Not My Will, But Thine, Be Done, by Harry Anderson

February 10–16

2 Nephi 6–10

“O How Great the Plan of Our God!”

A good way to prepare yourself to teach is to first read 2 Nephi 6–10 for yourself. Record any impressions you receive, and use this outline to find additional insights and teaching ideas.

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Jacob taught his people that the teachings of Isaiah “may be likened unto you” (2 Nephi 6:5). You could begin by asking class members to share any of Jacob’s teachings in 2 Nephi 6–10 that they feel they can liken to their lives. They could explain why they find the teaching meaningful.

Teach the Doctrine

2 Nephi 6–8

The Lord is merciful to His people and will fulfill His promises.

• To give some context to the messages of 2 Nephi 6–8, it might be helpful for your class to create a simple time line of the events described in 2 Nephi 6:8–15. What do these events suggest about the Lord and His feelings for His people? (see also 2 Nephi 7:1–3; 8:3). You may want to explain that as Church members, we are God’s covenant people today, and we are being gathered out of the world into the safety of the gospel. What messages do these chapters have for us now?

2 Nephi 9

Through His Atonement, Jesus Christ delivers all people from physical and spiritual death.

• One way to deepen our appreciation for the Atonement of Jesus Christ is to think about what would have happened to us without the Atonement. Class members can ponder these things as they study 2 Nephi 9. You could invite class members to begin by studying verses 4–9 and then listing on the board what would have happened without Christ’s Atonement. According to verses 10–14, how did the Savior rescue us from this fate? Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s message in “Additional Resources” can help your class understand our need for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. You could also show the video based on his message—“Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Class members could share any thoughts or feelings that Elder Holland’s message inspires about the Savior.

• Ask class members to consider how they would explain the Atonement of Jesus Christ to someone who does not know what it is or why it is necessary. The truths found in 2 Nephi 9 could help prepare class members for such a conversation. Perhaps they could search verses 4–12, looking for how the Savior’s Atonement overcomes physical and spiritual death. Based on what we learn from these scriptures, why is the Savior’s sacrifice called “an infinite atonement”? (2 Nephi 9:7).

• Jacob was so awed by God’s plan of redemption that he was led to exclaim “O how great” and “O the greatness” as he described the plan. To help class members better understand these feelings for the Savior and His Atonement, consider inviting them to search 2 Nephi 9 for Jacob’s exclamations (most of them are found in verses 8–20). What do these verses teach about God and His plan? What experiences have helped us feel what Jacob felt about God’s plan for His children? You could also sing a song about the greatness of God, such as “How Great Thou Art” (Hymns, no. 86), to reinforce this discussion.

2 Nephi 9:27–54

We can come unto Christ and receive the glorious blessings of His Atonement.

• You could begin a discussion of Jacob’s teachings in these verses by asking class members to imagine how they would invite someone to repent and come unto Christ. How did Jacob do this in 2 Nephi 9:50–53? What blessings did he say will come into our lives as we accept these invitations?

• In 2 Nephi 9, Jacob used two powerful and contrasting phrases: “the merciful plan of the great Creator” and “that cunning plan of the evil one” (2 Nephi 9:6, 28). To help class members learn from this contrast, you could draw a path on the board and label it Heavenly Father’s Plan. Invite class members to search 2 Nephi 9:27–52, looking for the counsel Jacob gave to help us follow Heavenly Father’s plan. Ask them to write what they find beside the path. What did Jacob teach about how Satan lures us away from the plan of our Heavenly Father? What do we learn from these verses about where following Heavenly Father’s plan will lead us and where following Satan will lead? (see 2 Nephi 9:9, 18). According to these verses, what can we do to more fully follow the plan of our Heavenly Father?

• In 2 Nephi 9:28–38, Jacob warned against several attitudes and behaviors that keep us from following God’s plan for us. Consider inviting class members to find them. Which of these attitudes and behaviors seem especially prevalent today? What makes them so dangerous? What do we learn from 2 Nephi 9:50–53 about how to avoid these dangers?

Encourage Learning at Home

To help class members feel confident about reading the writings of Isaiah quoted by Nephi in 2 Nephi 11–24, you could explain that Nephi included these writings to strengthen his people’s faith in Jesus Christ. Invite class members to look at next week’s reading as an opportunity to build their own faith in Him.

Additional Resources

Our need for a Savior.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland told the story of a rock climber who was hanging precariously from a steep canyon ledge, with nothing to keep him from falling to his death. Just as his grip began slipping on the sandy surface of the ledge, he felt his younger brother’s hands grasp his wrists and pull him to safety. Elder Holland compared the climber’s experience to our condition in this fallen world:

“There was an actual Adam and Eve who fell from an actual Eden, with all the consequences that fall carried with it. … Because we were then born into that fallen world and because we too would transgress the laws of God, we also were sentenced to the same penalties that Adam and Eve faced.

“What a plight! The entire human race in free fall—every man, woman, and child in it physically tumbling toward permanent death, spiritually plunging toward eternal anguish. Is that what life was meant to be? Is this the grand finale of the human experience? Are we all just hanging in a cold canyon somewhere in an indifferent universe, each of us searching for a toehold, each of us seeking for something to grip—with nothing but the feeling of sand sliding under our fingers, nothing to save us, nothing to hold on to, much less anything to hold on to us? …

“The answer to those questions is an unequivocal and eternal no! … [The] Atonement would achieve complete victory over physical death, unconditionally granting resurrection to every person who has been born or ever will be born into this world. Mercifully it would also provide forgiveness for the personal sins of all, from Adam to the end of the world, conditioned upon repentance and obedience to divine commandments” (“Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 105–6).

Improving Our Teaching

Bear your testimony often. Your simple, sincere witness of truth can have a powerful influence on those you teach. It does not need to be eloquent or lengthy. Consider sharing your personal witness of the Savior as you discuss 2 Nephi 9.