LESSON PLAN FOR MOSIAH 4-6

Watch the video presentation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_0nemgpWm7o

ICEBREAKER

Q: Does anybody enjoy running or mountain climbing? “Why do you do it?” What keeps you running? What keeps you climbing?

TRANSITION

Today we are going to study the words of a man who had something to say about enduring a different kind of race, a different kind of climb. That man is King Benjamin and even if you don't enjoy running, climbing or endurance sports, we all need to master the principles of spiritual endurance. 

Q: Do you ever find yourself feeling spiritually weary or burnt out? King Benjamin can help!

SEARCH

One of the most intriguing things about King Benjamin’s speech is to consider his audience. 

Q: What kind of people are the inhabitants of Zarahemla? See if you can find the answer in Mosiah 1:11. 

A: "they have been a diligent people in keeping the commandments of the Lord.

Well that sets this sermon apart from many others in the Book of Mormon. There are so many examples of people going from bad to good in the Book of Mormon, but here we have a sermon directed at people that are already good—people already on the path of righteousness. And that’s why I feel that this talk will be so relevant and applicable to many of you. 

King Benjamin is a leader of a good, obedient people. 

Q:If you were the leader of a righteous people, what might by your biggest worry?

A: My guess would be that you would worry that they would cease being a diligently obedient people. That they could somehow be turned or give up or rebel. 

Well, after reading King Benjamin's talk many times over, my conclusion is that he is most concerned with his people’s spiritual longevity, their spiritual diligence, their ability to maintain their current pace of goodness for the long haul. So I encourage you to read these chapters with that theme in mind, looking for what will help you to endure to the end. What will keep you running or climbing?

THE TWO REQUESTS

So turn to Mosiah chapter 4. We’ve already covered the first half of this talk. We’ve seen King Benjamin convince them of their eternal indebtedness to God, we’ve heard him warn them of the dangers of listing or withdrawing from the Spirit. We’ve heard him encourage them to put off the natural man and become Saints through the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. And at this stage of the sermon, they have been deeply affected by King Benjamin’s words. In 4:1 we see that they have fallen to the earth.

Q:What two requests do the people make after hearing King Benjamin’s sermon?(Mosiah 4:2)

A: One, they ask that the atoning blood of Christ be applied so that they can receive forgiveness of their sins and two, they wish for their hearts to be purified. 

Request #1

Well their first request is answered immediately in the next verse.This is, of course, one of the prevailing themes of the Book of Mormon: God’s swift forgiveness when it’s sought for with sincerity. Remember these are diligently obedient people. The message, even diligently obedient people sin, and they need the atoning blood of Jesus Christ just as much as the wayward soul turning back to Christ. And they need it because (Mosiah 4:29) "And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.” There are sins of commission, and there are sins of omission, and we can sin in our deeds, and in our words, and even in our thoughts, as he says in the next verse. And that’s not meant to be discouraging, it’s just reality. Perfection is unattainable in this life. And so they recognize their need for forgiveness. And it comes!

And with that forgiveness comes joy and a peace of conscience. But they had another request as well.

Request #2

Their second request of having their hearts purified isn’t going to be answered until chapter 5:2. 

Q: What phrases in 5:2 show that they have had their hearts purified? 

A: The Spirit has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts (that they) have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. That’s having your heart purified. 

THE MIGHTY CHANGE

That verse has become such a focal point of this talk, that maybe we zero in a little too much on that phrase, and we kind of forget the message of the rest of his talk.  And the concern with that focus is that we start to look at the “mighty change” as a one time thing. And I don’t think it is. The mighty change may come at various times in our lives. Remember, these people are good people, diligent in keeping the commandments. They are already committed to righteousness. They’ve experienced the change, but they're feeling the mightiness of that change here. What I believe is happening is that their commitment to the gospel is being reinvigorated, like when you blow air onto an already burning campfire—the coals light up, the flames climb higher, the intensity increases, there is a change in the fire. It’s not that the fire has gone out and King Benjamin is relighting it, that’s not the mighty change. His sermon has blown air onto the fire of their faith and it has come roaring back with renewed energy and commitment. And you’ve probably all experienced this before haven’t you?  

Q: When have you experienced “mighty change” moments?

After a particularly powerful talk, or session of scripture study, or after an inspiring spiritual experience or testimony meeting, You walk away with this feeling of “I never want to sin again, I have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. My heart has purified. But that intensity is something that needs to be rekindled frequently in our lives. In fact, you see this idea brought up again by Alma years later to the people of Zarahemla again in Alma 5:26 when he asks:  And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?

