Time to God

Atonement Lesson

Atonement Lesson/March Come Follow Me/Youth Sunday School/Ages 12-18

Draw on the Board these five items:
(or better yet, invite someone(s) to draw each thing on the board)
1) a nickel, 2) an eraser, 3) the tower of Babel, 4) Humpty Dumpty, and 5) a pencil.

Ask the students what they think each of these items have in common?

Tell them that each of these items can be used to explain the atonement.  Ask the students which they would like to hear about first.  Read and Demonstrate (figuratively or literally) and Discuss the following stories and examples.  I found each of these stories online and loved their examples.  The students really enjoyed how these RANDOM items could correlate to the atonement. These "parables" got each of them thinking.  At the end of the lesson, challenge each of the students to determine to partake worthily of the sacrament each week and to use the atonement in their lives.

1) Nickel

Give each person a nickel. Set out a treat. Tell them the cost per treat is 10 cents. You can't pool money or share. Give them a bit to think and discuss it. After a couple of minutes, ask "Did you think to ask me for the money?" Give everyone an additional nickel. Compare this to grace. We want eternal life, but we don't have "enough" to get in. Through the Atonement, Christ provides the difference. To get the treat, they had to put in everything they had-personal best- and then ask for help.

2) Eraser

Procedure: Ask your family to suppose that at the beginning of each school year each student was given an eraser to use. When a mistake was made, the eraser would be used to correct it instead of writing over it or crossing it out. This would allow the student to correct the error and learn from it. It would not be important how much of the eraser was left at the end or the year. What would matter would be that it was used each time it was needed. Therefore, even a student who made many errors could finish the year successfully.

Explain that as children of God we have been given an eraser to take care of our mistakes. It is repentance. It is important that we don't cover up or ignore our shortcomings. We must use the process our Savior's atonement made possible for us to correct the errors in our lives. In the end it will not matter how often we have had to rely on repentance. What will matter is whether we did repent every time it was needed. By doing this we can finish this earth life successfully.

(Beth Lefgren and Jennifer Jackson, More Power Tools for Teaching, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1991], p. 61.)

3) The Tower of Babel

Story: I once asked a young boy graduating from Primary what was his favorite scripture story. "The Tower of Babel," he quickly responded. His answer was somewhat of a shock for me, so I asked him what that story taught him. "It teaches me that there is only one way to get to heaven," he said.

We cannot build our own stairway to heaven; we must climb the one the Lord has provided. This stairway is constructed by the Lord, for He stands waiting for His children to climb toward Him. Far too many people want to build their own stairway, and though they may proceed with their construction plans, they never reach high enough to achieve the goal of reunion with our Father in Heaven. There is no other stair!

(S. Michael Wilcox, Don't Leap with the Sheep, [Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 2001], p. 166.)

[tower of babel story found in GENESIS and also in the Book of Mormon]

4) Humpty Dumpty

(a blogger rewrote the Humpty Dumpty story to let it have more meaning instead of being a hopeless poem) [so many things to discuss and talk about with this one]

•Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

•Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

•All the King’s horses and all the King’s men

•Couldn’t put Humpty together again

•But then, Humpty got up and looked good as new

•His shell was all shiny and he didn’t use glue

•He looked at the horses and all the King’s men

•And said, “I don’t need you to put me together again!”

•But then… he did realize that something was amiss

•His outsides were fine, but his insides were all mixed

•All scrambled, all churned, like an omelet he felt

•So he began to plead to all the King’s helps

•But they all declined with their heads bowed down low,

•“We haven’t what it takes to heal such a blow,

•In fact we are each in the same state as you”

•Said all the King’s men, and his horses cried, “Us too!”

•“There is no man here that can fix this great sting,

•But the man up the hill can, we call him our King,

•So go up the hill now, He’s waiting for you

•As he waited for us to heal up this few.”

•“But there are some things of you he’ll require,

•Your heart and your sould, and all your desires.

•You see, we have learned this, so the past years we’ve been

•All the King’s horses, and all the King’s men.“

CREDIT FOR HUMPTY DUMPTY POEM: https://www.theredheadedhostess.com/scripture-study-tips-2/more-study-ideas/a-talk-that-changed-me-and-humpty-dumpty/

5) Pencil
The Pencil Parable

• You will be able to do great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held by someone higher than you. 
• It is ok to experience a painful sharpening from time to time. 
• The most important part of you will always be what’s on the inside. Be men and women of honor, relying on your inner core values and morals. 
• You will make mistakes. Everyone does. That is why pencils have an eraser.
• Make your mark. Make a difference wherever you go.

