“November 22–28. Doctrine and Covenants 135–136: ‘He “Has Sealed His Mission and His Works with His Own Blood,”’” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 (2020)
“November 22–28. Doctrine and Covenants 135–136,” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: 2021
Carthage Jail
November 22–28
Doctrine and Covenants 135–136
He “Has Sealed His Mission and His Works with His Own Blood”
As you read sections 135–36, the Holy Ghost may give you insights that might be helpful to members of your class. The ideas in this outline could also spark ideas you could use as you teach.
Record Your Impressions
Invite Sharing
Here’s one way to invite class members to share their thoughts about sections 135–36. Invite them to imagine that they could talk to a member of the Church from 1844, someone who is distraught about the death of Joseph Smith and worried about what it might mean for the Church. What could we share from these sections that might help this person?
Teach the Doctrine
Doctrine and Covenants 135; 136:37–39
Joseph and Hyrum Smith sealed their testimonies with their blood.
-
How did the sacrifices of Joseph and Hyrum Smith “seal” their testimonies? Maybe class members could ponder this question as they review Doctrine and Covenants 135; 136:37–39. They could then share any insights they receive. They could also share their feelings about Joseph’s and Hyrum’s willingness to give their lives for the truth. While we may not be asked to die for the truth, how can our lives be like a “seal” for our testimonies?
Joseph Smith has done more for our salvation than anyone except Jesus Christ.
-
How can you help class members understand what Joseph Smith has done for their salvation? You could write on the board Because of what the Lord revealed through Joseph Smith, I … and then invite class members to think of ways to complete this sentence. They could begin by searching Doctrine and Covenants 135:3 for things that Joseph Smith did to help us gain salvation. Consider inviting class members to share their feelings about Joseph Smith and what the Lord revealed through him.
-
Another way to help class members think about Joseph Smith’s mission is to invite them to write a brief obituary or eulogy for him. You might want to discuss important events or accomplishments from his life that they could include. What do they find in Doctrine and Covenants 135 that they could mention? What could they say in their eulogy to help others strengthen their faith in Joseph Smith’s divine mission?
-
Many truths about Jesus Christ and His Atonement were revealed through Joseph Smith—truths that contributed to the salvation of all men and women. To help class members recognize these contributions, you could display a picture of Jesus Christ and ask a few class members to share a favorite verse about Jesus Christ from the scriptures revealed through Joseph Smith: the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. How do these scriptures help us understand and draw closer to the Savior? How do the truths in these verses contribute to our salvation?
We can accomplish the Lord’s will as we follow His counsel.
-
This week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families suggests that class members look for counsel in Doctrine and Covenants 136 that could help them turn a trial into a spiritual experience. You might ask class members to share any counsel they found. You could also ask them to search this section looking for counsel that can help us accomplish the Lord’s will in our day, just as it helped the Saints in their “journeyings to the West” (verse 1).
ImageWinter QuartersWinter Quarters, by Greg Olsen
-
It might be fun for your class to create a poster like those found in Church magazines about one of the verses in section 136. Working in pairs or individually, class members could begin by searching the verses for a truth that stands out to them. They could then create a simple poster that shows how this truth, taught in 1847, can still help us today.
Additional Resources
Related Music
Singing the following hymns or watching the videos could invite the Holy Ghost or inspire a discussion about the work of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the sacrifices of the Saints who continued after him.
“A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief” (Hymns, no. 29). While in Carthage Jail, Joseph Smith asked John Taylor to sing this hymn.
“Praise to the Man” (Hymns, no. 27; video, thetabernaclechoir.org/videos/praise-to-the-man-mormon-tabernacle-choir). The text of this hymn was written as a tribute to Joseph Smith.
“Come, Come, Ye Saints” (Hymns, no. 30; video, thetabernaclechoir.org/videos/come-come-ye-saints-mormon-tabernacle-choir).
“Faith in Every Footstep” (video, thetabernaclechoir.org/videos/faith-in-every-footstep).
Improving Our Teaching
Testify of true doctrine. You can share your testimony about doctrinal truths throughout the lesson, not just at the end. As you do, the Holy Ghost will confirm the truth of the doctrine in the hearts of those you teach. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 21.)