Do you still feel that same intensity. See, he’s trying to rekindle that change of heart into a mighty one again. He’s reminding them of that prior “mighty change” they’ve had, but he’s concerned that they might have lost it.  Again, hoping to rekindle that commitment. Also, if the mighty change was a permanent state of being, why would Benjamin do what he does in chapter 6, where we see him:

"and also had appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the oath which they had made." 

HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THE MIGHTY CHANGE?

Some of you may have asked yourself:  “Have I experienced the mighty change?” Is that something in my past or is it still in my future? Let me help you out on that one. I think I could sum it up the meaning of the “mighty change" with one simple question. “Do you want to be good?” That’s it. I think that’s all you have to ask yourself. Do you want to be good? That’s the mighty change. The desire to do what’s right, to have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. Not that you always do good, but that you want to do good. Notice how that description is worded. They don’t say we will no more do evil, but that they have no more disposition to do evil. Their hearts have been purified, like they requested back in 4:2. In Mosiah 4:13 King Benjamin says that they will not have “a mind to injure one another”. Both of those suggest that this is more of a state of desire. And obviously, having the mighty change of heart can’t mean that we never sin again, that we never struggle with the impulses of the natural man, that we only do good continually  Do we honestly believe that King Benjamin’s people never sinned after this talk? That’s not realistic.

EXAMPLES OF THE MIGHTY CHANGE

And to help you internalize this, let me give you some examples of the mighty change of heart. Are there individuals out there in the world who don’t have a desire to be good? That lie, steal, cheat, get angry, and hurt others without a second thought. And the answer is, Yes, there are individuals that are wholly committed to themselves and their own will. They’ve become their natural man and are therefore enemies to God. But that’s not you right? How do you feel when you lie or get angry? You probably feel badly about it. Why? Because you want to be good. Because your heart is pure, but that darn natural man keeps getting in the way. You're like Nephi back in 2 Nephi 4 who laments about getting angry with his brothers. And that’s Nephi!  If you feel that way at times, if you find yourself discouraged about your indiscretions, if you feel remorse over the wrong choices that you make, rather than getting overly discouraged,  I think you can take that as a good sign. You have had the change of heart. You want to be good, you “hunger and thirst after righteousness” like Jesus said. And there will be times when you will feel the mightiness of that change roaring back with vigor at frequent intervals in your life. 

Perhaps one of the best examples I’ve seen of this attitude comes from Boyd K. Packer who describes the moment when he fully committed to the desire to be good. He said:

"I'm not ashamed to say that I want to be good. And I've found in my life that it has been critically important to establish this intention between me and the Lord so that I knew that HE knew which way I committed my agency. I went before Him and said, 'I'm not neutral, and you can do with me what you want. If you need my vote-it's there. I don't care what you do with me and you don't have to take anything from me because I give it to you-everything. All I own. All I am.' And THAT has made all the difference."

Boyd K. Packer

OTHER METAPHORS FOR THE MIGHTY CHANGE

And you know,  there are a number of other different metaphors King Benjamin uses to express this idea of change. 

Q:How else does King Benjamin illustrate this change?

A: if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you”. The metaphor is waking up from a deep sleep. The mighty change is going from sleep to alertness. 

Q: How else does King Benjamin illustrate this change in 5:7? Can you find that one? 

A: It’s a birth, or a rebirth. They are now spiritually begotten, “for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name, therefore, ye are born of him”. They have been born again. 

All of these things are the same idea. The awakening, the rebirth, the mighty change, the purified heart. And I believe that if you can honestly say that you want to be good, that you have experienced them. You've been reborn. 

But is that it? Is that the end we’ve been seeking? No. That’s just the beginning. Once I’m awake, now I go out and act.Now that I’m born, now I need to get out there start growing. 

CHANGE OR ENDURANCE?

That’s why I said at the beginning that I felt that this was more of a talk about endurance than change. So I wouldn’t call this lesson “A Mighty change of Heart” I would call it one of these other phrases from the following verses that suggest spiritual longevity or endurance. 

Q: Can you find the endurance phrases in the following verses?"

• 4:6—be diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his lifeith

• 4:30—continue in the faith of what ye have heard, even unto the end of your lives

• 5:5--obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days

• 5:8--Be obedient unto the end of your lives

• 5:12--remember to retain the name written always in your hearts. 

So you see, it’s more about living and acting, than it is about waking up. It’s more about growing up, than it is about being born. It's more about continuing than commencing, retaining, than gaining. It’s about enduring. 

OTHER PRINCIPLES TO EXPLORE

• 4:14-15 How to be better parents

• 4:16-26 Principles of Charity

• 4:30 Watch your thoughts, words, and deeds

HOW TO ENDURE

I’ll give you the verses I see them in and the title I give them; and then I want you to read them and prepare yourself mentally to explain how the message of that section helps us to endure to the end as if you were going to teach them to somebody else that was having trouble enduring. 

