My Church Notes: March 2016

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Lesson 132 Jeremiah 1-6 for Thurs 3-24

Lesson 132: Jeremiah 1–6

During the reign of King Josiah, God called Jeremiah, explaining that he was foreordained to be a prophet to the nations of the world and to preach repentance to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The people had forsaken the Lord and were worshipping other gods. Jeremiah prophesied that the people of Judah would suffer at the hands of an opposing nation as a punishment for their sins.

I. Jeremiah 1 God calls Jeremiah as a prophet to preach repentance to the Southern Kingdom of Judah

---Before class, write the following question on the board:

What are some things you hope to do during your life?

---Write your responses to this question in your class notebooks.

---Share?

---Ponder whether there are specific tasks you are meant to accomplish in your lives.

---God revealed to a prophet named Jeremiah truths about his mission on the earth.

---Look for truths in Jeremiah 1 that can help you understand your purposes on the earth.

---In Jeremiah 1:1–3 we read that in the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah, who ruled over the Southern Kingdom of Judah, Jeremiah received a revelation from the Lord.

---Read Jeremiah 1:4–5 aloud looking for what Jeremiah learned about his relationship with God.

---What did Jeremiah learn about himself and his relationship with God?

---What can we learn about ourselves from the fact that God knew Jeremiah before he was born

Before we were born, our Heavenly Father knew us and we existed as His spirit children.

---According to verse 5, when did the Lord appoint Jeremiah to be a prophet?

---Jeremiah’s experience of being ordained before he was born is known as foreordination.

---To help students better understand what foreordination means, share the following statement:

“The doctrine of foreordination applies to all members of the Church, not just to the Savior and His prophets. Before the creation of the earth, faithful women were given certain responsibilities and faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood duties. Although you do not remember that time, you surely agreed to fulfill significant tasks in the service of your Father. As you prove yourself worthy, you will be given opportunities to fulfill the assignments you then received” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004], 70).

---Write the phrase Before we were born, … on the board.

---Based on what you have learned about foreordination, how would you complete this statement?

We were given specific responsibilities and duties to perform during mortality.

---What are some of the responsibilities and duties that the Lord may have ordained His children to do in this life?

---In what ways can we identify the specific duties or responsibilities we are to perform during mortality?

---If you have not yet received your patriarchal blessings, ponder what you should do to prepare to receive it.

---For your YW, the Individual Worth value experience number 2 in the Young Women Personal Progress booklet [(2009), 30] encourages young women to learn how to prepare to receive a patriarchal blessing.

---Read Jeremiah 1:6 aloud looking for how Jeremiah responded when he learned God had foreordained him to be a prophet.

---How did Jeremiah respond to the Lord?

---Read Jeremiah 1:7–10 looking for how the Lord promised to help Jeremiah.

---Which specific promises might have been comforting for Jeremiah to hear? How might these promises have helped him?

---According to verse 9, how did the Lord help Jeremiah overcome his concerns about speaking?

---What can we learn from this experience about what the Lord will do for those He calls to His work

When God calls us to do His work, He will help us do what He has asked.

---What are some examples of the work the Lord has called us to do? When has the Lord helped you do the work He has called you to do?

---In Jeremiah 1:11–16 the Lord revealed to Jeremiah that a nation would come from the north and inflict judgments on the people in consequence of their wickedness.

---Imagine you are in the prophet Jeremiah’s position.

---Read Jeremiah 1:17–19 silently, looking for additional ways the Lord promised to help Jeremiah.

---Turn to a neighbor and tell what you found.

Jeremiah 1:18–19. “I have made thee this day a defenced city”

This promise from the Lord to His newly commissioned prophet Jeremiah illustrates that He would fortify and strengthen Jeremiah against the onslaught of opposition he would face as he commanded the people of Jerusalem to repent. The Jews did not want to hear Jeremiah’s calls to repentance and warnings of destruction. The animosity, anger, and rage heaped upon him by the Jews could be compared to a city that is under siege. Nevertheless, the Lord’s promise is sure: “They shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee” (Jeremiah 1:19).

II. Jeremiah 2–3 The Lord declares the wickedness of Judah and Israel

---Look at the chart “The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah at a Glance” at the end of lesson 102 and find “Jeremiah.”

---Who else was preaching around the same time as Jeremiah?

---Jeremiah, Lehi, Zephaniah, and Habakkuk were some of the prophets commanded to tell the Jews that they must repent of their wickedness or be conquered by another nation.

