Lesson 5 Teacher Material

Becoming the Lord’s Covenant People

President Russell M. Nelson taught that making and keeping covenants with Jesus Christ “will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available” to all people (“As We Go Forward Together,” Ensign, Apr. 2018, 7). In this lesson, students will be given the opportunity to share how making and keeping gospel covenants with Jehovah can bless their lives and what they can do to strengthen their commitment to faithfully walk the covenant path.

Suggestions for Teaching

Jesus Christ reveals He is Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament.

Improving Our Teaching and Learning

Remember the importance of context. The meaning of a passage of scripture is influenced by the context. Helping students understand the context of the scriptures can help them better understand the content, including the intent of the inspired writers.

Display the following statement: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). Remind students that Jesus made this statement after some scribes and Pharisees refused to accept His claim that He is the Light of the World and that He was doing the work of His Father. They demanded to know who He really was (see John 8:25). After providing this context, it might be helpful to show “Jesus Declares: I Am the Light of the World; the Truth Shall Make You Free” (from time code 3:38 to 4:26) and discuss the following questions:

• Why did this statement from the Savior cause the scribes and Pharisees to try to stone Him? (It may be important to review the context for Exodus 3 and then read verses 13–14 of that chapter and the statement by Elder Bruce R. McConkie in section 1 of the preparation material. Help students identify a truth similar to the following: Jesus Christ was Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament and the Great I Am.)

• What do the names Jehovah and I Am teach us about the nature of Jesus Christ? (As students share what they learned from section 1 of the preparation material, you could write the following words on the board: unchanging, eternal, and self-existing.) How does knowing that Jesus Christ is unchangeable, eternal, and self-existing help you to trust Him?

You could invite a few students to share why they trust the Lord.

Jehovah invites us to make and keep sacred covenants.

Consider asking:

• Why can we have confidence in the covenants we make with the Lord? (In your discussion, make sure students understand the definition of covenant, found in section 2 of the preparation material.)

To help students think more deeply about the eternal significance of making and keeping covenants with the Lord, consider discussing the following scenario.

Your friend Jim has accepted the invitation to be baptized. However, after going to a temple open house he has become hesitant. He confides in you, “At the temple open house, which was really great, I discovered that when you go to the temple you have to make even more covenants than the ones you make at baptism. All those commitments might be too much for me.”

Invite half the class to search Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s statement in section 2 and look for blessings of walking the covenant path. Ask the other half of the class to search Abraham 2:8–11 and look for promised blessings of keeping the Abrahamic covenant.

After giving students time to search, you could pair students with someone who studied the other text and ask them to share how the truths they identified could help Jim to reframe his view of covenants.

To help students feel the truth and importance of gospel covenants, you could discuss one or more of the following questions:

• Why do you think Jesus Christ requires us to make covenants to receive His greatest blessings? How has your life been blessed by making and keeping covenants?

• What is the connection between the Abrahamic covenant and the holy temple? (You may want to read President Nelson’s statement in section 2 and help students understand that only through the temple can we receive the gift of eternal life, which is the ultimate blessing of the Abrahamic covenant. If it would help your students, you could identify the covenants we make during the temple endowment, which are listed in “About the Temple Endowment” [temples.ChurchofJesusChrist.org]. You could then invite students to share how they have been or could be blessed by making and keeping temple covenants. Or you could listen to President Nelson’s testimony of the Abrahamic covenant in “Special Witness—President Nelson” [3:28] and invite students to share what they have felt as they have learned more about the Abrahamic covenant.)

You could then give students time to record a covenant blessing they desire and what they can do to receive that blessing. (After students record their thoughts, you may want to provide the following perspective from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come” [“An High Priest of Good Things to Come,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 38].)

For Next Time

Before the next class, consider sending students the following message: Want to know what a lamb, a doorframe, flatbread, herbs, and a staff can teach you about Jesus Christ? Study the preparation material for lesson 6 to find out.