Temple Preparation: The Laws of Obedience and Sacrifice: Lesson 202

In the Temple, We Covenant to Obey the Laws of Obedience and Sacrifice

The Covenant to Obey God and Make Sacrifices for Him

Heavenly Father loves all His children. One of the ways Heavenly Father demonstrates His love is by inviting His children to make covenants with Him in the temple. These covenants include our promise to obey the law of obedience and the law of sacrifice. This lesson can help students understand the laws of obedience and sacrifice that we covenant to keep in the endowment.

Student preparation: Invite students to think about this question prior to coming to class: How would making additional covenants with Heavenly Father bless my life?

Possible Learning Activities

The purpose of temples

Begin this lesson by helping students recognize why they would want to make covenants with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The following is one way to do this. You could begin by identifying a few challenging circumstances people might face in life that could lead them to distance themselves from God. A few ideas could be divorce, illness, or loss of employment.

• Why do some challenging circumstances people face cause them to distance themselves from God?

• Why is it so critical in these kinds of circumstances that we stay close to God rather than distance ourselves from Him?

Ponder how we can prepare for life’s challenges so that we stay close to God and receive His help and power.

Bring three elastic exercise bands to class. Invite three students to come to the front of the class or display the accompanying images and describe what is taking place. Loop the first exercise band around the wrists of the first student. Loop the second exercise band twice around the second student’s wrists. Then loop the third exercise band around three times around the third student’s wrists.

Invite each of the three students to stretch their hands apart to see who can most easily do it. You could also ask the class which of the three students they think could most easily slip their hands out of the band.

Alternatively, you could share the video “Stronger and Closer Connection to God Through Multiple Covenants,” from time code 4:13 to 5:44 where Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles demonstrated this object lesson with three young adults.

• What can this object lesson teach us about making and keeping covenants with God?

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared how making covenants with God can bless us:

Each covenant adds a bond, drawing us closer to and strengthening our connection with God.

… When we confront life’s challenges, the likelihood is decreased that we distance ourselves from God. (“Stronger and Closer Connection to God Through Multiple Covenants,” [Brigham Young University devotional, March 5, 2024], 2, 3, speeches.byu.edu)

You may want to ask students to identify some of the covenants we make with God.

We make covenants with Heavenly Father in the temple as part of the temple endowment. As part of the endowment, we covenant to keep the laws of obedience, sacrifice, the gospel of Jesus Christ, chastity, and consecration (see General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 27.2). This lesson focuses on the laws of obedience and sacrifice.

Consider inviting students to write the following in their journal: As part of the temple endowment, we covenant with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to live the law of obedience and the law of sacrifice.

The laws of obedience and sacrifice

The accompanying handout, “The Laws of Obedience and Sacrifice,” is designed to help students deepen their understanding of these laws. The following are some ways students could complete the handout:

1. Students could work in pairs, with each partner taking one section to complete. They could then share with each other what they learned.

2. Students could work individually and choose one section they would like to complete. After completing the section, they could find someone who studied a different section and share what they learned.

3. Students could be organized in groups of three. Each student could then be assigned one of the three questions about obedience to answer. After discussing what they learned about obedience, they could do the same thing for sacrifice.

What I learned

The Holy Ghost can confirm the truths students have learned as they share experiences and testimonies. Invite students to share a personal experience or think of someone who is an example of obedience or willingness to sacrifice for the Lord’s work. It might be helpful to share a personal experience or example. The following questions could be used as students share experiences, as part of a class discussion, or for students to respond to in their study journals.

• How could obeying the laws of obedience and sacrifice help us become more like Jesus Christ?

• How could covenanting to obey these two laws in the temple help us draw closer to and strengthen our connection with God?

Additional Resources

What is the endowment we receive in the temple?

The endowment is a religious ceremony administered in temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is available to adult Church members who are prepared for this sacred experience. The endowment provides instruction, covenants, and promised blessings that offer power, purpose, and protection in daily life. It teaches about the Creation of the earth, the Fall of Adam and Eve, the plan of redemption through Jesus Christ, and our own journey back to the presence of God. …

Through the endowment, Church members deepen their covenant relationship with God as they promise to follow His standards of morality, integrity, and service to others. In this sacred ceremony, Church members make covenants “to keep the law of obedience, the law of sacrifice, the law of the gospel, the law of chastity, and the law of consecration” (David A. Bednar, “Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 103–4). Faithfully honoring these promises helps Church members become Saints through the Atonement of Christ. The endowment is one way God bestows His power upon His covenant people. (Gospel Topics: Endowment)

For additional information about the Endowment, see General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 27.2, Gospel Library.

What does my obedience to God’s commandments show God?

Show love for God by keeping His commandments. For example, by keeping the Sabbath day holy, including by faithfully preparing for and partaking of the sacrament, you show God that you are willing to dedicate one day a week to Him. As you fast and pay tithes and offerings, you show God that His work is more important to you than material things. When you use the names of God and Christ with reverence, never in a vain or casual way, you show you are grateful for all They have done for you. (For The Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices [2022] 11–12)

How is the law of sacrifice observed in our day?

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency explained:

The incomprehensible suffering of Jesus Christ ended sacrifice by the shedding of blood, but it did not end the importance of sacrifice in the gospel plan. Our Savior requires us to continue to offer sacrifices, but the sacrifices He now commands are that we “offer for a sacrifice unto [Him] a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:20). He also commands each of us to love and serve one another—in effect, to offer a small imitation of His own sacrifice by making sacrifices of our own time and selfish priorities. … Truly, our lives of service and sacrifice are the most appropriate expressions of our commitment to serve the Master and our fellowmen. (“Sacrifice,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 19–20)

What does it mean to offer a sacrifice of a broken heart and contrite spirit?

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

In ancient times when people wanted to worship the Lord and seek His blessings, they often brought a gift. For example, when they went to the temple, they brought a sacrifice to place on the altar. After His Atonement and Resurrection, the Savior said He would no longer accept burnt offerings of animals. The gift or sacrifice He will accept now is “a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:20). As you seek the blessing of conversion, you can offer the Lord the gift of your broken, or repentant, heart and your contrite, or obedient, spirit. In reality, it is the gift of yourself—what you are and what you are becoming. (“When Thou Art Converted,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 12) (time code 7:01 to 7:46)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Sacrifices to receive the eternal blessings promised in the temple

The video “Temples Are A Beacon” (2:50) could be used to inspire students to make sacrifices to attend the temple. In the video, President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) shares the story of the Mou Tham family who made great sacrifices to attend the temple. After the video you could discuss sacrifices we can make to worship God in His house.

An endowment of power

Consider helping students understand how we are blessed with God’s power through the temple endowment. Consider reading Doctrine and Covenants 38:32, 38; 43:16. Students could also read the statement about the endowment in Additional Resources. Discuss ways that living the laws of obedience and sacrifice can help us be endowed with God’s power. As part of the discussion, help students recognize that our efforts to live the laws of obedience and sacrifice help us become more like Jesus Christ.

Preparing to make covenants with God in the temple

President Jean B. Bingham, former Relief Society General President, shared her experience preparing to make covenants with God in the temple. You could show the video: “Covenants with God Strengthen, Protect, and Prepare Us for Eternal Glory” (11:59) from time code 1:42 to 2:50.

After the video, you could discuss how understanding the covenants we will make with God in the temple can prepare us for that sacred event.