FHE Lesson -- "Come, Follow Me"

Tammy’s Family Home Evening Lesson

April 21, 2019

“Come, Follow Me”

Opening song: “ Come, Follow Me”, hymn number 116

Opening prayer: by invitation

From: “Come, Follow Me”, Russell M. Nelson, April 2019 General Conference:

[tell story about President Nelson’s daughter dying of cancer and going to paradise because she kept her Covenants]

[tell story about policemen saving people from the fire in Paradise California and wondering where his own family was]

“The account of John’s concern for his family has prompted me to speak today with those of you who may ask when approaching the end of your mortal life, “Where is my family?” In that coming day when you will complete your mortal probation and enter the spirit world, you will be brought face-to-face with that heart-wrenching question: “Where is my family?”

“Jesus Christ teaches the way back to our eternal home. He understands our Heavenly Father’s plan of eternal progression better than any of us. After all, He is the keystone of it all. He is our Redeemer, our Healer, and our Savior.

“Ever since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, Jesus the Christ has offered His mighty arm to help all who choose to follow Him. Repeatedly, scriptures record that despite all kinds of sins from all kinds of people, His arms are outstretched still.2

[no matter what we do Jesus will always love us and want what’s best for us.]

“The spirit in each of us naturally yearns for family love to last forever. Love songs perpetuate a false hope that love is all you need if you want to be together forever. And some erroneously believe that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ provides a promise that all people will be with their loved ones after death.

“In truth, the Savior Himself has made it abundantly clear that while His Resurrection assures that every person who ever lived will indeed be resurrected and live forever,3 much more is required if we want to have the high privilege of exaltation. Salvation is an individual matter, but exaltation is a family matter.

“Listen to these words spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ to His prophet: “All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise … are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.”⁴

“So, what is required for a family to be exalted forever? We qualify for that privilege by making covenants with God, keeping those covenants, and receiving essential ordinances.

“This has been true since the beginning of time. Adam and Eve, Noah and his wife, Abraham and Sarah, Lehi and Sariah, and all other devoted disciples of Jesus Christ—since the world was created—have made the same covenants with God. They have received the same ordinances that we as members of the Lord’s restored Church today have made: those covenants that we receive at baptism and in the temple.

“The Savior invites all to follow Him into the waters of baptism and, in time, to make additional covenants with God in the temple and receive and be faithful to those further essential ordinances. All these are required if we want to be exalted with our families and with God forever.

The anguish of my heart is that many people whom I love, whom I admire, and whom I respect decline His invitation. They ignore the pleadings of Jesus Christ when He beckons, “Come, follow me.”⁵

“I understand why God weeps.⁶ I also weep for such friends and relatives. They are wonderful men and women, devoted to their family and civic responsibilities. They give generously of their time, energy, and resources. And the world is better for their efforts. But they have chosen not to make covenants with God. They have not received the ordinances that will exalt them with their families and bind them together forever.⁷

“How I wish I could visit with them and invite them to consider seriously the enabling laws of the Lord. I’ve wondered what I could possibly say so they would feel how much the Savior loves them and know how much I love them and come to recognize how covenant-keeping women and men can receive a “fulness of joy.”⁸

“They need to understand that while there is a place for them hereafter—with wonderful men and women who also chose not to make covenants with God—that is not the place where families will be reunited and be given the privilege to live and progress forever. That is not the kingdom where they will experience the fulness of joy—of never-ending progression and happiness.⁹ Those consummate blessings can come only by living in an exalted celestial realm with God, our Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and our wonderful, worthy, and qualified family members.

“I feel to say to my reticent friends:

“In this life, you have never settled for second best in anything. Yet, as you resist fully embracing the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, you are choosing to settle for second best.

“The Savior said, ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions.’¹⁰ However, as you choose not to make covenants with God, you are settling for a most meager roof over your head throughout all eternity.”

“I would further entreat my reticent friends by saying:

“Pour out your heart to God. Ask Him if these things are true. Make time to study His words. Really study! If you truly love your family and if you desire to be exalted with them throughout eternity, pay the price now—through serious study and fervent prayer—to know these eternal truths and then to abide by them.