---In Jeremiah 2:1–12 the Lord declared through Jeremiah that His people had loved Him when He had delivered them out of Egypt and given them a promised land. Now, however, the people had gone astray by worshipping idols and had defiled the land.

---The Lord then taught about the people’s spiritual condition using the image of a water container.

---DEMO---2 pitchers, 1 with a hole.

---If you were going to store water, which of these would be more useful? Why?

---The Lord referred to cisterns, or large containers that hold water, as He taught Jeremiah about the people’s weakened spiritual condition.

---Read Jeremiah 2:13 aloud looking for the two evils the people had committed.

---What two evils had the people committed?

---Whom does “the fountain of living waters” represent? (Jesus Christ.)

---In what ways is the Lord like a “fountain of living waters”?

---The broken cisterns represented the false gods the Israelites had chosen to worship instead of the Lord.

---What did the Lord teach about false gods by comparing them to broken cisterns that cannot hold water?

(False gods do not have the power to help us or to satisfy our needs and desires.)

---What can we learn from this analogy?

---Explain that Jeremiah 2:14–3:5 records that the Lord taught that the people’s wickedness would bring them great sorrow and that the false gods they had chosen would not save or help them (see Jeremiah 2:28).

--- Jeremiah 3:6–11 says that the Lord compared the kingdoms of Israel and Judah to two sisters. One sister (Judah) watched the other sister (Israel) refuse to listen to the prophets and saw her ultimately reject the Lord. As a result of this rejection, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been destroyed by the Assyrians in the century before Jeremiah was born, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah had witnessed it.

---Read Jeremiah 3:10 aloud and look for how the Lord described what Judah did after the destruction of Israel.

---How did Judah respond after seeing Israel suffer for not turning to the Lord?

---Read Jeremiah 3:12–13, 22 aloud looking for what the Lord invited His people to do.

(You may need to explain that the word backsliding refers to reverting to faithlessness, sinfulness, or slothfulness.)

---According to verse 12, what did the Lord invite His people to do?

---What doctrine of the gospel involves returning to the Lord from a sinful condition?

---According to verse 22, what did the Lord promise those who repent and come unto Him

If we repent and come unto the Lord with our whole hearts, He will heal our waywardness.

---How does the Lord heal us and help us resist temptations?

---Testify that as we turn to the Lord with our whole hearts, He will help us to change and not repeat sins of the past.

---Consider sins in your lives you may need to be healed of. Turn to the Lord.

III. Jeremiah 4–6 Judah will suffer at the hands of another nation for failing to repent

---In Jeremiah 4–6 Jeremiah pled with the people to repent. He warned them about the consequences they would experience if they did not repent.

---Silently read the chapter headings for Jeremiah 5 and 6, as well as Jeremiah 5:25, looking for some of these consequences.

---Report.

---Although God loves us and wants to spare us unnecessary pain, we bring pain upon ourselves when we sin. The Lord allowed the Israelites to suffer many of the consequences of their wickedness. However, He also promised that He would not allow the people to be completely destroyed.

*** quotes for students to read

Jeremiah 1:18–19. “I have made thee this day a defenced city”

Lesson 131 Isa 59-66

Lesson 131: Isaiah 59–66

I. Isaiah 59 Isaiah teaches that Israel’s sins have separated them from God

A young woman meets with her bishop and confesses that she has repeatedly broken the Word of Wisdom. She describes how she has lost the trust of her parents, was removed from a school club because her grades have become poor, and does not feel the influence of the Spirit in her life anymore. She adds, “I don’t understand why God has made my life so hard and has abandoned me.”

---Ponder how you would respond to this young woman.

---Read Isaiah 59:1–2 (see how their sins had affected them)

the phrase “the Lord’s hand is not shortened” = that the Lord’s power to save has not decreased.

---What principle did Isaiah teach about the effects of sin on a person’s relationship with God?

(When we sin, we separate ourselves from God.)

---Write God on the board, and ask a volunteer to stand facing it for a while.

---In this position, ____#1_____ represents people who honor their covenants and follow God.

---Read Isaiah 59:3–4, 7 (see the sins the people had committed. )

---____ take a step away from the board for each sin that is mentioned in answer to the following questions. Stay standing and continue to take steps away from the board until students identify the principle for this section of the lesson.

---What sins had the people committed?

---Why do you think committing these sins would separate someone from God?

---Which of these sins are prevalent in our day?

---Read Isaiah 59:8–10 silently, looking for effects of being separated from God.