Sunday School Lesson: Atonement Pop Quiz

True/False Atonement Quiz
ATONEMENT LESSON
March Come Follow Me
Sunday School Lesson
Ages 12-18

Hand out the True/False Atonement Quiz at the beginning of class.  Give the students about 5 minutes to take it.  Go over the questions and answers.  This quiz provides a great follow along lesson about the basics of the atonement for the students. It can help you see what the the students understand about the atonement and how to develop your next lessons.

True/False Pop Quiz                              Name______________________________

Subject: The Atonement

True	False	The Atonement process only occurred while Jesus was on the cross.
True	False	The Atonement is not for everyone.
True	False	In the Garden of Gethsemane, the weight of our sins caused the Savior to feel such agony that He bled from every pore.
True	False	Only He could redeem us from our sins. God the Father gave Him this power (Hel 5:11). The Savior was able to receive this power and carry out the Atonement because He kept Himself free from sin: He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them. Having lived a perfect, sinless life, He was free from the demands of justice. Because He had the power of redemption and because He had no debt to justice, he could pay the debt for those who repent.
True	False	When we die, our spirits also die.
True	False	Although we are redeemed unconditionally from the universal effects of the Fall, we are accountable for our own sins. But we can be forgiven and cleansed from the stain of sin if we “apply the atoning blood of Christ”
True	False	Jesus died for our sins. Therefore, the ONLY purpose of the atonement is to (erase or) pay for our sins and not to change us.
True	False	Jesus Christ was foreordained to carry out the Atonement – to come to the earth, suffer the penalty for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, die on the cross, and be resurrected. He became “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8).
True	False	Adam and Ella partook of the fruit in the Garden of Eden, thus causing the Fall from being close to Heavenly Father.  We needed a Savior who could help redeem us from our spiritual fallen state.
True	False	Jesus Christ did what only He could do in atoning for our sins. To make His Atonement fully effective in our individual lives, we must have faith in Christ, repent of our sins, be baptized and confirmed by one having authority, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, obey God’s commandments, receive sacred ordinances, and strive to become like Him. As we do these things through His Atonement, we can return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father forever.

.

Answers:
1 FALSE
2 FALSE
3 TRUE
4 TRUE
5 FALSE
6 TRUE
7 FALSE - not the only purpose
8 TRUE
9 FALSE - adam and eve
10 TRUE

The Scriptures Teach About The Atonement of Jesus Christ

Sunday School Lesson
The Scriptures Teach About The Atonement of Jesus Christ
March Come Follow Me
Ages 12-18

The scriptures are full of information and examples of the atonement.  Below is a handout of some scriptures you can go over as a class.  Explain to students that if they ever have any questions (especially about the atonement) that you can ask Heavenly Father through prayer and He can speak back to us through the scriptures.

Plan of Salvation Olympics

PLAN OF SALVATION OLYMPICS

February : Plan of Salvation

Why is learning an important part of Heavenly Father’s plan?
Sunday School Official Lesson:
https://www.lds.org/youth/learn/ss/plan-of-salvation?lang=eng

You can pretty much change up the rules as much as you want, but the scriptures go along with the main subject question.  I decided which ever group read the scripture, they got to choose the order of which the competitors got to go for each event.

This activity is for ages 12-18 year olds, you can definitely make the events easier or harder depending on the kids.  It should only take about 30-40 minutes.  It could also be used for a weekly youth activity.

Please email for pdf versions of these, as I have no idea how to post them via pdf.

Don't Forget my in-depth plan of salvation chart is found here

Larger Versions:

Plan of Salvation - Chalk it Up!

We were inspired by the New York Missionaries who shared their message of the Plan of Salvation using sidewalk chalk at Union Square here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJhLtjl246k

We basically split up the Plan of Salvation into 4 parking spots.  I split my class into 5 groups.  One group was in charge of writing the title below.  And we also put our hand prints in the mortal stage parking spot.  I think it really helped them to understand the steps.  Even though one of the kids the next week was honestly explaining the kingdoms as "Celestial, Terrestrial, Telestial, and Outer Space." Made me laugh.  Also I usually don't like sharing pictures of our wonderful kids, but major shout out here.  We also brought towels for people to sit on in case they didn't want to get dirty. Also we didn't make a mess of it and did not vandalize anything during this, we also did it in the far back of the parking lot, so we didn't take up people's spots for church — it even rained the next day and washed it away.

