Lesson 132: Doctrine and Covenants 121–123

Doctrine and Covenants 121:36, 41-42

“The Powers of Heaven”

Amid the trying circumstances of Liberty Jail, the Lord taught the Prophet Joseph Smith how to access the powers of heaven through principles of righteousness. This lesson can help students more fully access the powers of heaven in their lives by becoming more Christlike.

Possible Learning Activities

Our desires to serve others

Consider beginning the lesson by helping students realize that our personal connection to God will better enable us to serve others around us. You might use a short scenario like the following to create a discussion.

Molly was recently called to serve in her class presidency. She wants to help the young women in her class but is unsure how to do so.

• What advice would you give Molly if she asked you for counsel?

After asking the young women’s president for advice, the president texted the following statement to Molly and counseled her to ponder how it applies to helping those she has been called to serve.

You cannot lift another soul until you are standing on higher ground than he is. (Harold B. Lee, “Stand Ye in Holy Places,” Ensign, July 1973, 123)

• How do you think this statement applies to Molly’s desire to help the young women in her class?

Invite students to ponder if there is anyone whom they desire to help draw nearer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They may think of friends, family, those they have been called to minister to, or those they may have been called to preside over in their quorums and classes. They might even write some names that come to mind in their study journals.

Encourage students throughout the lesson to pay attention to thoughts and feelings that may come from the Holy Ghost about how they could become the best influence on those they desire to help.

Liberty Jail

If you taught the lesson titled “Doctrine and Covenants 121–123,” consider displaying the following image and inviting students to share what they remember about the context for these sections.

While Joseph Smith was imprisoned in Liberty Jail, the Lord taught him the importance of our personal connection to heavenly power.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 121:34–36, looking for truths about our connection to the powers of heaven in our lives.

Doctrine and Covenants 121:34–36 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider inviting students to mark doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so they can locate them easily.

• What did you find?

Help students identify that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness. You may want to encourage them to mark this phrase in their scriptures.

Consider writing “The Powers of Heaven” at the top of the board and making two columns under it, one labeled “Greater access” and the other “Hinder access.”

Invite students to read the following statement and to begin making lists of actions and attitudes that apply to each column.

President Russell M. Nelson

We know what will give us greater access to the powers of heaven. We also know what will hinder our progress—what we need to stop doing to increase our access to the powers of heaven. (Russell M. Nelson, “We Can Do Better and Be Better,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 68)

Students could study the following verses in small groups. It may be helpful for students to look up definitions of words they don’t understand. When groups are done studying, invite representatives from each group to add what they found to appropriate columns on the board.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 121:35–45, looking for actions or attitudes that increase or decrease our access to the powers of heaven.

• How might some of these actions and attitudes manifest themselves in the life of a teenager today?

  Consider helping students see that Joseph Smith and the Saints had suffered because government leaders and mobs in Missouri had used “unrighteous dominion” (verse 39) to “exercise control” (verse 37) over them. By contrast, Jesus Christ desires us to follow His example of influencing others’ lives through principles of righteousness like “gentleness” and “love” (see verse 41).

• Why are these actions and attitudes that connect us to the powers of heaven important when we are given a responsibility to serve others?

• How can applying these actions and attitudes help us become more Christlike and influence others the way He did?

Allow time for students to explore how Jesus Christ demonstrated principles of righteousness in His ministry. Students could choose an example from Christ’s life that they’re familiar with and explain what principle or principles from section 121 they see Him demonstrating.

To help students, you could distribute pictures of events from Jesus’s life or watch a Bible Video from ChurchofJesusChrist.org, such as “Go and Sin No More” (3:18).

You could invite students to share examples of people they know who exemplify one of the actions or attitudes in verses 35–45 that helps connect them to the power of God.

Promised blessings

Read Doctrine and Covenants 121:45–46, looking for blessings the Savior offers those who strive to connect to the powers of heaven by developing the Christlike attributes you studied today.

• Which phrases or words are meaningful to you?

• How can these blessings help you become more like Christ as you serve those around you?

Invite students to reflect on what they have learned and felt in this lesson. Encourage them to seek guidance from the Holy Ghost as they complete the following prompt in their study journals using words or phrases from Doctrine and Covenants 121:35–45.

I will seek to increase my access to heavenly powers by:

• Striving to overcome .

• Striving to develop .

Memorize

You may want to help students memorize the doctrinal mastery reference and key scripture phrase during this lesson and review them in future lessons. The key scripture phrase is “The rights of the priesthood … cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.” Ideas for memorization activities are in the appendix materials under “Doctrinal Mastery Review Activities.”

Additional Resources

How can I increase my access to the powers of heaven?

Sister Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society General President, explained:

“[Priesthood] power comes from personal righteousness” (Gospel Topics, “Priesthood”). It is available to members of the Church who make covenants at baptism and in the house of the Lord and who keep them. President Nelson taught during November 2019 general conference, “Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God” (“Spiritual Treasures,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 77). Through personal righteousness we invite God’s priesthood power to flow into our lives. (“President Camille N. Johnson: What must women and men do to have access to priesthood power?,” Church News, Oct. 30, 2022)

Doctrine and Covenants 121:34, 40. What does it mean that “many are called, but few are chosen”?

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared:

To be or to become chosen is not an exclusive status conferred upon us. Rather, you and I ultimately can choose to be chosen through the righteous exercise of our moral agency. …

… God does not have a list of favorites to which we must hope our names will someday be added. He does not limit “the chosen” to a restricted few. Instead, our hearts, our desires, our honoring of sacred gospel covenants and ordinances, our obedience to the commandments, and, most importantly, the Savior’s redeeming grace and mercy determine whether we are counted as one of God’s chosen. (David A. Bednar, “Put On Thy Strength, O Zion,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, 94)

Doctrine and Covenants 121:38 (see also Acts 9:5). What does it mean to “kick against the pricks”?

A “prick” refers to a goad, which is a sharp spear or stick used to poke animals to make them move ahead. Rather than move forward, stubborn animals sometimes kick back to retaliate, literally kicking “against the pricks.” Such a reaction only adds distress as the animal incurs more painful prompting from its master.

Supplemental Learning Activities

Alternate beginning

You could display a device that requires being plugged into a power source to be used effectively. Demonstrate how it is not effective without power. Write two headings on the board: “How I can connect to the powers of heaven” and “How I can disconnect from the powers of heaven.” Students could list answers under each heading and then reflect on what they are doing to connect or disconnect from the powers of heaven.

The desires of our loving Father in Heaven

To help students understand that our Heavenly Father desires to bless us with the powers of heaven, consider showing a picture of the Missouri River.

You could then invite students to choose a classmate who they feel is strong. Invite that student to explain how they would use their arm to stop the flow of the river.

Students could then read Doctrine and Covenants 121:33 to identify the analogy the Lord uses. You could then discuss that the analogy teaches us about how God desires to bless us. You could connect this reference with Doctrine and Covenants 121:26 and discuss that one way the Lord pours down knowledge to us is through the Holy Ghost.

Video option

Consider showing “The Powers of Heaven” (9:14), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. This video can help students see how priesthood power relates to providing electricity to a home. It also demonstrates some real-life examples of how to increase or decrease our access to priesthood power. While the video depicts young men accessing priesthood power, ensure that students understand how the principles of righteousness apply to everyone.