Institute Students
Teachings of President Russell M. Nelson (Religion 390R)

“Teachings of President Russell M. Nelson (Religion 390R),” Institute Selected Course Outlines (2018)

“Teachings of President Russell M. Nelson (Religion 390R)”

Teachings of President Russell M. Nelson (Religion 390R)

Course Objective: The objective of this course is to help students learn of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and become more like Them by studying and acting on the teachings of President Russell M. Nelson.

Note: This outline contains selected messages that President Russell M. Nelson has given between April 1984 and April 2018. As needed, you may want to replace some of the existing lesson material in this course with messages delivered by President Nelson after April 2018.

Lesson 1: President Russell M. Nelson: Guided, Prepared, Committed

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “As President Nelson leads the Church into the future, Latter-day Saints can take great comfort in knowing that he will guide them in accordance with heaven’s will. ‘I declare my devotion to God our Eternal Father and to His Son, Jesus Christ,’ he said. ‘I know Them, love Them, and pledge to serve Them—and you—with every remaining breath of my life’ [Russell M. Nelson, “As We Go Forward Together,” Ensign, Apr. 2018, 7]” (Dallin H. Oaks, “President Russell M. Nelson: Guided, Prepared, Committed,” supplement to Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 15).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 2: Sustaining the Prophets

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “Our sustaining of prophets is a personal commitment that we will do our utmost to uphold their prophetic priorities. Our sustaining is an oath-like indication that we recognize their calling as a prophet to be legitimate and binding upon us” (“Sustaining the Prophets,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 75).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 3: Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

Related Scriptures

Lesson 4: Sweet Power of Prayer

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “When we pray, we should not presume to give counsel but should inquire of the Lord and hearken to His counsel” (“Sweet Power of Prayer,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2003, 8).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 5: The Creation

Suggested Lesson Material

  • Russell M. Nelson, “The Creation,” Ensign, May 2000, 84–86.

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “I testify that the earth and all life upon it are of divine origin. The Creation did not happen by chance. … The Creation itself testifies of a Creator” (“The Creation,” Ensign, May 2000, 85).

  • “The earth was created that families might be” (“The Creation,” Ensign, May 2000, 85).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 6: Thanks Be to God

Suggested Lesson Material

  • Russell M. Nelson, “Thanks Be to God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 77–79.

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “Central to God’s eternal plan is the mission of His Son, Jesus Christ [see 3 Nephi 27:13–22]. He came to redeem God’s children [see Alma 11:40]. Because of the Lord’s Atonement, resurrection (or immortality) became a reality [see 2 Nephi 9:6–7, 20–22]. Because of the Atonement, eternal life became a possibility for all who would qualify” (“Thanks Be to God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 78).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 7: Doors of Death

Suggested Lesson Material

  • Russell M. Nelson, “Doors of Death,” Ensign, May 1992, 72–74.

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “The grip of physical death is temporary. It began with the fall of Adam; it ended with the atonement of Jesus the Christ. The waiting period in paradise is temporary, too. It ends with the resurrection” (“Doors of Death,” Ensign, May 1992, 73).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 8: Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

Related Scriptures

Lesson 9: Perfection Pending

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “We need not be dismayed if our earnest efforts toward perfection now seem so arduous and endless. Perfection is pending. It can come in full only after the Resurrection and only through the Lord” (“Perfection Pending,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 88).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 10: Now Is the Time to Prepare

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “We came to be tried, to be tested, and to choose. Our decisions determine our destiny” (“Now Is the Time to Prepare,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2005, 17).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 11: “Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods”

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “If we break God’s first commandment, we cannot escape retribution. If we allow any other person or cause to come before allegiance to Him, we will reap a bitter harvest” (“Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods,” Ensign, May 1996, 15).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 12: “Teach Us Tolerance and Love”

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “Our commitment to the Savior causes us to scorn sin yet heed His commandment to love our neighbors” (“Teach Us Tolerance and Love,” Ensign, May 1994, 71).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 13: Living by Scriptural Guidance

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “To reach our objective of eternal life, we need to follow teachings in the standard works and other revelations received from prophets of God” (“Living by Scriptural Guidance,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 17).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 14: The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls. … I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day” (“The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 62–63).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 15: Decisions for Eternity

