“Lesson 53—Doctrine and Covenants 39–40: ‘A Blessing So Great as You Never Have Known,’” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)
“Doctrine and Covenants 37–40,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)
Lesson 53: Doctrine and Covenants 37–40
Doctrine and Covenants 39–40
“A Blessing So Great as You Never Have Known”
James Covel had worked as a Methodist minister in the New York area for 40 years. When he heard the message of the Restoration, he promised to obey any commandment he was given through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Savior commanded James to be baptized and gather with the Saints in Ohio and promised him great power if he would make and keep sacred covenants. This lesson can help students feel a desire to make and keep covenants with Jesus Christ to gain greater access to His power.
Possible Learning Activities
Making and keeping covenants with God
Consider showing students an item such as a lamp, which can achieve its full potential only when plugged into a power source. Ask students what a lamp can do on its own compared with when it is plugged in. Invite students to discuss how this could represent our covenants with God.
Read “Covenant” in Guide to the Scriptures and the following statement from President Russell M. Nelson, looking for a definition of covenants.
A covenant is … a sacred promise with God. He fixes the terms. Each person may choose to accept those terms. If one accepts the terms of the covenant and obeys God’s law, he or she receives the blessings associated with the covenant. (Russell M. Nelson, “Covenants,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 86)
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How would you describe or define a covenant?
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What covenants have you made with the Lord?
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How have these covenants influenced your life?
Jesus Christ invites us to make covenants with Him
James Covel was a Methodist minister. When he learned about the Prophet Joseph Smith, Covel promised the Lord “that he would obey any command that the Lord would give to him through Joseph the Prophet” (Doctrine and Covenants 39, section heading).
Read Doctrine and Covenants 39:1–9 and look for what you learn about Jesus Christ that could motivate someone to enter a covenant relationship with Him.
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What did you find about the Savior?
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What does the Savior invite us to do to receive His power?
To help students identify a principle, they could complete on the board or in their study journals the following statement: “If we , we receive .”
Students may identify a principle similar to this: If we make and keep sacred covenants with God, we receive His power.
If using the object lesson, plug in the lamp to demonstrate that making covenants helps us receive the Savior’s power. Consider asking students how this could demonstrate the principle they identified.
Read Doctrine and Covenants 39:10–15 and look for what the Lord invited James Covel to do to enter a covenant with Him.
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What did Jesus Christ promise James Covel if he made this covenant?
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How does the Lord’s counsel to James Covel apply to us today?
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How have you seen the Savior’s power in your life or in the life of someone you know?
Fear, persecution, and the cares of the world
James Covel had a large family, friends, and a close community in New York. The Savior commanded him to be baptized and move with the Saints to Ohio. Joining the Church would have been a sacrifice for James Covel.
Read the section heading for Doctrine and Covenants 40 as well as verses 1–3, and look for the decision James Covel made.
This could be a good opportunity to practice using the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. You could discuss how James Covel could have acted in faith. Also, consider discussing how he could have viewed his choices and the Lord’s counsel from an eternal perspective.
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How might “fear of persecution” (verse 2) cause someone to reject or break their covenants with God?
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What are some of the “cares of the world” (verse 2) that lead people to reject covenants with God today?
Read the following statement from President Russell M. Nelson or watch the video “Overcome the World and Find Rest” (18:31), available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 4:21 to 5:39. As you read or watch, look for the power promised to those who make and keep covenants with God:
Overcome the World and Find Rest
Making and keeping covenants actually makes life easier! Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. Please ponder that stunning truth!
The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way. Those who live the higher laws of Jesus Christ have access to His higher power. Thus, covenant keepers are entitled to a special kind of rest that comes to them through their covenantal relationship with God. (Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 96)
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What stands out to you from President Nelson’s statement?
Give students an opportunity to reflect on their desire to make and keep covenants with the Savior to receive His power. Students could write in their journals or on pieces of paper. They could also discuss what they learned or felt in small groups or as a class.
To conclude the lesson, you could share how you have seen the Savior’s power in your life as you have made covenants with God. Encourage students to continue to strive to make and keep their covenants and trust in the Lord’s promise to bless them in their efforts.