You could divide these out to groups or individuals and then have them share.

• Mosiah 4:11-12   Retain a Remembrance

• Mosiah 5:5-6       Commit with a Covenant

• Mosiah 5:7-12     Retain the Name

• Mosiah 5:12-13   Value the Voice

• Mosiah 4:27        Run the Race Right

#1 Retain A Remembrance.

 They’ve come to the knowledge of the glory and the goodness of God, they’ve tasted his love, they’ve received a remission of their sins. That’s the rebirth, that’s the awakening, that’s the change. They want to be good. But that was just the beginning. He then says “I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance” those truths.  We can’t afford to forget them. We need to be reminded of God’s goodness, and our own nothingness, and our need for his atonement, and the importance of staying humble. Something else that will help us to retain a remembrance is calling on the name of the Lord daily. Continual prayer is a key element of remembering.  And one of the coolest blessings for retaining him in remembrance, is the promise that he will retain something. This is a two way street. 

Q: What will He retain if we retain? The answer is in verse 12. 

A: We’ll retain a remission of our sins. Just because we’re good people, and we want to do good, doesn’t mean we still won’t need a large helping of forgiveness, often. So retain a remembrance, and you’ll retain your remission. 

That blessing of continuous forgiveness helps me to remember and to endure. 

#2 Commit with A Covenant

This is related to the last one because this too will help us retain a remembrance.  

Q: What do the people say they are willing to do in 5:5?  

A: To enter into a covenant. 

Q: What is the covenant? 

A: To be obedient to his commandments all the remainder of their days. 

Covenants solidify our commitment. And that continues to be a part of our worship today doesn’t it. In fact, we renew that covenant every week.  And then I want to show you something cool that I noticed about chapter 5. 

Q: What are the specific promises that these people are being encouraged to make?  Look at the following 3 verses and tell me if you see it: 5:5 again, 5:8, and 5:12

:5  be obedient to his commandments in all things

:8  take upon you the name of Christ

:12 remember to retain the name written always in your hearts

Q: Now where do we see those commitments being made? 

A: Those are the sacrament covenants. I’m not saying that they are performing the sacrament here, they were living the Law of Moses at this time, but the covenants are the same. Making those promises every week in the sacrament helps me to endure. 

#3 Retain the Name

In 5:7-12 Benjamin teaches that when we make that covenant, we are reborn. 

Well, when you are born, you are born to parents. And in this rebirth, Jesus becomes your new father and you take upon yourselves his name. We become children of Christ. Like Paul says in Romans 8:15 "ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Abba is the Hebrew word for Daddy, or Papa. The word a little child uses to call their Father. That’s why Jesus is sometimes referred to as the father as well. He’s the father of our covenant and we become his sons and daughters by making it. I’m his little boy or his little girl. And as his little boys and girls, we want to grow up to be like Daddy. We can sing the primary song with sincerity “I’m trying to be like Jesus, I’m following in his ways, I’m trying to live as he did, in all that I do and say”. Verse 12 tells us to "remember to retain the name written always in your hearts.” In order to become like somebody, I need to always remember them. Why? So that I will do what they did. When I need to make a choice, I remember them, their example comes to mind, and I  ask myself what they would do, and then I follow that example. 

When we are born, our parents give us a name. Often, parents will give names to their children in the hopes that they will reflect that person, or become like them. 

Perhaps share any significance with your names.

Then verse 9 describes what will happen at the second coming or the judgment, he’s going to call for his family, he’s going to call his little boys and girls to him. And If I have that name on me, I’ll be found on the right hand of God. Sometimes we put our names on things. What does that mean about those things when I do that? It means they belong to me. 

Q: So if Jesus puts his name on me, what does that suggest about me?  

A: I’m his.

I love the story of George Albert Smith who had a dream that he met his grandfather who he was named after, George A. Smith, from early church history. And in the dream his grandfather asks him “What have you done with my name?” And he thinks back over his life and all that he had done and answers “I have never done anything with your name of which you need be ashamed”.  Watch that video here" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfjAPHIaLfA

#4 Value the Voice

Now, not only do we need to know the name by which we are called, but we also need to know the voice that calls out our name. Benjamin instructs us to: "hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.

13 For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?"

So if we want to be called to him at the last day and be found on his right hand, we’ve got to be able to recognize his voice. Now everybody’s voice is unique. No two voices in this world are the same. In fact, I think it’s kind of funny, but when somebody that you know well comes and knocks on your door, you call out “who is it?” And how do they usually respond? They say “It’s me!” Which on the surface is really kind of a silly answer, isn’t it. It’s me. But it works, because the person knows and is counting on the fact that you will recognize their voice. 

Q: How do you get to that point, the point where you recognize somebody’s voice? 

