“December 7–13. Moroni 7–9: ‘May Christ Lift Thee Up,’” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: Book of Mormon 2020 (2020)
“December 7–13. Moroni 7–9,” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: 2020
Minerva K. Teichert (1888–1976), Moroni: The Last Nephite, 1949–1951, oil on masonite, 34¾ x 47 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, 1969.
December 7–13
Moroni 7–9
“May Christ Lift Thee Up”
Your purpose is to help people come closer to God, not just to present a lesson. Prepare for Sunday School by reading Moroni 7–9 with class members in mind, looking for principles that will help them.
Record Your Impressions
Invite Sharing
Invite each class member to review Moroni chapter 7, 8, or 9 and find a truth that is meaningful to him or her. Class members could then share the truth they found and how it has blessed them.
Teach the Doctrine
“That which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually.”
-
In order to be disciples of Jesus Christ, we must be able to judge between good and evil. Perhaps discussing the truths in Moroni 7:3–19 could help class members avoid judging “wrongfully” (Moroni 7:18). To prepare for the discussion, half of the class could search these verses for counsel Mormon gives about how to identify what comes from God, and the other half could look for how to identify what comes from the devil. They could then discuss what they found and share examples of things that invite them “to do good, and to love God, and to serve him” (Moroni 7:13). How do we apply Mormon’s counsel in our daily decisions? How can we make righteous choices and still show love for those around us who do not live the gospel?
-
Many people wonder, “How can I know if a prompting I have comes from God or from my own thoughts?” You could write this question on the board and invite class members to search Moroni 7:13–16 for principles that could help answer this question. How might these verses help us recognize divine inspiration? It may help to explain that “the Spirit of Christ,” also known as the light of Christ, is sometimes referred to as our conscience. The statement by President Gordon B. Hinckley in “Additional Resources” and the video “Patterns of Light: Discerning Light” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) may also be helpful.
Followers of Jesus Christ seek faith, hope, and charity.
-
To help your class better understand the connections between faith, hope, and charity, you could show a three-legged stool (or a picture of one) and ask class members to consider how faith, hope, and charity are like these three legs (see President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s statement in “Additional Resources”). You could then invite them to choose one of these attributes and look for what Mormon teaches about it in Moroni 7:21–48. Discuss questions like the following: Why do we need faith and hope to receive the gift of charity? How do each of these attributes connect us to Jesus Christ? Why are these attributes essential for a disciple of Jesus Christ? What would happen to us if we lost faith? hope? charity? Invite class members to take a few moments to write impressions they’ve had.
Understanding correct doctrine can help us make correct choices.
-
Your class may not need to discuss why it’s wrong to baptize infants, but Mormon’s words on this topic can help them see the dangers of false doctrine in general. To illustrate how the Book of Mormon “[confounds] false doctrines” (2 Nephi 3:12), you could invite class members to read Moroni 8:4–21 in groups or individually. Half of them could look for doctrine that Mormon felt the people didn’t understand, including the Atonement of Jesus Christ (see verse 20) and accountability (see verse 10). The other half could look for the consequences of the people’s error. Each group could share with the class what they found. What do these verses teach us about the importance of learning and living by correct doctrine? Where can we find correct explanations of Christ’s doctrine? How can we make sure our understanding of the doctrine is correct?
-
Maybe your class would benefit from following Mormon’s example of helping someone make better choices by teaching them correct doctrine. You could do this by inviting class members to think of someone from the scriptures who made a wrong choice. What doctrinal truth would help that person avoid making that incorrect choice again? Give class members a few minutes to find scriptures or statements from a recent general conference that would help the person understand the doctrinal truth. You could then ask class members to share what they found.
We can have hope in Christ regardless of our circumstances.
-
Mormon’s last recorded message to his son in Moroni 9:25–26 can help class members find hope in Christ, even in seemingly hopeless situations. Perhaps you could begin by asking class members to share reasons Moroni might have felt discouraged. Then they could read these verses and list on the board the truths that Mormon encouraged Moroni to focus on. How can these same truths “lift [us] up” in our day? Class members could also share examples of God’s “mercy and long-suffering” that they have witnessed. Or they could share ideas to help one another keep the Savior and His gospel “in [our] mind forever,” even when we face discouragement (verse 25).
Encourage Learning at Home
To encourage class members to read Moroni 10, you could suggest that it may be an ideal time to reflect on how they have experienced a renewed witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon as they have studied it this year.
Additional Resources
Does it come from the Spirit?
To answer the question “How do we recognize the promptings of the Spirit?” President Gordon B. Hinckley quoted Moroni 7:13 and said: “I don’t think [it’s] too difficult, really. … Does it persuade one to do good, to rise, to stand tall, to do the right thing, to be kind, to be generous? Then it is of the Spirit of God” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], 260–61).
Faith, hope, and charity.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf compared faith, hope, and charity to a stool with three legs, explaining that these three virtues “stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter. …
“Faith, hope, and charity complement each other, and as one increases, the others grow as well. Hope comes of faith, for without faith, there is no hope. In like manner faith comes of hope, for faith is ‘the substance of things hoped for.’
“Hope is critical to both faith and charity. When disobedience, disappointment, and procrastination erode faith, hope is there to uphold our faith. When frustration and impatience challenge charity, hope braces our resolve and urges us to care for our fellowmen even without expectation of reward. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith. The stronger our hope, the purer our charity” (“The Infinite Power of Hope,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 21, 23–24).
“The pure love of Christ.”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland suggested two possible meanings of the phrase “the pure love of Christ”:
“One … is the kind of merciful, forgiving love Christ’s disciples should have for one another. …
“[Another meaning is] Christ’s unfailing, ultimate, and atoning love for us. … It is that charity—his pure love for us—without which we would be nothing” (Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 336).
Improving Our Teaching
Help learners develop spiritual self-reliance. “As you teach, rather than simply imparting information, help [class members] discover gospel truths for themselves. … When they have questions, sometimes it is better to teach them how to find answers themselves” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 28). For example, you could point members to Gospel Topics at topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, which contains helpful information on a variety of subjects.