“Lesson 9 Class Preparation Material: Uniting Families for Eternity,” The Eternal Family Teacher Material (2022)
“Lesson 9 Class Preparation Material,” The Eternal Family Teacher Material
Lesson 9 Class Preparation Material
Uniting Families for Eternity
President Russell M. Nelson promised, “Your worship in the temple and your service there for your ancestors will bless you with increased personal revelation and peace and will fortify your commitment to stay on the covenant path” (“As We Go Forward Together,” Ensign, Apr. 2018, 7). As you study this lesson, consider what you can do to more fully realize these blessings for yourself and how you can help unite God’s eternal family by performing temple ordinances on behalf of your deceased ancestors.
Section 1
In what ways do priesthood ordinances and covenants strengthen me?
The truth that “the family is central to [Heavenly Father’s] plan” has several profound implications (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org). President Joseph F. Smith taught about one of these implications:
There has got to be a welding together and a joining together of parents and children and children and parents until the whole chain of God’s family shall be welded together into one chain, and they shall all become the family of God and His Christ. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [2011], 411)
Latter-day prophets have declared how this “welding together” of individual families—and ultimately the family of God—can take place: “Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”).
These sacred priesthood ordinances and covenants are more than simply tasks to complete. Through these ordinances and covenants, God desires to empower us to become more like Him (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:19–22) and worthy of eternal life with Him and with our families.
The Panama City Panama Temple
Regarding the power of temple ordinances and covenants, President Nelson taught:
The end for which each of us strives is to be endowed with power in a house of the Lord, sealed as families, faithful to covenants made in a temple that qualify us for the greatest gift of God—that of eternal life. The ordinances of the temple and the covenants you make there are key to strengthening your life, your marriage and family, and your ability to resist the attacks of the adversary. (“As We Go Forward Together,” 7)
He later shared:
Those who are endowed in the house of the Lord receive a gift of God’s priesthood power by virtue of their covenant, along with a gift of knowledge to know how to draw upon that power. …
… Every time you worthily serve and worship in the temple, you leave armed with God’s power and with His angels having “charge over” you [Doctrine and Covenants 109:22]. (“Spiritual Treasures,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 77, 78)
Ponder in Preparation for Class
In what ways have priesthood ordinances and covenants empowered or strengthened you and your family?
Section 2
What effect can doing family history and performing temple ordinances on behalf of my deceased ancestors have on my life?
The Lord promised to send the prophet Elijah in the last days to restore the authority needed for families to be united eternally.
Study in Preparation for Class
Read Malachi 4:5–6, and notice the effect Elijah’s coming would have on the world.
The Prophet Joseph Smith explained that the word turn as used in verse 6 “should be translated bind, or seal” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 472). Malachi’s prophecy recorded in these verses was fulfilled in part in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836. On that day, the prophet Elijah came to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and conferred upon them the sealing keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood (see Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16). By virtue of this authority, ordinances performed on the earth can endure through death and “become valid in the celestial kingdom of God” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith [2013], 219).
Consider ways you have been blessed by the restoration of the sealing keys. By these keys, husbands and wives, as well as parents and children, can be united eternally. These keys also miraculously open the doors to do temple service for our deceased ancestors.
The Lord taught Joseph Smith and other early Church members about the importance of performing ordinances for their deceased ancestors in the temple.
Study in Preparation for Class
Read Doctrine and Covenants 128:15, and look for how our salvation is intertwined with our ancestors’ salvation.
By discovering our deceased ancestors and performing temple ordinances on their behalf, we are becoming more like the Savior. President Gordon B. Hinckley taught how we become like saviors for those family members:
Just as our Redeemer gave His life as a vicarious sacrifice for all men, and in so doing became our Savior, even so we, in a small measure, when we engage in proxy work in the temple, become as saviors to those on the other side who have no means of advancing unless something is done in their behalf by those on earth. (“Closing Remarks,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2004, 105)
Consider how you are giving of yourself when you participate in family history and temple service.
The Lord promises us important blessings if we choose to participate in this sacred work. Watch the video “The Promised Blessings of Family History” (3:24), and listen for one or more blessings that you want to see fulfilled in your own life.
Ponder in Preparation for Class
Why do you think our ancestors’ salvation is necessary for our own salvation and perfection? Which blessings associated with temple and family history service do you need the most right now?
Section 3
How can I unite my family and assist Heavenly Father in uniting His family through temple ordinances?
Our Heavenly Father is anxious to help you in uniting your family and all of His family through temple ordinances. Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained one gift that Heavenly Father provides to support us in this sacred work:
Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught that the Spirit of Elijah is “a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family” (“A New Harvest Time,” Ensign, May 1998, 34). This distinctive influence of the Holy Ghost draws people to identify, document, and cherish their ancestors and family members—both past and present.
The Spirit of Elijah affects people inside and outside of the Church. (“The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 25)
Watch the video “Gathering God’s Family” (3:33), and think about what more you can do to participate in temple and family history service.
Act
FamilySearch.org and the FamilySearch Family Tree app are great places to engage in efforts to “identify, document, and cherish” your deceased ancestors (David A. Bednar, “The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn,” 25). (The FamilySearch Family Tree app can be found in the app store on your electronic device.) Spend some time getting familiar with or using one of these resources. You can build your family tree, add memories and photos of family members, identify gospel ordinances that deceased ancestors need to receive, index records so others can identify their ancestors, and more. If needed, contact a temple and family history consultant in your ward or branch to help you.