Kylee's blessing/FHE Lesson -- Atonement

We had a wonderful Sabbath yesterday from beginning to end. We started out the day by attending my sweet little niece's blessing. Kylee looked so pretty in her blessing dress. She received a nice blessing from her father.  Grandpa, uncle Michael, and uncle Rex were able to stand in the circle. [I stole the picture from Lisa's blog. Sorry Lisa. We didn't get any pictures]

Then everybody came over to our house for our monthly family dinner/family home evening. We had a lovely roast beef dinner and then it was my opportunity to teach the lesson. I decided to teach about our Savior's atonement. I asked Michael if he would learn "Jesus Was No Ordinary Man" on the guitar. And I asked Lisa and Chanelle if they would join him in singing it as part of my lesson. It was the best part of the lesson. It couldn't have sounded better. They did a wonderful job.

I've decided to include my notes/lesson plan for anyone who would like to use it to teach their own lesson on the atonement.

Tammy’s Family Home Evening Lesson

July 1, 2012

Opening hymn: #193-- I Stand All Amazed

Opening prayer: volunteer

v  Pre-mortal existence

Ø  We lived with Heavenly Father as  spirit children

Ø  Progressed as far as we could

§  We had to leave the presence of the Father

§  We would all sin

v  Council in heaven

Ø  Heavenly father knew we would sin.

Ø  Because he loved us he prepared a plan.

Ø  We needed a Savior to pay for our sins and to teach us how to live

Ø  Heavenly Father asked, “Whom Shall I Send?” Abraham 3:27

Ø  Jesus  said  “send me”

§  Choice

§  Atone for our sins

§  Glory be to the father

v  Satan said “send me”

§  No choice

§  Force us to do his will

§  Give me thine glory

§  Our purpose for coming to earth would have been frustrated

v  War in heaven

§  Satan rebelled

§  1/3 hosts of heaven followed Satan

¨       Were cast out of heaven

¨       Never received bodies

§  2/3 follow Jesus’s plan

¨       Came to earth to be tested

¨       Received physical bodies

v  Fall of Adam

§  Garden of Eden

¨       Immortal-no physical death

¨       No children

¨       In God’s presence

¨       Never made a choice between good and evil

¨       Could eat from every tree except the tree of knowledge of good and evil

¨       Commanded to multiply and replenish the earth Moses 2:28

§  Satan beguiles Eve

¨       Satan was seeking to destroy God’s plan

¨       Satan tempted Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil

¨       Satan told Eve that she and Adam would not die …

¨       but would be as Gods  knowing  good from evil Moses 4:11

Physical Change

¨       Became mortal

¨       Were able to have children

¨       Had to work by the sweat of their brow

§  Spiritual change

¨       Could no longer walk and talk with God in his presence

¨       literal physical and spiritual separation from God

§  Blessings from the Fall of Adam

¨       We are blessed with physical bodies

¨       We have the right to choose between good and evil – agency

¨       Opportunity for eternal life

v  The Atonement Is Necessary For Salvation

§  Alma 34:9-10  "For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made. For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice."

§  Adam’s fall brought physical and spiritual death into the world

§  Physical death is separation from our bodies

§  Spiritual death is separation from God

§  Were it not for the atonement the separations from our bodies and from God would be permanent

v  Heavenly Father’s Plan

§  Because Heavenly Father loves us he prepared a plan to save us from physical and spiritual death

§  He planned for a Savior to redeem us from physical and spiritual death

§  Because of our sins and mortal weakness we could not redeem ourselves. Alma 34:10 – 12

§  The Savior would need to be sinless and have power over death

v  Atonement

§  Atonement means literally at one ment or the condition of being at one (with God)

v  The atonement takes place in three phases

Ø  The Garden of Gethsemane

¨       The weight of our sins caused him to bleed from every pore

§  Luke 22:44 And being in an ^aagony he prayed more earnestly: ^band his sweat was as it were great drops of ^cblood falling down to the ground.

§  Mosiah 3:7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

§  Doctrine and Covenants 19: 18 Which ^asuffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might ^bnot drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

§  19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and ^afinished my preparations unto the children of men.

Ø  The cross at Calvary

¨       Jesus suffered a painful death by one of the most cruel methods known to man

The tomb of Arimathea

¨       On the third day after his crucifixion, Christ became the first person to be resurrected.

¨       Resurrection is the reuniting of spirit and body in perfect form never to be separated again.

v  Two parts of the atonement

Ø  Resurrection

§  Jesus’s resurrection made it possible for all of us to be resurrected one day.

§  Because of Christ’s resurrection, everybody, whether good or evil, will be resurrected.

§  It is a free gift to us.

Ø  Atonement

§  The atonement covers two types of spiritual death.

¨       The first is our separation from God because of the fall of Adam.

§  Because of Christ’s atonement we will all be returned to the presence of our Heavenly Father for final judgment. This is a temporary reuniting

¨       The second is our separation from God because of our sins.

§  Christ’s atonement made it possible for us to dwell with God for eternity.

Unlike resurrection, this is not a free gift. We must do our part.

·         Faith

·         Repentance

·         Baptism by immersion

·         The gift of the Holy Ghost

·         Endure to the end (keep the commandments)

Special musical number: Jesus Was No Ordinary Man

                                                Performed by: Michael, Lisa, Chanelle

Storyboard presentation-  http://www.mormonshare.com/sites/default/files/images/Bridge-PlanOfSalvation.pdf

 

Matching game—Place 12 pairs of matching pictures of Jesus facedown. Everybody takes a turn turning over 2 pictures. When someone gets a match they get a prize. (Hershey’s miniatures) continue until all matches are made.

 

Soap analogy—I gave everybody a bar of soap. Not just ordinary soap either, I gave them Stonecraft soaps! J I mentioned no unclean thing can dwell with God.         

Alma7:21 And he doth not dwell in ^aunholy temples; neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God;

            1 Nephi 10: 21 Wherefore, if ye have sought to do ^awickedly in the days of your ^bprobation, then ye are found ^cunclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever.

The soap is to remind them that the atonement makes us clean and makes it possible for us to live with Heavenly Father again.

Closing hymn: #136--  I know that my Redeemer lives

Closing prayer: volunteer