---What did the Israelites experience because their sins had separated them from God?

(they were blindly groping or searching in the darkness for anything to help guide them, like a wall or a fence.)

---Why would being separated from God cause us to walk in darkness or to grope and stumble as if we had no sight?

---Read Isaiah 59:11–13 aloud looking for what the people would further recognize about the effects of their sins.

---What would the Israelites recognize about the effects of their sins?

(Salvation was far from them, their sins testified against them, and by sinning they had departed from God. )

---Notice the distance between ___#1___ and the board.

---Remember the scenario presented at the beginning of the lesson:

---How could recognizing that she had separated herself from God through sin help the young woman in the scenario?

---Think about whether you feel separated from God and what hope exists for us when we feel separated from Him.

---Read Isaiah 59:16 aloud looking for what the Lord saw that the people needed.

---What did the Lord see that His people needed? (An intercessor.)

---Does anyone know what an intercessor is/does?

---An intercessor is someone who intervenes to help settle differences between two people or groups. When we sin, we disrupt our relationship with God, and a penalty must be paid to restore harmony and balance to the relationship. However, we are unable to pay the penalty ourselves and need someone to intercede on our behalf to satisfy the demands of God’s justice.

---According to verse 16, who became the intercessor? (The Lord.)

--the phrase “his arm brought salvation unto him” means the Lord brought salvation to man [see verse 16, footnote d]

---I need a volunteer to stand between __#1_____ and the board. Holding this picture of Jesus Christ.

---In Isaiah 59:17–19 Isaiah described how the Lord would punish His enemies.

---Read Isaiah 59:20 silently, looking for the title Isaiah used for the Lord.

---Report

---How would you explain the Savior’s role as our Redeemer?

---What phrase from Isaiah 59:20 teaches what we need to do so the Lord can intercede for us and redeem us? What does the phrase “turn from transgression” mean?

---___#1____ please turn back toward the board and return to it.

---How do these actions represent repentance?

---__#1______ please write the following incomplete principle on the board:

If we repent of our sins, …

---__#2______ please add then the Lord will intercede for us and redeem us to the sentence on the board.

---Thank you. You may return to your seats.

---Why do you think our repentance is needed for the Lord to intercede for us and redeem us?

---Write a response to the following question in your class notebooks:

---If you could personally express your gratitude to the Savior for interceding for you and redeeming you, what would you tell Him?

---Share?

---Think about whether there is anything in your life you need to repent of.

---Encourage them to begin the process.

II. Isaiah 60–61 Isaiah prophesies of the last days and of the Messiah

---In Isaiah 60 Isaiah prophesied of events that would occur in the last days and during and after the Millennium.

Isaiah 60:19–22. “The sun shall be no more thy light by day”

Elder Orson Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of how the Lord will become the source of light for the inhabitants of Zion:

“Zion will [not] need the sun when the Lord is there, and all the city is lighted up by the glory of his presence. When the whole heavens above are illuminated by the presence of his glory we shall not need those bright luminaries of heaven to give light, so far as the city of Zion is concerned. But there will be a great people round about, dwelling in other cities that will still have need of the light of the sun and the moon; but the great capital city where the Lord will establish one of his thrones—for his throne is not to be in Jerusalem alone, it will also be in Zion, as you will find in numerous places in this Bible. When, therefore, he shall establish his throne in Zion and shall light up the habitations thereof with the glory of his presence, they will not need this light which comes from the bright luminaries that shine forth in yonder heavens, but they will be clothed upon with the glory of their God” (“Discourse,” Deseret News, Mar. 20, 1872, 79).

---In Isaiah 61, Isaiah spoke of the Savior’s mission.

---Write Luke 4:16–21 as a cross-reference in your scriptures next to Isaiah 61:1–2.

---These verses in Luke give an account of when the Savior read from Isaiah 61:1–2 during His mortal ministry and declared that the prophecy contained in those verses would be fulfilled in Him.

---Read Isaiah 61:1 aloud looking for different parts of the Savior’s mission.

---Notice the phrase “the Lord hath anointed me.” The title Messiah means “anointed one,” referring to the one chosen by God to lead and deliver His people.

---What are some of the “good tidings,” or good news, the Savior preached and continues to preach?

---How did the Savior “bind up the brokenhearted” during His mortal ministry? How does He continue to do so in our day?

---How does the Savior bring “liberty to the captives” and open “the prison to them that are bound”? How can this relate to spirits in the postmortal spirit world? (see D&C 138:11–12, 15–18, 29–31).

