“January 20–26. 1 Nephi 11–15: ‘Armed with Righteousness and with the Power of God,’” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 (2020)
“January 20–26. 1 Nephi 11–15,” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: 2020
Sweeter Than All Sweetness, by Miguel Angel González Romero
January 20–26
1 Nephi 11–15
“Armed with Righteousness and the Power of God”
Read 1 Nephi 11–15 with the children you teach in mind, and record any impressions you receive.
Record Your Impressions
Invite Sharing
Show a picture of Lehi’s vision of the tree of life, and invite the children to share what they remember learning about this vision last week. Ask them if they have learned anything new about it since then.
Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
Heavenly Father sent Jesus Christ to earth because He loves me.
Nephi saw the life and ministry of Jesus Christ in a vision. Ponder what the children in your class could learn about the Savior from 1 Nephi 11.
Possible Activities
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Give each child a picture that illustrates one of the events from the Savior’s life foretold in 1 Nephi 11:20, 24, 27, 31, and 33 (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 30, 35, 39, 42, 57). As you read these verses, ask the children to hold up their picture when they hear the verse that matches it.
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Tell the children about some of the things Nephi learned that Jesus Christ would do during His life (see 1 Nephi 11:16–33), and show them pictures of some of these events (see, for instance, Gospel Art Book, nos. 41, 46, 47, 49, 56, 57, 58, 59). Share what the Savior has done for you. Show pictures to help the children think of ways we can share God’s love (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 109, 110, 115).
The Book of Mormon teaches precious truths.
Why are you grateful for the Book of Mormon? Consider how you might share your testimony of the Book of Mormon with the children.
Possible Activities
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Draw a picture on the board, and invite the children to change or remove parts of the picture to make it look different. Help them understand that, like this picture, some things in the Bible were changed and taken out over time. Read parts of 1 Nephi 13:40 that teach how the Book of Mormon (which Nephi calls “these last records”) helps us understand the “plain and precious things” that were lost from the Bible.
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Hide around the room pictures representing gospel truths that are clarified in the Book of Mormon, such as baptism, the sacrament, and resurrection. Invite the children to find these pictures. Explain that the Book of Mormon brought back gospel truths that had been lost.
The word of God gives me power.
How can you use the image of the iron rod to teach the children about the strength, security, and power of the word of God?
Possible Activities
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Display a picture of Lehi’s dream, like the one in last week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Invite the children to find the iron rod in the picture, and help them understand how holding to the word of God can protect us (see 1 Nephi 15:23–24). Give the children something similar to an iron rod to hold, such as a pipe or stick, while you read verse 24. Where do we find the word of God? What can we do to make the word of God part of our lives every day?
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Help the children color and complete this week’s activity page. How do we “hold fast” to the word of God? (1 Nephi 15:24).
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
Heavenly Father sent Jesus Christ to earth because He loves me.
Nephi had a vision in which he witnessed Heavenly Father’s plan for us, and Jesus Christ was a central part of that vision.
Possible Activities
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Invite the children to match verses from 1 Nephi 11:16–33 with pictures that depict what the verses describe (such as 1 Nephi 11:20, 24, 27, 29, 31, 33; see Gospel Art Book, nos. 30, 35, 38, 39, 42, 57). What do the children learn about Christ from the verses and pictures?
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Ask the children why Jesus Christ is important to them. Sing a song about the Savior, such as “He Sent His Son” (Children’s Songbook, 34–35), and ask the children what this song teaches about Jesus. Invite the children to make time during the week to think about Jesus Christ and share their experiences next week in class.
The Book of Mormon teaches us the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Book of Mormon teaches precious truths.
What do the children know about the Apostasy? How can you help them understand the importance of the Book of Mormon in restoring gospel truths that were lost during the Apostasy?
Possible Activities
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Read 1 Nephi 13:26–29 together, and invite the children to look for what happens when people do not have the “plain and precious” truths of the gospel. How did the Lord restore truths that had been lost? (see verses 35–36, 40). Invite the children to share their testimonies of truths they have learned from the Book of Mormon, or share your own.
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Show the video “The Book of Mormon—a Book from God” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) to illustrate how the Bible and the Book of Mormon work together to teach truth. Why is it helpful to have more than one witness? Draw a dot on the board, label it Bible, and invite each child to draw a different straight line passing through the dot to illustrate that teachings in the Bible can be interpreted many ways when the Bible stands alone. Erase the lines, and draw a second dot labeled Book of Mormon. Invite a child to draw a straight line that passes through both dots to show that there is only one way to interpret the gospel when the Bible and Book of Mormon are used together.
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Help the children memorize the eighth article of faith.
The word of God gives me power to resist temptation.
How can you help the children you teach strengthen their testimonies of the scriptures? Ponder this question while reading 1 Nephi 15:23–25, and use the activities below to supplement your own ideas.
Possible Activities
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Ask the children to summarize the vision of the tree of life (see 1 Nephi 8; 11). What kept people from reaching the tree? What helped them reach it? Invite the children to read 1 Nephi 15:23–25. How did the iron rod help the people get through the mists of darkness? How can reading the word of God help us resist temptation and darkness today?
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Complete the activity page with the children. While they are doing it, ask them to talk about some of the temptations children face. How can they remember to hold on to the iron rod every day? Sing “The Iron Rod” (Hymns, no. 274) as part of this activity.
Encourage Learning at Home
Encourage the children to show their families the “iron rods” they made from the activity page and share how they can hold to the iron rod by reading the scriptures.
Improving Our Teaching
Use art to engage learners. When you teach the children a scripture story, find ways to help them visualize it. You could use pictures, videos, puppets, costumes, and so on.