While experiencing severe persecution, the Saints in the land of Zion (Jackson County, Missouri) wanted to know the Lord’s will for them. The Lord taught them about the blessings of being pure in heart. This lesson can help students become pure in heart.
Possible Learning Activities
Pure water
What are some benefits to having clean and pure water?
When water is impure, what are some ways to purify it?
How might pure water be compared to a pure heart?
In Doctrine and Covenants 97, the Lord expressed His desires that His people have pure hearts. As you study today, think about the state of your heart. Seek inspiration to understand the blessings of allowing the Lord to purify your heart.
Zion is the pure in heart
A group of elders in “Zion,” a name that at that time was used when referring to Jackson County, Missouri, wanted to know the Lord’s will for them, so they wrote a letter to Joseph Smith to seek answers. In response, the Lord described great plans for the school, the Church, and even the temple in the land of Zion. To motivate the Saints to be pure and accepting of Him, the Lord compared them to two trees: one that would be cut down and another that was fruitful (see Doctrine and Covenants 97:1–10). Just as the Lord called the people of Enoch Zion (see Moses 7:18), the Lord wanted to call His Saints in the latter days Zion. He wanted them to become like Him, not just live in a place called Zion.
President Russell M. Nelson taught about what we can do to be pure:
The Lord does not expect perfection from us at this point in our eternal progression. But He does expect us to become increasingly pure. Daily repentance is the pathway to purity, and purity brings power. (Russell M. Nelson, “We Can Do Better and Be Better,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 68)
What does this statement help you understand about purity?
What do you know about the Lord’s temples that helps you understand why they could help His people be pure in heart?
Read Doctrine and Covenants 97:13–21, looking for blessings the Lord described that are connected to worshipping in His temples.
How can these blessings motivate us to be pure in heart?
President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency quoted Doctrine and Covenants 97:15–17 and taught what it can mean to see God in the temple:
President Russell M. Nelson made clear for us that we can “see” the Savior in the temple in the sense that He becomes no longer unknown to us. President Nelson said this: “We understand Him. We comprehend His work and His glory. And we begin to feel the infinite impact of His matchless life” [Teachings of Russell M. Nelson (2018), 369].
If you or I should go to the temple insufficiently pure, we would not be able to see, by the power of the Holy Ghost, the spiritual teaching about the Savior that we can receive in the temple. (Henry B. Eyring, “I Love to See the Temple,” Liahona, May 2021, 30)
How might this promise motivate someone to become pure in heart?
Why do you think the Lord requires a pure heart to enter the temple?
Becoming pure in heart
The temple recommend interview questions can be found in For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices. Take time to ponder each of the temple recommend questions. Think about how your answers reflect the state of your heart.
What will you do to allow the Lord to purify your heart?
Why do you think it is so important to both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that your heart is pure?