---Read Isaiah 61:2–3 aloud looking for what the Savior does for those who mourn.

---The “day of vengeance” refers to the day when God punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous.

---What does the Savior do for those who mourn?

---The phrase “beauty for ashes” (Isaiah 61:3) comes because the Israelites had a custom of pouring ashes on their heads when deeply saddened, as in times of ruin, hopelessness, death, and despair. God promised to replace the ashes with “beauty,” referring to a beautiful head covering or crown of beauty, and to replace mourning with “joy” and sadness with “praise.”

---Based on Isaiah 61:1–3, how would you summarize Jesus Christ’s mission as the promised Messiah in your own words?

As the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ preaches hope, heals, liberates, and comforts.

---Which of these roles of the Savior have special meaning for you? Why?

---In the remainder of Isaiah 61, Isaiah spoke of Zion being built up in the last days. Isaiah also spoke of the Lord making an everlasting covenant with him and with the people and clothing them in “the garments of salvation” (Isaiah 61:10).

III. Isaiah 62–66 Isaiah prophesies of the Second Coming of the Savior and the Millennium

---The final chapters in the book of Isaiah contain Isaiah’s teachings and prophecies about the redemption of the Lord’s people in the last days, the Savior’s Second Coming, and the Millennium.

---An example of a prophecy about the Second Coming, is found in Isaiah 63:1–3. Look for the color of the Savior’s clothing when He returns to the earth.

---What color will the Savior’s clothing be when He returns to the earth? Why that color? 2 reasons.

---The red color of the Savior’s garments represents the blood of the wicked who will be destroyed when justice is poured out upon them at the Second Coming. It can also remind the righteous of the blood Jesus shed on their behalf (see D&C 133:46–53).

---Read Isaiah 64:1–2 and look for what the Lord’s people will pray for in the last days.

---Report

?---The Millennium will begin following the Second Coming.

---Assign half of the class to read Isaiah 65:17–20 silently and the other half to read Isaiah 65:21–25 silently.

---Look for what conditions on earth will be like for the Lord’s people during the Millennium.

---The Joseph Smith Translation provides the following clarification for Isaiah 65:20: “For the child shall not die, but shall live to be an hundred years old.”)

---How would you summarize what conditions will be like for the Lord’s people during the Millennium?

During the Millennium the Lord’s people will enjoy happiness, peace, and prosperity.\

---What are some things we can do to enjoy happiness, peace, and prosperity now?

---Testimony of the goodness of the Lord in providing His people with happiness, peace, and prosperity.

Quotes for students to read

A young woman meets with her bishop and confesses that she has repeatedly broken the Word of Wisdom. She describes how she has lost the trust of her parents, was removed from a school club because her grades have become poor, and does not feel the influence of the Spirit in her life anymore. She adds, “I don’t understand why God has made my life so hard and has abandoned me.”

An intercessor is someone who intervenes to help settle differences between two people or groups. When we sin, we disrupt our relationship with God, and a penalty must be paid to restore harmony and balance to the relationship. However, we are unable to pay the penalty ourselves and need someone to intercede on our behalf to satisfy the demands of God’s justice.

Isaiah 60:19–22. “The sun shall be no more thy light by day”

Elder Orson Pratt of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of how the Lord will become the source of light for the inhabitants of Zion:

“Zion will [not] need the sun when the Lord is there, and all the city is lighted up by the glory of his presence. When the whole heavens above are illuminated by the presence of his glory we shall not need those bright luminaries of heaven to give light, so far as the city of Zion is concerned. But there will be a great people round about, dwelling in other cities that will still have need of the light of the sun and the moon; but the great capital city where the Lord will establish one of his thrones—for his throne is not to be in Jerusalem alone, it will also be in Zion, as you will find in numerous places in this Bible. When, therefore, he shall establish his throne in Zion and shall light up the habitations thereof with the glory of his presence, they will not need this light which comes from the bright luminaries that shine forth in yonder heavens, but they will be clothed upon with the glory of their God” (“Discourse,” Deseret News, Mar. 20, 1872, 79).

The phrase “beauty for ashes” (Isaiah 61:3) comes because the Israelites had a custom of pouring ashes on their heads when deeply saddened, as in times of ruin, hopelessness, death, and despair. God promised to replace the ashes with “beauty,” referring to a beautiful head covering or crown of beauty, and to replace mourning with “joy” and sadness with “praise.”