Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual

Contents
Title Page
Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual
Doctrine and Covenants Lessons
- The Restoration Proclamation
- Doctrine and Covenants 1
- Joseph Smith—History 1:1–26
- Doctrine and Covenants 2; Joseph Smith—History 1:27–65
- Doctrine and Covenants 3–5
- Doctrine and Covenants 6–9
- Doctrine and Covenants 10–11
- Doctrine and Covenants 12–17; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–75
- Doctrine and Covenants 18
- Doctrine and Covenants 19
- Doctrine and Covenants 20–22
- Doctrine and Covenants 23–26
- Doctrine and Covenants 27–28
- Doctrine and Covenants 29
- Doctrine and Covenants 30–36
- Doctrine and Covenants 37–40
- Doctrine and Covenants 41–44
- Doctrine and Covenants 45
- Doctrine and Covenants 46–48
- Doctrine and Covenants 49–50
- Doctrine and Covenants 51–57
- Doctrine and Covenants 58–59
- Doctrine and Covenants 60–63
- Doctrine and Covenants 64–66
- Doctrine and Covenants 67–70
- Doctrine and Covenants 71–75
- Doctrine and Covenants 76
- Doctrine and Covenants 77–80
- Doctrine and Covenants 81–83
- Doctrine and Covenants 84
- Doctrine and Covenants 85–87
- Doctrine and Covenants 88
- Doctrine and Covenants 89–92
- Doctrine and Covenants 93
- Doctrine and Covenants 94–97
- Doctrine and Covenants 98–101
- Doctrine and Covenants 102–105
- Doctrine and Covenants 106–108
- Doctrine and Covenants 109–110
- Doctrine and Covenants 111–114
- Doctrine and Covenants 115–120
- Doctrine and Covenants 121–123
- Doctrine and Covenants 124
- Doctrine and Covenants 125–128
- Doctrine and Covenants 129–132
- Doctrine and Covenants 133–134
- Doctrine and Covenants 135–136
- Doctrine and Covenants 137–138
- The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2
- The Family: A Proclamation to the World
- The Living Christ
Life Preparation Lessons
- Doctrinal Mastery: Finding Answers to My Questions
- Scripture Study Skills
- For the Strength of Youth: Making Choices
- Building Self-Reliance
- Physical and Emotional Health
- Preparing for Future Education and Employment
- Succeeding in School
- Missionary Preparation
- Temple Preparation
- Teachings of Church Leaders
Appendix

Lesson 102—Doctrine and Covenants 88:51–95: “Draw Near unto Me and I Will Draw Near unto You”

“Lesson 102—Doctrine and Covenants 88:51–95: ‘Draw Near unto Me and I Will Draw Near unto You,’” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)

“Doctrine and Covenants 88:51–95,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual

Lesson 102: Doctrine and Covenants 88

Doctrine and Covenants 88:51–95

“Draw Near unto Me and I Will Draw Near unto You”

In this portion of Doctrine and Covenants 88, Jesus Christ revealed how He governs His creations and invites us to draw near to Him. This lesson can help students receive the blessings of drawing near to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Possible Learning Activities

Close Relationships

Consider beginning class by creating a discussion about developing close relationships. You could invite each student to write on the board the name of someone they feel close to. Ask a few students to share why they chose that person.

You might ask follow-up questions like the following:

What makes a relationship between two people close? What creates distance?
What could you do to recreate a close relationship with someone you have become distanced from?

In Doctrine and Covenants 88, the Savior described His power that governs His creations (see verses 41–45). He taught that when we see the stars and the planets in the heavens, we have “seen God moving in his majesty and power” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:47). Jesus Christ then gave a parable to teach about God’s relationship with His creations. It teaches that God has created many worlds inhabited by His children and that He visits each of them. The Lord commanded His friends to call on Him while He was near them (see verses 51–62).

“Draw near unto me”

Read Doctrine and Covenants 88:63, looking for what Jesus Christ invites us to do.

What invitations do you find personally meaningful?
What principles can you identify from these invitations?

Students may identify a variety of principles—for example, as I draw near to Jesus Christ, He will draw near to me. You may want to point out that as we draw near to Jesus Christ, we also draw near to Heavenly Father.

To help students understand this principle, you could discuss how it is illustrated in the parable. Some of the following questions could help too:
How would you describe what it means to draw near to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
In what ways do you think They draw near to us?
What are some reasons someone may want to feel close to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Give students an opportunity to reflect on how close to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ they feel. You could invite them to write “Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ” on a page in their study journals. Then ask students to draw an image that represents themselves. Students could reflect on times they have felt close to God and His Son and what helped them feel this way. Students could also reflect on how close they currently feel to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Remind students that if we feel distanced from the Lord, we can take action to change our situation. Invite students to reflect on the needs they have and how they would be blessed if they were closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Encourage students to seek personal revelation to know what they can do to draw closer to Them.

Invitations and blessings

Students could complete the following chart on the board or in their study journals. As needed, help students understand various phrases in Doctrine and Covenants 88:63–69. For example, you could clarify verse 65 by explaining that we should not have improper motives nor seek to satisfy worldly desires when we pray. You could help students understand the word expedient in verses 64–65 means suitable or proper.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 88:63–69 and complete the following chart:

Ways to Draw Near to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ	Blessings from Drawing Near to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

One way to help students engage with these verses is to invite one student to hold an image of the Savior at the front of the class. Ask another student to stand in the back of the classroom.

As students share what they found, the student in the back of the class can step closer to the student holding the image of the Savior. The student holding the image of the Savior can step closer too.

You could use some of the statements in “Additional Resources” to help students understand ways to draw near to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

The following questions can help you discuss what students found in the verses they read:

How do you think taking these actions can help you draw near to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
How might these blessings influence your relationship with Them?

