Doctrinal Mastery: 3 Nephi 11:10–11

“I Have Suffered the Will of the Father in All Things from the Beginning”

Christ addressing the Nephites

In your study of 3 Nephi 11, you learned about Jesus Christ appearing to the Nephites. He told them He had accomplished Heavenly Father’s will by taking upon Himself the sins of the world. This lesson can help you memorize the doctrinal mastery passage and key scripture phrase for 3 Nephi 11:10–11, explain the doctrine taught in this passage, and apply principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge in real-life situations.

Providing opportunities for students to bear testimony. Ensure that students understand that a testimony does not have to begin with certain words or be shared only in formal settings. Help them recognize that they are testifying when they share simple, sincere expressions of what they believe to be true.

Student preparation: Invite students to ask a family member or Church leader to explain to them why they have chosen to follow Jesus Christ.

Possible Learning Activities

This doctrinal mastery passage lesson is designed to be taught after the lesson “3 Nephi 11:1–11,” which is the contextual lesson for the doctrinal mastery passage 3 Nephi 11:10–11. 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.

Memorize and explain

The key scripture phrase for 3 Nephi 11:10–11 is “I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.” You might mark this part of verse 11 in a distinct way to make it stand out from the rest of the verse.

Help students memorize the scripture reference and key scripture phrase for 3 Nephi 11:10–11. One way to do this is to display the following images of Jesus Christ, which represent Jesus Christ fulfilling the Father’s will by taking upon Himself our sins.

Invite students to recite the scripture reference and key scripture phrase multiple times. As students memorize, encourage them to look not just at the words but also at the displayed images. Invite them to reflect on the meaning of the Savior’s words they are memorizing.

Christ in Gethsemane and Christ on the cross

In a previous lesson, you discussed the truth found in 3 Nephi 11:11 that Jesus Christ did the will of the Father in taking upon Himself the sins of the world.

Imagine that someone who knew little about Jesus Christ asked you to teach what you know about Him.

• Using the statement of truth and the key scripture phrase, how would you explain what Jesus Christ did for us and why it matters?

Practice application

Briefly review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge in paragraphs 5–12 of the “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge” section in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023).

Give students an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. One way to do this is to display the three principles on the board and invite several students to write or explain the principles in one sentence.

The following scenario can help students practice applying the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge and the doctrine taught in 3 Nephi 11:10–11. Consider displaying this scenario so students can refer to it throughout the remainder of the lesson.

Jessica has started spending more time with a new group of friends. These friends do not follow Jesus Christ, but she notices that they seem to be happy without acknowledging God in their lives. Jessica has been taught to believe and follow Jesus Christ. She has always connected happiness with obedience to Jesus Christ, but she is starting to wonder how essential it is to follow Him.

The principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge can be helpful in a situation like Jessica’s.

Examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective

To help you see how Jessica could examine her concern with an eternal perspective, copy the following chart into your study journal. Then complete the chart by listing all the reasons and results you can think of for both columns. Be sure to include ideas from 3 Nephi 11:10–11 as you complete the column on the right.

Students could work together in small groups to complete the following chart, or you could complete the chart together as a class.

Help students feel safe to express their views. If students need help filling out the chart, you might ask more specific questions, like the following: What reasons might Jessica have for wanting to live more like her new group of friends? What are the short-term and long-term results of this choice? What do you know about Jesus Christ that would make it worthwhile to follow Him? What blessings might Jessica experience by choosing to follow Jesus Christ?

	Following Others	Following Jesus Christ
Reasons:	Following Others	Following Jesus Christ
Results:	Following Others	Following Jesus Christ

After students have completed the chart, invite them to share what they learned. The following question could be used as part of this discussion:

• How was it helpful to think about Jessica’s options in this way?

  The following questions can help students see how the other principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge could also be helpful in Jessica’s situation.

• In addition to 3 Nephi 11:10–11, what other divinely appointed sources could help Jessica understand the importance of following Jesus Christ?

  As students discuss the previous question, they could add their new insights to the appropriate section of the second column of their charts. If students need help finding relevant divinely appointed sources, you could direct them to scriptures like John 14:6; Acts 4:12; and 2 Nephi 25:20.

• What could Jessica do to increase her faith in Jesus Christ and become more willing to follow Him?

Think about how what you learned today could bless your life or the life of someone you know. Act on spiritual promptings you may have had during the lesson.

Doctrinal mastery review

During a future lesson, display an image or two of Jesus Christ’s appearance to the Nephites. Ask students to recite the doctrinal mastery passage reference and key scripture phrase associated with this depiction. If students need help, write some information on the board to spark their memory. For example, you could write 3 _______ 11:10– ____: “I have _______________ the will of the _____________ in _____ things from the ________________.”