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “The Lord’s way is the only way for us to experience enduring happiness. His way brings sustained comfort to our souls and perennial peace to our homes. And best of all, His way leads us home to Him and our Heavenly Father, to eternal life and exaltation” (“Decisions for Eternity,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 108).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 16: Joy and Spiritual Survival

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation … and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him” (“Joy and Spiritual Survival,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 82).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 17: The Sabbath Is a Delight

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “The Savior identified Himself as Lord of the Sabbath. It is His day! Repeatedly, He has asked us to keep the Sabbath or to hallow the Sabbath day. We are under covenant to do so” (“The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 129–30).

  • “How can you ensure that your behavior on the Sabbath will lead to joy and rejoicing? In addition to your going to church, partaking of the sacrament, and being diligent in your specific call to serve, what other activities would help to make the Sabbath a delight for you? What sign will you give to the Lord to show your love for Him?” (“The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 130).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 18: Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “The basis for every temple ordinance and covenant—the heart of the plan of salvation—is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Every activity, every lesson, all we do in the Church, point to the Lord and His holy house” (“Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings,” Ensign, May 2001, 32).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 19: Celestial Marriage

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “Celestial marriage brings greater possibilities for happiness than does any other relationship. The earth was created and this Church was restored so that families could be formed, sealed, and exalted eternally” (“Celestial Marriage,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 93).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 20: Generations Linked in Love

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside us. We feel part of something greater than ourselves. Our inborn yearnings for family connections are fulfilled when we are linked to our ancestors through sacred ordinances of the temple” (“Generations Linked in Love,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 92).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 21: Children of the Covenant

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “We are also children of the covenant. … We are of Israel. We have the right to receive the gospel, blessings of the priesthood, and eternal life. Nations of the earth will be blessed by our efforts and by the labors of our posterity” (“Children of the Covenant,” Ensign, May 1995, 33).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 22: The Gathering of Scattered Israel

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “[The] doctrine of the gathering is one of the important teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. … We not only teach this doctrine, but we participate in it. We do so as we help to gather the elect of the Lord on both sides of the veil” (“The Gathering of Scattered Israel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 80).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 23: A Plea to My Sisters

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “The kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without women who make sacred covenants and then keep them, women who can speak with the power and authority of God!” (“A Plea to My Sisters,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 96).

  • “Attacks against the Church, its doctrine, and our way of life are going to increase. Because of this, we need women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ and who will use that understanding to teach and help raise a sin-resistant generation” (“A Plea to My Sisters,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 97).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 24: The Price of Priesthood Power

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “Only a man who has paid the price for priesthood power will be able to bring miracles to those he loves and keep his marriage and family safe, now and throughout eternity” (“The Price of Priesthood Power,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 68).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 25: Ministering with the Power and Authority of God

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “A hallmark of the Lord’s true and living Church will always be an organized, directed effort to minister to individual children of God and their families” (“Ministering with the Power and Authority of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 69).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 26: In the Lord’s Own Way

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “Few, if any, of the Lord’s instructions are stated more often, or given greater emphasis, than the commandment to care for the poor and the needy” (“In the Lord’s Own Way,” Ensign, May 1986, 26).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 27: Stand as True Millennials

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “You ‘are a chosen generation’ [1 Peter 2:9] foreordained by God to do a remarkable work—to help prepare the people of this world for the Second Coming of the Lord!” (“Stand as True Millennials,” Ensign, Oct. 2016, 31).

  • “When you begin to catch even a glimpse of how your Heavenly Father sees you and what He is counting on you to do for Him, your life will never be the same!” (“Stand as True Millennials,” Ensign, Oct. 2016, 27).

Related Scriptures

Lesson 28: Face the Future with Faith

Suggested Lesson Material

Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts

  • “We do not need to let our fears displace our faith. We can combat those fears by strengthening our faith” (“Face the Future with Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 34).

  • “Obedience allows God’s blessings to flow without constraint. He will bless His obedient children with freedom from bondage and misery” (“Face the Future with Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 34–35).

Related Scriptures