ate it. Lehi went to the tree immediately and ate the fruit. He said it was the best fruit that he had ever tasted. It was more sweet and white than anything he had ever eaten or seen before. After he ate the fruit, he felt so happy and he wanted to share this happiness with his family.

He looked around and saw a river of water by the tree. At the other end of the river he saw his wife, Sariah, and his sons Nephi and Sam. They looked lost and didn’t know where they should go. Lehi called to them, and they came to the tree and partook of the fruit too. 

Lehi looked again for his sons, Lamen and Lemuel, because he wanted them to partake of the fruit also. He found them and called to them, but they wouldn’t come to him.

At the bank of the river, Lehi noticed an iron rod that led to the tree. The iron rod was along a straight and narrow path. At the other end of the river, was a large field.

A lot of people were coming to the straight and narrow path that led to the tree, but a huge, dark cloud also known as a mist of darkness came, and a lot of people wandered off the path and were lost. Other people kept walking towards the tree and found the rod of iron in the darkness and held on really tightly to it. They used the iron rod to help them find the tree where Lehi was, and they were able to partake of the same fruit.

After they partook of the fruit, they looked around and then looked like they were embarrassed that they took it. This caused Lehi to look around, and he saw a great and spacious, in other words, a really big building with people in it that were dressed in fancy clothes. They were pointing at and laughing at those who had partaken of the fruit. This caused those people to leave the tree and wander off and get lost.

Other people felt their way through the mist of darkness, and traveled towards the great and spacious building, some just fell into the river and drowned, and some just wandered away and were lost.

The people who entered the building tried to make fun of those who were happy that they ate the fruit, including Lehi and his family, but they didn’t listen to them.

Lesson

After summarizing Lehi’s vision, explain that when Nephi heard his Father’s vision, he also wanted to see it and understand it. So, Nephi did what we all should do, when we don’t understand something. He prayed. The Lord not only gave Nephi the same vision, but he also sent an angel to explain to him what the different things represented, in 1 Nephi 11.

When Nephi asked what the tree meant, the angel showed him the Baby Jesus, and he told him that this Baby was the Son of God. The angel asked Nephi if he understood, now, what the tree represented. He said, “Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.”

The angel also told Nephi the following:

The iron rod represents the Word of God 

The river represents the depths of Hell

The field represents the world

The mists of darkness represents temptation 

The great and spacious building represents the pride of the world.

Discuss

What do we learn from Lehi’s vision?

Watch

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Family Home Evening for 1 Nephi 1-5

 Read 1 Nephi 2:16,19

16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.

19 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.

Lesson

Nephi’s father, Lehi, was a prophet in Jerusalem. Heavenly Father showed him many visions that taught him a lot of things. When he shared what he had seen with his family, his oldest sons, Lamen and Lemuel, rejected the visions and said that their father was a “visionary man,” which meant that they thought he was crazy. Nephi did something different.

Discuss

According to the scriptures at the beginning of this lesson, how did Nephi know that what his father taught was true? 

Why is it important to gain our own testimonies of truths that we learn?

Activity

Tell your children that these scriptures teach us how we can gain our own testimonies of what we are taught. 

Get some building blocks, food storage containers, sugar cubes, or anything else you can stack. Use these cubes to demonstrate how to build testimony. As you lay the foundation for your structure, teach them that the foundation of all testimonies is a belief or knowledge that Jesus is the Christ. That because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can live again after we die, repent, and live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again. Without a testimony of Jesus Christ, a testimony will not be as strong.

You could show your children pictures or objects that represent things they might seek a testimony of, such as a copy of the Book of Mormon or a picture of Jesus Christ, a temple, or the living prophet. Invite them to pick one and share their testimonies of that thing. As they do, add a layer or two of blocks, until you have built a strong, testimony house.

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Family Home Evening for Book of Mormon Introduction

 Show 

Show your Children the front cover of the Book of Mormon. Help them point to the subtitle, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Teach them that this means the Book of Mormon teaches us about Jesus Christ.

Read the Introduction Page to the Book of Mormon 

As you read, find the purposes of the Book of Mormon, listed in the title page.

Share 

Share your testimony of the Book of Mormon.

