“Lesson 4 Class Preparation Material: Finding Purpose and Joy in the Lord’s Creations,” Jesus Christ and His Everlasting Gospel Teacher Material (2023)
“Lesson 4 Class Preparation Material,” Jesus Christ and His Everlasting Gospel Teacher Material
Lesson 4 Class Preparation Material
Finding Purpose and Joy in the Lord’s Creations
President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “Think of what would happen if all of us took time to look carefully at the wonders of nature that surround us and devoted ourselves to learning more about this world that God created for us!” (“God’s Love for His Children,” Ensign, May 1988, 57). As you reflect on the miracle of creation, consider what you can learn about the Creator and His purposes for us.
Section 1
How can understanding the purpose of the Creation bring added meaning to my life?
What thoughts and feelings have you had when looking at the stars in the night sky—perhaps wonder, awe, reverence, or even a feeling of insignificance?
The science of astronomy provides us a glimpse into the staggering size of the universe. In our galaxy alone there are “between 200 and 400 billion stars. Yet it is only one of billions of galaxies. … Together, all the galaxies in the visible universe contain an estimated 30 billion trillion stars. Yet that number may be a small fraction of all there are” (R. Val Johnson, “Worlds without Number,” Ensign, Aug. 2013, 45).
In a remarkable vision of the Creation, Moses saw our earth and its inhabitants, and then he learned about the vast expanse of the universe. He also learned that under the direction of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ created all things (see Moses 2:1; see also Mosiah 3:8; John 1:1–3). Witnessing God’s handiwork, Moses “greatly marveled and wondered” (Moses 1:8) and asked, “Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them?” (Moses 1:30; see also verses 27–37).
Study in Preparation for Class
Read Moses 1:33, 38–39, and look for what Moses learned about why God created this vast universe and all life in it.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then a member of the First Presidency, said of God’s purpose for the Creation:
God Himself said we are the reason He created the universe! His work and glory—the purpose for this magnificent universe—is to save and exalt mankind. … Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters.
This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God. (“You Matter to Him,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 20)
Ponder in Preparation for Class
How does it make you feel to know that we are the reason Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ created the universe?
Section 2
How can I find greater joy in the creations of the Lord?
After the heavens and earth were created, God rested on the seventh day from all His work and said, “all things which I had made were finished, and I, God, saw that they were good” (Moses 3:2). Then He blessed the seventh day. What do you learn about the Creator from His setting aside a time to view the beauty of the Creation? In the past week, how often have you taken time to slow down and enjoy the Lord’s creations?
In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Savior identified temporal and spiritual blessings that come to those who keep the Sabbath day holy (see Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–19). These blessings include an enjoyment of the “fulness of the earth” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:16).
Study in Preparation for Class
Read Doctrine and Covenants 59:16–20, and look for ways the Lord would have us benefit from His creations.
Of all the wonders on the earth, we are God’s greatest creation. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ “went down to organize man in their own image … male and female” (Abraham 4:26–27). President Gordon B. Hinckley testified:
Our bodies are sacred. They were created in the image of God. They are marvelous, the crowning creation of Deity. (“Be Ye Clean,” Ensign, May 1996, 48)
Receiving a body is central to our eternal progression (see Doctrine and Covenants 93:33–34). Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
Our physical bodies make possible a breadth, a depth, and an intensity of experience that simply could not be obtained in our premortal existence. (“We Believe in Being Chaste,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 41)
In contrast to the Savior, Satan distorts the divine purpose of our bodies and entices us to misuse them. President Susan W. Tanner, former Young Women General President, taught:
[Satan] tempts many to defile this great gift of the body through unchastity, immodesty, self-indulgence, and addictions. He seduces some to despise their bodies; others he tempts to worship their bodies. In either case, he entices the world to regard the body merely as an object. …
Our bodies are our temples. We are not less but more like Heavenly Father because we are embodied. … May we respect the sanctity of the body during mortality so that the Lord may sanctify and exalt it for eternity. (“The Sanctity of the Body,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2005, 13, 15)
Act
Take at least a few minutes today to enjoy the gift of your body and the beauty of creation. Go for a walk, listen to the rain, smell some fresh flowers, eat some fresh fruit, watch the clouds, sit by a stream, look at the stars, listen to birds sing, or hold a newborn baby. Consider recording how the gift of your body and the creations of this earth bring you joy. Be prepared to share your experience during class.
Section 3
How can I deepen my understanding of the Lord’s creations by studying the scriptures and science?
One way we learn about the creations of God is through science. For example, we have learned much about the workings of the human body through medical research, about biodiversity through ecology, about weather patterns through meteorology, and far more.
There may be times you learn something from science that appears to contradict the scriptures. When you encounter what appears to be a conflict, the following perspective from President Russell M. Nelson can be helpful:
There is no conflict between science and religion. Conflict only arises from an incomplete knowledge of either science or religion, or both. …
… All truth is part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether truth comes from a scientific laboratory or by revelation from the Lord, it is compatible. (“Church Leaders Gather at BYU’s Life Sciences Building for Dedication,” Church News, Apr. 17, 2015, ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
While science can help us explain how natural processes occur, the Lord’s gospel focuses on the why. Science and religion are often addressing different groups of questions. The prophets in scripture are mainly emphasizing what we need to understand about the Creator and His purposes. (See “Science and Our Search for Truth,” New Era, July 2016, 26–29.) Addressing the limits of scientific knowledge, President Dallin H. Oaks taught:
The methods of science lead us to what we call scientific truth. But ‘scientific truth’ is not the whole of life. Those who do not learn ‘by study and also by faith’ (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118) limit their understanding of truth to what they can verify by scientific means. …
We find true and enduring joy by coming to know and acting upon the truth about who we are, the meaning of mortal life, and where we are going when we die. Those truths cannot be learned by scientific or secular methods. (“Truth and the Plan,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 25)
When we combine our spiritual and scientific learning about the Creation, it can deepen our understanding of God, even if we still have unanswered questions. As you think about your own questions, remember that during the Millennium all things will be revealed, including “things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:34).
Ponder in Preparation for Class
Watch the video “We Lived with God” (4:00), and consider what you have learned from science and religion about the Creation. How can these insights help deepen your testimony of the Creator? (see Moses 6:63; Alma 30:44).