My plan

Consider showing the video “How I #HearHim: Elder Dale G. Renlund” (3:00). Ask students to look for what Elder Renlund teaches about drawing near to Jesus Christ. Discuss what students learned from his experience.

Inviting students to answer the following questions in their study journals can prepare them to share with the class. You could also share a personal experience about what you have done to draw near to Jesus Christ and how you have felt Him drawing near to you.

How are you striving to draw near to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
How have you or someone you know been blessed for striving to draw near to Them?

Invite students to seek the Holy Ghost to lead them to know what they can do to draw near to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Remind students that they may have already received promptings during the lesson.

Students could write down how they will strive to draw near to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, how this could help them with challenges they are facing, and any obstacles they may need to overcome. Students could write on their drawings or make a note they will take home.

Encourage students to share with Heavenly Father in their prayers what they plan to do and to ask for His help.

Additional Resources

What are some ways we can draw near to Jesus Christ?

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency shared:

I experienced the joy of coming closer to the Savior and of His coming closer to me most often through simple acts of obedience to the commandments. (Henry B. Eyring, “Come unto Me,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 22)

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles declared:

15:44

Ask, and you will receive. Knock, and it will be opened unto you [see Doctrine and Covenants 88:63]. Trust the Lord [see Proverbs 3:5].

In our daily life it is our paramount task and blessed opportunity to encounter God.

As we set aside pride and approach His throne with a broken heart and a contrite spirit [see 3 Nephi 9:20; Doctrine and Covenants 20:37], He will draw near to us [see Doctrine and Covenants 88:63].

As we seek to follow Jesus Christ and walk the path of discipleship, line upon line, the day will come that we will experience that unimaginable gift of receiving a fulness of joy. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “God among Us,” Liahona, May 2021, 11)

Sister Neill F. Marriott, former Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, taught:

Sacrifice of our personal agendas is required to make room for the eternal plans of God. The Savior, who speaks for the Father, pleads with us, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you” [Doctrine and Covenants 88:63]. Drawing near unto the Father can mean learning of His truth through the scriptures, following prophetic counsel, and striving to do His will more completely. (Neill F. Marriott, “Abiding in God and Repairing the Breach,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 11)

Read the following statement from President Russell M. Nelson or watch the video “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives” from time code 12:25 to 13:06, looking for what he taught about drawing near to God.

14:50

When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours. When the Savior knows you truly want to reach up to Him—when He can feel that the greatest desire of your heart is to draw His power into your life—you will be led by the Holy Ghost to know exactly what you should do [Doctrine and Covenants 88:63]. (Russell M. Nelson “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 42)

For additional ideas, see Russell M. Nelson, “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 39–42.

What if I feel distant from God?

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, shared:

19:1

[God’s] invitation is simple:

“Turn … to me” [Joel 2:12].

“Come unto me” [Matthew 11:28].

“Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you” [Doctrine and Covenants 88:63].

This is how we show Him that we want to be rescued.

It requires a little faith. But do not despair. If you cannot muster faith right now, begin with hope.

If you cannot say you know God is there, you can hope that He is. You can desire to believe. That is enough to start.

Then, acting on that hope, reach out to Heavenly Father. God will extend His love toward you, and His work of rescue and transformation will begin.

Over time, you will recognize His hand in your life. You will feel His love. And the desire to walk in His light and follow His way will grow with every step of faith you take. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 103)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Doctrine and Covenants 88:51–62. A parable

The Savior taught a parable to help us understand how God interacts with the kingdoms, or worlds, He created.

One way to engage students and help them understand the parable is to invite a few of them to act out verses 51–60. One student could read the verses as a narrator. Another student could be the man with the field who visits other students, who represent the servants. Afterward, students could read verses 61–62, looking for the meaning of the parable. The following questions could guide a discussion:

What does this parable teach you about God and the kingdoms, or worlds, He creates?
In what ways could this parable help us better understand His relationship with us?

You could use the video “You Matter” (0:48) to help students know that among His many creations, God is aware of them.

2:3

Doctrine and Covenants 88:73. “I will hasten my work in its time”

To help students understand what it means when the Lord declared He would hasten His work, you could help them define the word hasten. Consider sharing the following statement from President Russell M. Nelson and discussing ways the Lord is hastening His work. You could also discuss ways we participate in this work and why it is a privilege to do so.

This is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are His covenant people. The Lord declared that He would hasten His work in its time [see Doctrine and Covenants 88:73], and He is doing so at an ever-increasing pace. We are privileged to participate in His holy work. (Russell M. Nelson, “Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 7)

Doctrine and Covenants 88:81. “It becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor”

Consider discussing the purpose of warnings and different ways we are warned.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 88:81 and the following statement by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Discuss who our neighbor is and ways we can warn them.

While the duty to warn is felt especially keenly by prophets, it is a duty shared by others as well. In fact, “it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor” [Doctrine and Covenants 88:81]. We who have received a knowledge of the great plan of happiness—and its implementing commandments—should feel a desire to share that knowledge since it makes all the difference here and in eternity. (D. Todd Christofferson, “The Voice of Warning,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 108)

Doctrine and Covenants 88:88–95. Signs that testify of the Savior’s coming

These verses can help students recognize ways the Lord is speaking to us to prepare us for His return. Students could read these verses and make a list of the events or calamities the Lord will send before His Second Coming. Discuss how the Savior can speak to us through these events to help us prepare for His return. Help students understand that many of the calamities in the last days are an invitation to repent and prepare to meet the Lord. You may also want to remind students that we do not need to be troubled by these signs, for they can remind us of the Lord’s promises (see Doctrine and Covenants 45:35).