Jesus Christ invites us all to come unto Him.
There are many beautiful truths to consider in 2 Nephi 26:23–24. For example, you could think about what Jesus Christ has done “for the benefit of the world”—and for you. How does He “draw all men”—and you—“unto him”? What do you feel inspired to do in response to His expressions of love?
I'm not going to lie, this was a difficult lesson for me. But now that I've figured out what I want to do, I love it! This lesson is very centered on Christ, and therefore needs a safe place for the spirit. Prep your students, for this if you feel like you need to.
I will start with this on the board when they walk in. Yours doesn't have to look pretty, but there is a free printable if you want it(:
We can look at the scriptures 2 Nephi 26:23–24 together and then I'm going to tell them that I am going to leave markers/chalk at the front of the class, and with total silence, I would invite everyone to come to the front and write down their thoughts. I also will encourage everyone to stay off their phones and just think for a minute about what they would write, even if they don't want to stand and write it down. Don't be afraid of long pauses...I'm saying this for me. I have a hard time being patient with the spirit(:
We definitely don't know what your students will write down. But I'm guessing so we can move forward.
I want to compliment everyone willing to share their personal feelings on the Savior, and those that did it silently. I would testify how important this relationship with the Savior is. Gaining a personal testimony of the Savior is the most important thing they can do in this life.
Then I'm going to invite them to open the talk Dallin H. Oaks, “What Has Our Savior Done for Us?,” Liahona, May 2021, 75–77; And we are going to find more things to add to our list. Let them write it down when they find it. So the chalkboard is over flowing(: If you find something a student already wrote down and Elder Oaks mentions, compliment them on their insight, and ask if they would like to add anything else to it, or anything extra they learned about it from Elder Oaks.
Testify again and again and again of the Savior throughout this activity.
Invite the students to testify. Here is a video put out by the church that shows how powerful that can be:
It is called "Invite Us to Testify." Click on the image.
Keep reading and looking for truths about the Savior in verses 25–33. Notice in particular His invitations. How would you summarize Jesus Christ’s message to you in one sentence? A hymn like “Come unto Jesus” (Hymns, no. 117) could open your mind to additional impressions.
Consider how these verses might influence the way you interact with others and invite them to come unto Christ. You might find some ideas in Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s message “The Doctrine of Belonging” (Liahona, Nov. 2022, 53–56).
See also 3 Nephi 18:30–32; Dallin H. Oaks, “What Has Our Savior Done for Us?,” Liahona, May 2021, 75–77; Gospel Topics, “Belonging in the Church of Jesus Christ,” Gospel Library.
If you think 8X10 is too small, you are welcome to send it to a copy center to enlarge it.
This is how our lesson looked. I love how it shows it doesn't have to be beautiful. Also the person that wrote "Sealed me to my family." Was adopted. Another one "Gave trails" both great opportunities to talk to the students and ask them to "tell me more." And get the youth to testify.
Satan seeks to deceive.
Many of Satan’s lies and tactics are exposed in 2 Nephi 28. Look for them in verses 6, 8, 21–23, 29. Why do you need to know about Satan’s lies? What will you do when the adversary tries to deceive you?
Listed below are some scriptures that reject Satan’s lies. See if you can match the true doctrine in these verses with the false doctrine Nephi warns us about in 2 Nephi 28:
2 Nephi 2:17: there is a devil (2 Nephi 28:22: “I am no devil, for there is none”)
See also Gary E. Stevenson, “Deceive Me Not,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 93–96.
Here is the game:
Set up your board like this.
As your students look up the scriptures and match things up, talk about each match-up. What do you think that scripture means? How does this apply to your life today?
It should look something close to this, when they are done:
Psst! These don’t have to be the correct answers, if the students have a good reason for wanting 2 or three matching the same scripture, or article of faith that is fine. This is an opportunity to for you to ask lots and lots of questions. “What do you think about the Lord not being able to look upon sin?” “What is the danger of not believing there is a devil?” “How does this apply to your life today?” If you don’t complete this activity, but you spent time talking about doctrine that the students want to talk about then you can count that as a win.
God continues to give revelation to guide His children.
As Latter-day Saints, we are blessed with an abundance of the word of God. And yet, as Nephi warned, we must never feel that “we have enough!” As you read the warnings in 2 Nephi 28:27–31 and 2 Nephi 29, think about questions like these:
How does God want me to feel about and respond to His word?
Why are people sometimes “angry” about receiving more truth from God? (2 Nephi 28:28). Do I ever feel this way? If so, how can I change?
What does it mean to receive God’s word? How can I show Him that I want to receive more of His word?