Doctrinal Mastery: Matthew 16:15–19
Jesus Said, “I Will Give unto Thee the Keys of the Kingdom”
In the previous lesson, you learned about the importance of priesthood keys and how the Savior entrusted His keys to prophets on earth. This lesson will give you the opportunity to increase your mastery of this doctrine as you memorize the reference and key scripture phrase, explain the doctrine, and apply principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to a realistic scenario.
The timeliness of doctrinal mastery. Speaking to seminary and institute teachers about doctrinal mastery, President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “This initiative is inspired and timely. It will have a wonderful influence on our young people. However, the success of Doctrinal Mastery, and of all the other programs of study in CES, will depend to an important extent upon you” (“The Opportunities and Responsibilities of CES Teachers in the 21st Century” [evening with a General Authority, Feb. 26, 2016], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Student preparation: Invite students to think about ways their lives are blessed by priesthood keys.
Possible Learning Activities
This doctrinal mastery passage lesson is designed to be taught after the lesson “Matthew 16:18–19; Matthew 17:1–7,” which is the contextual lesson for the doctrinal mastery passage Matthew 16:15–19. If this doctrinal mastery passage lesson needs to be moved to a different week, be sure to teach the corresponding contextual lesson during that week as well.
Explain
Consider inviting students to practice explaining the following in pairs or small groups.
Imagine someone you know heard the term “priesthood keys” but did not understand it. Using Matthew 16:15–19, explain what priesthood keys are and why they are important. If possible, share your explanation with a friend or family member. It may also be helpful to read through some of the statements in sections 3.0–3.4.1.1 of General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintson ChurchofJesusChrist.org or in the Gospel Library app.
Write down your explanation of priesthood keys. If you were able to share your explanation with another person, briefly describe how it went.
Memorize
Ensure that students are given time to practice memorizing the scripture reference and key scripture phrase. Consider preparing and cutting out the following handout before class for students to complete in pairs or small groups.
Practice memorizing the key scripture phrase for Matthew 16:15–19: “Jesus said, ‘I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom.’” If possible, print out the following handout and cut out each of the keys. Alternatively, draw keys on a piece of paper and cut them out. Write one word of the phrase on each key. Also write the doctrinal mastery scripture reference, Matthew 16:15–19, on a key. Mix up the keys, and try to put them back in the correct order. Repeat this activity multiple times until you have the scripture reference and phrase memorized. You might enjoy timing yourself and trying to improve your speed with each attempt.
Encourage students to save their keys for a review activity in a future lesson.
Practice application
Review with students the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. One way to do this is to invite a student to read aloud a sentence about one of the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge from paragraphs 5–12 of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2022). Then ask the class to identify the correct principle. Repeat this activity several times with different students to help the class become more familiar with each principle.
Take some time to review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge in paragraphs 5–12 of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2022) before moving on to the practice application activity.
The following scenario could be studied individually, in small groups, or together as a class. The topic of the scenario could be changed to better meet the needs of the students. For example, the video that Vanya sees on social media could be of a member of the Church claiming to know the day and time of the Second Coming.
Your friend Vanya sees a video on social media where a member of the Church is criticizing Church doctrine. This member is smart and persuasive and calls for the Church to change certain doctrine. They even use the scriptures to support their views. Vanya is unsure what to think or how to respond.
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What questions or concerns might Vanya have?
Vanya sends you a text message asking for help. Think about how you might respond to help resolve her concern.
Write three text messages back to Vanya. Include the following:
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Text 1: Truths about how the Lord uses prophets and priesthood keys in the plan of salvation that could help Vanya view this situation from an eternal perspective.
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Text 2: Divinely appointed sources that Vanya could use to learn more about prophets and priesthood keys. (Include at least one specific scripture passage or prophetic statement.)
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Text 3: Suggestions for how Vanya could act with faith in Jesus Christ moving forward. If possible, include a personal experience involving priesthood keys and how the use of those keys helped you come closer to Jesus Christ.
As students work on this activity, watch for any who might be struggling. If necessary, quietly discuss with them how they could respond. If many in the class are struggling, consider pausing the activity and asking students to share their ideas for responding to Vanya. Consider ending the lesson by bearing witness that Jesus Christ has entrusted His priesthood keys to the prophets and apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Doctrinal mastery review
In a later class, review the doctrinal mastery reference and key scripture phrase by inviting students to use the keys they created to once again form the reference and key scripture phrase. If helpful, ask them to mix up their keys and put them back in the correct order a few times.