Make a Plan or Goal 

Make a plan or goal of how you will read the Book of Mormon as a family, and think of ways that you can strengthen your testimony of Jesus Christ as you do so.

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Family Home Evening for Revelation 15-22

 Read Revelation 19:7-9

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Lesson

Look at some wedding pictures of yourself, ancestors, friends, etc. Discuss what kind of preparation went into planning and preparing for a wedding. What did you do to prepare? How long did it take to prepare? What things did you have to consider?

Now, consider the covenants that you have made with the Lord. Discuss what you did to prepare for these covenants. What did you do to prepare? How long did it take to prepare? What things did you have to consider?

Discuss

Now that you have discussed a wedding and a covenant, why is a marriage a good comparison for the Lord’s covenant with His Church?

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Family Home Evening for Christmas 2023

 For Christmas, find a way to celebrate the life of Jesus Christ, that we have studied in such great depth this year. You can create a family nativity, act out the birth story of our Savior, go do service for someone, etc.

One thing that we are doing is studying some of the names of our Savior. Here is a list that we have:

Son of God- Luke 1:35

Root of David- Revelation 22:16

King of Kings- Revelation 19:16

Wonderful Counselor- Isaiah 9:6

I Am- John 8:58

Jesus- Matthew 1:21

Immanuel- Matthew 1:23

Prince of Peace- Isaiah 9:6

The Way the Truth the Life- John 14:6

Branch- Isaiah 4:2

However you decide to celebrate our Savior, remember this beautiful quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley, taken from his talk in December 2000, titled The Wonderous True Meaning of Christmas

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: …

“… He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:4–5).

This is the wondrous and true story of Christmas. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem of Judea is preface. The three-year ministry of the Master is prologue. The magnificent substance of the story is His sacrifice, the totally selfless act of dying in pain on the cross of Calvary to atone for the sins of all of us.

The epilogue is the miracle of the Resurrection, bringing the assurance that “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22).

There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection.

I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal, Living God. None so great has ever walked the earth. None other has made a comparable sacrifice or granted a comparable blessing. He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world. I believe in Him. I declare His divinity without equivocation or compromise. I love Him. I speak His name in reverence and wonder. I worship Him as I worship His Father, in spirit and in truth. I thank Him and kneel before His Beloved Son who reached out long ago and said to each of us, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

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Family Home Evening For Revelation 6-14

 Read Revelation 7:14-17

14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Lesson

When we get baptized, we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. We promise to always remember Him, and He promises us to always have His Spirit with us. 

When we make sacred covenants with Heavenly Father, at baptism and in the temple, we wear white clothing. This is symbolic that we are coming out of sin, and we can become as clean and pure as fresh, white snow because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Because we are made clean through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can someday return to the presence of our Heavenly Father, led by Jesus Christ. There will be no more suffering and God will be there to help us be happy for all eternity.

Discuss

How can His promises help us when we are in “great tribulation”? (verse 14).

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Family Home Evening for Revelation 1-5

 Read Revelation 3:15-16

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Activity

Give your children a drink that should usually be hot and give it to them cold, then lukewarm, and then hot. How can we compare this activity to our spiritual “temperature?”

Discuss

What does it mean to be spiritually cold?

What does it mean to be spiritually lukewarm?

What does it mean to be spiritually hot?

Where is your family on this spiritual scale? Are there any places where you can improve?

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Family Home Evening for 1-3 John; Jude

 Read 3 John 1:4

4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Discuss

What does it mean to walk in truth? To help your children understand, tell family members how you have seen them walk in truth and talk about the joy this brings you. Explain that if it brings you this much joy, imagine how much it brings Heavenly Father when He sees His children walk in truth.

 What are other ways that you can walk in truth? Write down some things you can do, and post them in your home.

One way that you can walk in truth is by serving others. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints invites us to serve others by remembering the true meaning of Christmas by Lighting the World, each Christmas season. There is a link to their website in the description box below. On the website, there is a downloadable checklist of ideas and even an interactive idea generator. There is also information about the Giving Machine. It’s kind of like a vending machine, but instead of dispensing sodas and snacks, it dispenses donations to causes around the world! You can purchase anything from donating clean water to a country that doesn’t have any to donating money to refugees. Check it out and give Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ joy as you walk in truth this Christmas season!

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