Seminary
3 Nephi 12:1–16: “Blessed Are Ye”

“3 Nephi 12:1–16: ‘Blessed Are Ye,’” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)

“3 Nephi 12:1–16,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual

3 Nephi 12:1–16

“Blessed Are Ye”

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Christ teaching in the Americas

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want to bless us. We can be certain that as we follow Their counsel, we will receive Their blessings according to Their timing and in Their way. When teaching the Nephites, Jesus proclaimed many of the blessings we can receive. This lesson can help you prepare to receive the blessings the Savior spoke of as you strive to follow His counsel.

Focusing on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as the source of our blessings. When studying the scriptures and discussing promised blessings, emphasize that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are the source of those blessings.

Student preparation: To help prepare students’ hearts to study the Savior’s sermon in 3 Nephi, which is very similar to His Sermon on the Mount, consider inviting them to ponder this statement from President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972). He said that the Sermon on the Mount is “the greatest [sermon] that was ever preached, so far as we know” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith [2013], 234).

Possible Learning Activities

Blessed

To help students think about what it really means to be blessed, consider drawing a simple magazine cover on the board. Name the magazine something like Worldly Success Magazine and write as the name of the issue’s featured article “The Five Most Blessed People of the Year.”

Invite students to come to the board and write a few blessings on the magazine cover that they would expect the article to focus on.

Draw an identical magazine cover with the same featured article on the other side of the board, but this time name the magazine Liahona. Invite students to write a few blessings that they would expect the Church’s magazine article to focus on.

  • What specific blessings would you expect the article to focus on as the criteria for choosing the people?

Now imagine a Liahona magazine article with the same title.

  • What specific blessings would you expect the article to talk about as the greatest blessings anyone could have?

  • Why do you think the Savior and His Church teach us to place the highest value on different blessings than many in the world seek?

In 3 Nephi 12–14, Jesus Christ taught the Nephites a sermon very similar to His Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament. President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) said that the Sermon on the Mount is “the greatest [sermon] that was ever preached, so far as we know” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith [2013], 234).

Today, as you study the part of the Savior’s sermon called the Beatitudes, you will have the opportunity to learn ways that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ desire to bless you. President Harold B. Lee (1899–1973) referred to the Savior’s Beatitudes as “the constitution for a perfect life” and explained that “in his Sermon on the Mount the Master has given us somewhat of a revelation of his own character, which was perfect, … and in so doing has given us a blueprint for our own lives” (Decisions for Successful Living [1973], 56–57). As you study, ponder why the blessings Christ offers in this sermon are of far greater worth than any of the blessings the world has to offer.

The Beatitudes in the Americas

Read 3 Nephi 12:1–12 and mark the word “blessed” and any blessings you find that the Savior outlines in these verses. Note that the word “blessed” in these verses means extremely fortunate or divinely favored.

Consider inviting students to count how many times they saw the word “blessed” and to share the blessings they found.

  • Considering all the blessings the Savior outlined in these verses, what does this tell you about Him and His Father?

One truth we can learn from this passage is that Heavenly Father and Jesus delight to bless us as we strive to follow Their counsel.

Read 3 Nephi 12:1–2 and consider marking what the Savior asks us to do if we seek the blessings He and His Father offer us.

Consider inviting students to answer the following questions in their study journals before inviting volunteers to share their answers with the class. Students could also share with a partner or small group.

  • Why do you think God blesses those who “give heed unto the words of [the] twelve whom [He has] chosen”? (3 Nephi 12:1).

  • How has God blessed you or others you know for heeding the words of prophets and apostles?

If time allows, invite students to look up recent general conference talks from members of the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and share ways they think we are blessed for heeding specific teachings they find.

Seeking after blessings

Before students read the following verses, consider drawing two columns on the board with the blessings from the verses listed in one column and the actions or conditions that lead to those blessings listed in random order in the other column. Invite students to try to match the blessings with their respective actions or conditions. They could then use 3 Nephi 12:3–12 to check their answers.

Read 3 Nephi 12:3–12 again, this time looking for which conditions the Savior linked to each blessing. Consider marking these conditions differently from how you marked the blessings, such as by using different colors or circling instead of highlighting.

For an alternate idea for teaching the Beatitudes, refer to the “Beatitudes chart” activity located in the “Supplemental Learning Activities” of this lesson.

Choose one blessing from these verses that you would like to obtain. Notice the action or condition that leads to that blessing. Study that action or condition by using available resources, such as the Guide to the Scriptures, Gospel Library app, Topical Guide, or footnotes.

Consider inviting students to move around the room, find others who studied different passages, and share their answers to the following questions.

  • What did you learn about what is required of those who desire the blessing you studied?

  • How has the Savior demonstrated that action or condition? How could His example help you better understand how you can seek that blessing?

Remember that because Heavenly Father loves us, He will bless us according to His timing and in His way. (See Doctrine and Covenants 88:64.)

If you feel your students could use additional encouragement to trust in the Lord and His timing, you might also share the statement from President Dallin H. Oaks in the “Commentary and Background Information” section.

Now that you have identified a blessing you desire and studied how to invite it into your life, make a plan for how you can seek that blessing. The following questions could be helpful:

  • What specific things could you do to seek that blessing?

  • When do you plan to start?

  • What obstacles could get in the way, and how could you overcome them?

It may be helpful to share how you have seen any of these blessings in your life and your testimony of the Savior’s desire to bless us.