Introduction and Lesson 1 Overview
WELCOME AND INTRO: (allow time for sharing)
Why do you want
to go to the temple?
What are you looking forward to in
temple attendance?
What is the Doctrine of Christ? (4th
article of faith)
Do you know what the Plan of Salvation is?
Why do you think it is important to be doing your best to keep God’s commandments? (for baptism and then in the temple, we make many covenants to keep God’s commandments)
What are some of the commandments that you committed to keep when you were baptized?
(Law of chastity, Sabbath day holy, Word of Wisdom, Law of tithing)
What does the following quote mean to you?
Elder Boyd K. Packer said, “Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into His presence. To worthily receive them is the quest of a lifetime; to keep them thereafter is the challenge of mortality”.
(Because of covenants and associated blessings you’ll
receive in the temple, it’s important to practice keeping covenants now and
seeking to have the Spirit with you in our lives. Being disciples truly requires discipline.
This is true for all of us, whether we’ve been to the temple or not. )
Lesson 1: Part 1:
What is the purpose
of having temples?
(To gain knowledge of Heavenly
Father’s plan for us; to make covenants
with God; to be endowed with power
from on high; to be sealed as
families; do receive ordinances both
for ourselves and for those who have passed on before us.
Temple as a School
What role does knowledge and understanding play in our
lives?
How does gaining knowledge help you in your different roles? In family life? In
jobs you’ve had or currently have?
If we want to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus again, why
is it important for us to learn about them?
John 17:3 And this
is life eternal, that they might know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
How can learning about them help us on our journey to eternal life? How do we
come to know Them? Study, faith, obedience, service.
The
temple is a spiritual school that helps us learn more about the purpose of
life and the plan of salvation.
President
Gordon B. Hinckley said that the temple “becomes a school of
instruction in the sweet and sacred things of God. Here we have outlined the
plan of a loving Father in behalf of His sons and daughters of all generations.
Here we have sketched before us the odyssey of man’s eternal journey from
premortal existence through this life to the life beyond. Great fundamental and
basic truths are taught with clarity and simplicity well within the
understanding of all who hear”.
President
Brigham Young taught that “Your endowment is, to receive all
those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after
you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the
Father”
In
the temple, we learn more about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and
we are able to grow closer to Them. We learn about our Father’s plan for us,
which is referred to in the scriptures by various titles, such as the plan of
redemption or plan of salvation, or the great plan of happiness.
Understanding
the Plan of Salvation:
I Lived In Heaven (by Janeen Brady)
I lived in heaven a long time ago, it is true;
Lived there and loved there with people I know. So did you.
Then Heav’nly Father presented a beautiful plan,
All about earth and eternal salvation for man.
Father said he needed someone who had enough love
To give his life so we all could return there above.
There was another who sought for the honor divine.
Jesus said, “Father, send me, and the glory be thine.”
Jesus was chosen, and as the Messiah he came,
Conquering evil and death through his glorious name,
Giving us hope of a wonderful life yet to be
Home in that heaven where Father is waiting for me.
that whomsoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)
by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel."
(Pass out Handouts. Quickly explain the flow chart for the Plan of Salvation.)
Next week we will cover in more depth the different step in the Plan of
Salvation. During the week, I encourage you to read from your booklet, “The
Holy Temple” and look up the references on the handout. Remember that prayer
will invite the Spirit and enhance your understanding. Please if you have
questions, you are always free to message or call me as well. I am looking
forward to our discussions and learning from the Spirit and each other.
Thank you for your goodness. I know our Father loves you tremendously and wants
you to have the blessings of the temple now in your life and the preparation
that His temple will give to you for your eternal progress and exaltation.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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