A: Well, you spend time with that person. You speak with that person often. You develop a relationship with them. So one of the most important things we can do in this life is to become familiar with the voice of the Savior. How do we do that? We speak with him frequently in prayer. We spend time in his home, the temple.  We listen intently to him as he speaks through the scriptures, the prophets, and in church meetings and classes, because “whether by mine own voice, or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (D&C 1:38). And all throughout our lives, we’re getting to know that voice better and better.

Then one day, when Jesus calls out for his family, He’ll say “All those who have taken upon themselves my name, come out of the world”. And our ears will perk up and we’ll say one of two things. Either we’ll say “I don’t know that voice. That’s not familiar to me. I’m not going to run to a stranger. I think I’ll stay where I’m at.” My thoughts and intents are far from his heart.  Or we’ll say “Ah, I know that voice, I’ve heard it many times before. I trust that voice. I’ve heard that voice in answers to my prayers, I’ve heard that voice echoed in the words of prophets, I've heard that voice in the temple, I’ve heard that voice in the scriptures, It’s the voice of my father, the voice of my Savior”. And we’ll come unto him and be found on his right hand. 

So, getting to know the voice will help me to endure. 

#5 Run the Race Right

Finally, I know it’s a little out of order, but I’ve saved this one until last because I feel it really captures the essence of the entire lesson. It’s a great one to end on.

What better metaphor can we have than a running race. And this isn't a sprint we’re talking about here, it's a marathon. Life is a marathon. Remember, the mighty change of heart is not a one time event, it’s a state of desire. It’s what keeps you running. It’s not the birth, it’s the growing. And running a marathon, and growing up to be like somebody are long term processes. In fact,  Alma is going to give us another metaphor later in Alma 32, where he’s going to compare our spiritual development to growing a tree from a tiny seed. Again, a long term process that takes time. So here he’s going to give us some growing advice or running advice . He tells us to be wise in the way we run, and that we should not run faster than we have strength. That’s one of the first lessons you learn in distance running. Don’t go all out at the beginning, because eventually you will run out of steam before the race is over. 

It’s the same with us spiritually. We need to be careful not to push ourselves too hard and end up giving up because we’re too tired or discouraged or disillusioned with the race. I know that many in the church find themselves discouraged with their progress and feel like they don’t measure up because of their weaknesses or their struggles or their imperfections. And sometimes they give up on the race. Be patient with yourselves and your progress. We’re not going to be exactly like Christ all at once. We’re not going to be fully grown adults in the gospel weeks after we’re born, we’re not going to have a giant oak tree testimony the day after we’ve planted the seed. We need patience, wisdom, and order, and time to get there. We may have experienced the mighty change, but we’re still going to make some mistakes. The race is a long one. We’ll have some stumbles, and some side cramps, and some times we'll be ahead, and sometimes we’ll be behind, sometimes we’ll be leaders, and sometimes we’ll be followers, sometimes the sun will beat down on us, and other times we’ll feel the cool breeze blowing.  But what’s most expedient, Benjamin says, is that we should be diligent that thereby we might win the prize. That’s the secret to this race.  The key is endurance. And the wonderful thing about this race is that you don’t have to be first across the finish line to obtain the prize. You just have to cross the finish line. The race is with ourselves. And all that cross that finish line win the prize.  

THE PRIZE

And what’s the prize? 

Mosiah 5:15 says it best, King Benjamin’s concluding statement:

15 Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

• What things have helped you to maintain your desire to be good?

• What has helped you to “retain a remembrance” of the goodness of God? 

• Are you grateful for your weekly opportunity to partake of the sacrament? Why?

• How have your names inspired you to be a better person?

• What have you done in your life that has helped you to recognize the voice of Christ better?

• What does not running the race "faster than you have strength” look like in your life?

• What is your endurance plan? What can you do this week that will help you to endure?

CONCLUSION

One of my heroes is a man named Ernest Shackleton, the famous Antarctic explorer. His story of survival is an amazing one and his family had a motto which I find inspiration in and strive to live by myself. The Shackleton family motto: “By endurance, we conquer”. It’s not speed, it’s not talent, it’s not perfection, it’s not brute strength that will ultimately bring us the victory in this life. It’s endurance that matters most. So I encourage you to run, and run wisely, I encourage you to grow, and grow deliberately, I encourage you to retain the mighty change, the “I want to be good” attitude, and when it starts to wane, to fan those flames again and again. I encourage you to endure, one spiritual footstep in front of the other, and if you will, running with patience and wisdom, not faster than you have strength, I can promise you that you will conquer, you will conquer the natural man or woman, you will conquer Satan, and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, you will also conquer sin and death, and God will seal you his, not only as a son or daughter of God, which we all are, but as a son or daughter of Christ our Redeemer.