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December 27–January 2

Moses 1; Abraham 3

“This Is My Work and My Glory”

As you read Moses 1 and Abraham 3, keep your mind and heart open to impressions from the Spirit. He will inspire you with thoughts and ideas that will help you prepare to teach.

Record Your Impressions

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Invite Sharing

Members of your class may have had some wonderful experiences reading Moses 1 and Abraham 3 at home. How will you give class members opportunities to share those experiences? It may be as simple as asking questions like these: What impressed you as you read the scriptures this week? What surprised you? What made you stop and think? What helped you feel closer to your Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

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Teach the Doctrine

Moses 1:1–10, 37–39; Abraham 3:22–26

As children of God, we have a divine destiny.

• The truths revealed in Moses’s and Abraham’s visions can have a powerful influence on our choices and on our ability to overcome life’s challenges. How can you help members of your class discover these truths in Moses 1 and Abraham 3? One idea is to divide the class into groups and assign each group one of the following passages: Moses 1:1–10; Moses 1:37–39; Abraham 3:22–26. Each group could look for answers to questions such as “Who am I?” “Why am I here?” and “Who does God want me to become?” After sufficient time, the groups could then share their answers. How can these answers influence our daily actions?

  Jesus Christ among stars

  Christ and the Creation, by Robert T. Barrett

Moses 1:12–23

We can resist Satan’s influence.

• Moses’s confrontation with Satan, found in Moses 1:12–23, holds lessons that could help your class members as they face temptation or deception from the adversary. What can we learn from Moses’s response? The video “I Am a Son of God” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) can help class members discuss one of Satan’s tactics—tempting us to doubt our spiritual experiences (see also “Additional Resources”). It might be meaningful if class members shared ideas and encouragement to help each other detect and resist Satan’s efforts.

• One lesson from Moses’s experience is that Satan tempts us with counterfeits of God’s truth and power. To help class members visualize this, you could bring to class some objects that are fake versions of other things, such as an artificial plant or a baby doll. How can we tell that these are fake? What are some of the counterfeits Satan uses today to tempt us? How can we recognize and reject them? (To learn how Moses did this, see Moses 1:13–18.) How does the Lord help us in our efforts? (see Moses 1:24–26).

Abraham 3:22–28

This life is our opportunity to show that we will do what God commands.

• How can you help class members see their lives as an opportunity to prove their faithfulness to God’s commands? You might start by asking them to talk about experiences when they had to demonstrate proficiency in a skill—for example, in school, at work, or on an athletic team. They could talk about what they were required to do to prove themselves. How are these experiences similar to what is described in Abraham 3:24–26? How are they different? How do we include Heavenly Father and the Savior in our efforts to “prove” ourselves? (Abraham 3:25). How does knowing that we are here to prove ourselves obedient affect the way we respond to life’s challenges?

• What else do we learn from Abraham 3:22–28 about the premortal life, or our “first estate”? (verse 26). Why are these truths valuable to us?

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Additional Resources

Don’t doubt what has been revealed to you.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught this about Moses’s experience in Moses 1: “Moses’ message to you today is: Don’t let your guard down. Don’t assume that a great revelation, some marvelous, illuminating moment, the opening of an inspired path, is the end of it. … Once there has been illumination, beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don’t give up when the pressure mounts. Certainly don’t give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness. Face your doubts. Master your fears. ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence’ [Hebrews 10:35]. Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you” (“Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence,” Ensign, Mar. 2000, 7, 9).

Improving Our Teaching

Help learners discover truths in the scriptures. Before inviting class members to read a scripture passage, you might give them something specific to look for or consider. For example, they could look for something they learn about the Savior or something they would like to share with a family member. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 21.)