“If you are not sure you even believe in God, start there. Understand that in the absence of experiences with God, one can doubt the existence of God. So, put yourself in a position to begin having experiences with Him. Humble yourself. Pray to have eyes to see God’s hand in your life and in the world around you. Ask Him to tell you if He is really there—if He knows you. Ask Him how He feels about you. And then listen.”

One such dear friend of mine had limited experiences with God. But he longed to be with his departed wife. So he asked me to help him. I encouraged him to meet with our missionaries in order to understand the doctrine of Christ and learn of gospel covenants, ordinances, and blessings.

“That he did. But he felt the course they advised would require him to make too many changes in his life. He said, “Those commandments and covenants are just too difficult for me. Also, I can’t possibly pay tithing, and I don’t have time to serve in the Church.” Then he asked me, “Once I die, please do the necessary temple work for my wife and me so that we can be together again.”

“Thankfully, I am not this man’s judge. But I do question the efficacy of proxy temple work for a man who had the opportunity to be baptized in this life—to be ordained to the priesthood and receive temple blessings while here in mortality—but who made the conscious decision to reject that course.

[Exaltation requires work. Living the Gospel requires work.  Work is an eternal principle.  If you want the glory of exaltation and the opportunity to live as families in the hereafter, you must put forth the work required.]

[Some of you might be worried about your family being together in the hereafter because of bad choices made by certain family members.  President Eyring (Grandpa’s favorite apostle) gave reassuring words to those thus worried in his April 2019 conference address:

“My promise to you is one that a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles once made to me. I had said to him that because of choices some in our extended family had made, I doubted that we could be together in the world to come. He said, as well as I can remember, “You are worrying about the wrong problem. You just live worthy of the celestial kingdom, and the family arrangements will be more wonderful than you can imagine.”

“I believe that he would extend that happy hope to any of us in mortality who have done all we can to qualify ourselves and our family members for eternal life. I know that Heavenly Father’s plan is a plan of happiness. I testify that His plan makes it possible for each of us who has done the best we can to be sealed in a family forever.”—President Henry B. Eyring, April 2019, A Home Where the Spirit of the Lord Dwells

[Everything will work out in the end if we are true to the faith and stay on the covenant path.]

Continuing President Nelson’s talk:

“My dear brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ invites us to take the covenant path back home to our Heavenly Parents and be with those we love. He invites us to “come, follow me.”

“Now, as President of His Church, I plead with you who have distanced yourselves from the Church and with you who have not yet really sought to know that the Savior’s Church has been restored. Do the spiritual work to find out for yourselves, and please do it now. Time is running out.

“The battle with sin is real. The adversary is quadrupling his efforts to disrupt testimonies and impede the work of the Lord.”  -- Russell M. Nelson, April 2019,”We Can Do Better and Be Better”

“I testify that God lives! Jesus is the Christ. His Church and the fulness of His gospel have been restored to bless our lives with joy, here and hereafter.  I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

I will add my testimony to that of President Nelson’s.  To survive spiritually in these last days before the Second Coming of Our Savior, we must do the spiritual work necessary every day to stay in tune with the Holy Ghost.  Satan is working harder than ever and so must we.  I know so many people, elect, once strong members, who are dropping like flies.  Because they are not doing the spiritual work necessary to survive Satan’s attacks.

Please, if you’ve distanced yourself from the Church, please do the necessary work to return to the covenant path.  If you have not yet sought the covenant path, please put forth the effort to do so.  Time is short.  Your eternal destiny is at stake.

I’m so very thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ and for all He’s done for us through His atonement including His resurrection. Please don’t throw away the infinite gift of His atonement.  It is a priceless gift.  Please follow this admonition to “Come, Follow Me”.  In the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Closing hymn: “That Easter Morn” number198 or “He Is Risen” number199

Closing prayer: by invitation

My handouts:

Front.  I personalize them with everybody's name.

Back of hand out.

I printed them back to back and laminated.

Generic version for anyone who wants to use it.