Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery moved to the Whitmer home in Fayette, New York, to complete the translation of the Book of Mormon. David Whitmer felt the power of the Savior’s restored gospel and desired to be a part of the work. Doctrine and Covenants 14 was received in response to David’s desires to know the Lord’s will for him. This lesson can help students be obedient and endure to the end with the Savior’s enabling power.
Student preparation: You might invite students to look for a principle they can apply from their personal scripture study. Students may want to use some of the study resources in Come, Follow Me.
Possible Learning Activities
The blessing of eternal life
To help students think about what the Savior asks us to do to qualify for His gift of eternal life, you might share the following scenario. Consider asking students the following questions and allowing them to add more detail to the scenario. Doing so can help you discern and understand questions and concerns the students may have.
After learning about eternal life in seminary, a young woman thinks, “I just don’t think I’m good enough to live with my heavenly parents and Jesus Christ and be like Them. I’m not going to make it.”
Why might she feel this way?
What else might she be worried about?
After discussing the scenario, ask students to ponder if they have ever had similar feelings. Invite them to write down one or more questions or concerns they have about receiving the blessing of eternal life. Encourage students to seek the Savior’s guidance through the Spirit as they study Doctrine and Covenants 14.
The Whitmer family
To help your students become more acquainted with the Whitmer family, you could invite a student to read the following paragraph, or share the information in your own words.
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery faced severe persecution while translating the Book of Mormon in Harmony, Pennsylvania. They wrote to the Whitmer family asking if they could move to their home in Fayette, New York, to complete the translation. After divine manifestations from the Lord, Mary and Peter Whitmer Sr. and their family decided to invite Joseph, Emma, and Oliver into their home. They supported them while they worked on the translation. David Whitmer in particular felt inspired by the work of the Restoration and desired to know the Savior’s will for him. Joseph received a revelation, now Doctrine and Covenants 14, in which the Savior invited David to join Him in this “great and marvelous work” (Doctrine and Covenants 14:1). He invited David to “seek to bring forth and establish [His] Zion” (Doctrine and Covenants 14:6). These invitations, along with the guidance and blessings the Savior also promises in Doctrine and Covenants 14, apply to all of Heavenly Father’s children.
Help students identify the following principle: If we keep the commandments and endure to the end, we shall obtain God’s gift of eternal life. You could invite students to mark this principle in their scriptures.
Using the following statement, students could come up with a simple definition of enduring to the end. You could then invite students to add this definition to their scriptures next to verse 7.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained what it means to endure to the end:
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Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Enduring to the end, or remaining faithful to the laws and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout our life, is a fundamental requirement for salvation in the kingdom of God. …
… Enduring to the end is not just a matter of passively tolerating life’s difficult circumstances or “hanging in there.” Ours is an active religion, helping God’s children along the strait and narrow path to develop their full potential during this life and return to Him one day. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 20)
Why do you think keeping the commandments and enduring to the end are required to obtain eternal life?
How is Jesus Christ an example of keeping the commandments and faithfully enduring to the end?
How can this knowledge help us keep an eternal perspective when dealing with life’s challenges?
Read Doctrine and Covenants 14:8–11 and look for what the Savior taught David Whitmer that could help him receive God’s gift of eternal life.
How do you think this counsel applies to us today?
It might be helpful to point out that in verse 8, the Lord informed David that he would be privileged to be one of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon.
The Savior’s motivating power to obey and endure
The following activity can help students recognize it is the Savior’s power that enables us to be obedient and endure life’s challenges.
Help students focus on Jesus Christ: For more practice with this, see the training titled, “Help learners recognize the Lord’s love, power, and mercy in their lives” found in Teacher Development Skills: Focus on Jesus Christ. Consider practicing the skill. Ask questions that focus on connecting the Lord’s love, power, and mercy to the truths being taught.
Think about how much you need the Savior’s help in your life. Find a scripture reference that teaches ways you can rely upon His power to help you. If needed, you could read one or more of the following scripture references.
Invite students to share scripture passages that are personally meaningful and explain how these passages can help them rely upon the Savior’s power to keep His commandments and endure to the end. They could also use the link function of the Gospel Library app to link the scripture passages they studied with Doctrine and Covenants 14:7, or they could write the cross-references in the margins of their scriptures.
Read the statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and look for how the Lord will bless us as we strive to be obedient and endure to the end.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
If we give our heart to God, if we love the Lord Jesus Christ, if we do the best we can to live the gospel, then tomorrow—and every other day—is ultimately going to be magnificent, even if we don’t always recognize it as such. Why? Because our Heavenly Father wants it to be! He wants to bless us. A rewarding, abundant, and eternal life is the very object of His merciful plan for His children! It is a plan predicated on the truth “that all things work together for good to them that love God” [Romans 8:28]. So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever. (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders among You,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 127)
What words or phrases in this statement motivate you to keep the commandments and endure to the end?
With the Savior we can receive eternal life
Students may want to recall their concerns about qualifying for eternal life as they reflect on the following questions. Students could respond in their study journal.
What are one or two things you feel you could be doing to be obedient and endure to the end?
What can you remember or do when you face obstacles to obedience or enduring to the end?
How could you rely upon the Savior’s power as you strive to keep His commandments and endure to the end?
You might conclude by encouraging students to continue striving to keep the Savior’s commandments, trusting in His promise of eternal life.