Plan of Salvation: PreMortal Existence (Sunday School Activity)

Plan of Salvation: PreMortal Existence
THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING WHERE WE CAME FROM
Ages 12-18
Sunday School Activity

We have about 23 students in our class, so we put 3-4 kids in each group.  Most classes have a lot less so 1-2 kids per group.  Give Students 10 minutes to complete their own groups page.  Spend the Next 30 minutes answering all the questions and asking questions to the groups who did each page respectively as you go along.  I put all the questions (all 6 group questions) onto one page for each student so they could take notes whenever.

By understanding where we came from, we can:

-Understand Who We Are

-Know Where We Are Going

-Make Righteous Goals

-Be Enlightened and Receive Blessings

-Be Confident in God’s Plan for You

-Know That You Are Not Alone

-Know Your Purpose and Assignment

-Understand Why Good and Bad Things Happen

-Make Better Decisions

1)Abraham 3 (Part 1)

Read Abraham 3:1-14

What is the star named that is closest to the throne of God and closest to the Lord’s time?

In the beginning of Abraham 3 (2-10), it proves that God follows a law of physics.  Explain.

Abraham 3:14: How large will Abraham’s family be, what is it compared to?

Abraham 3:19: Who is God more intelligent then?

2)Abraham 3 (Part 2)

Abraham 3:22-28.  Fill in the Blank. 

Abraham 3:22 – Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the ____________________________ that were organized before the __________________ was; and among all these there were many of the ________________________ and _________________________ ones.

What is your “first estate”?  What happened to those that kept their first estate? 

Did everyone in this classroom keep their first estate?

Who did not keep his first estate? What happened to those who did not keep their first estate?

What is your “second estate”?

(verse 27) Who is the “Son of Man” who will be sent?

(verse 25) What is the great purpose of earth life/mortality?

Read Doctrine and Covenants 138:53-56. Were you chosen for certain assignments here on earth?  Do you have a purpose for being alive at this time? (read the quote below)

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 365). In other words, not only was Abraham chosen for certain assignments before birth, but so were you (see D&C 138:53–56).

3)Intelligences/Spirit Matter

D&C 93:29

“Man was also in the _______________________ with God.  Intelligence or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.

Are there a specific number of intelligences?

Were the intelligences ever created?

D&C 93:33

“For man is spirit.  The elements are ___________________________, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fullness of joy.”

What does eternity mean to you?

Explain the quote from a famous author “You don’t have a soul.  You are a soul; you have a body.”

Read D&C 131:7: There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes.

Does the spirit weigh anything?  What is it made of?

Light has a mass that is so fine that it is 0 at resting.  How fast is the speed of light?  How many times can it go around the earth in one second?

How does this scripture help us understand the spirit world?  Why can’t we see the spirit world around us?

4)Spirit Children of our Heavenly Father

Acts 17:29: We are the ______________________________ of God.

Romans 8:16: We are ______________________ of God.

Romans 8:17: We are _____________________ of God. We are _____________________ with Christ.

[Not direct doctrine, quote from askgramps.org] “We have no idea what the physical shape of the eternally existing intelligence is. We know that when a spirit child is born of our Heavenly Parents, a previously existing intelligence enters the spirit body, giving it independent life, in much the same way, I would imagine, that the previously existing spirit enters the mortal body at some time prior to birth, giving it independent life………………The spirit occupies space and has essentially the same form and dimensions as the physical body that it inhabits. The spirit came into being in the same manner as physical bodies come into being. It was born of Heavenly Parents. We do not remember the date of our spiritual births, but the age of the spirit would be counted from that point. Jesus Christ was the first born son of God. He is our elder brother, and all the human family are brothers and sisters to each other-all children of the same Father in Heaven.”

Q: Did God create the intelligences or create the spirit bodies of his children?

Q: Who was the first-born Son of God?

“Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so that undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and eons, of evolving into a God” (in Clark, 5:244).

Q: Are you a Child of God?  What are you capable of in the eternities?

5)Satan and His Followers/War in Heaven

Read Revelation 12:6-9.  Who was fighting in the war in heaven?

________________________and his angels VERSUS the_________________________ and his angels

Who was cast out of heaven?

Where were they sent????????

Read D&C 29:36-39

Did we have agency in the premortal life?

How many of the host of heaven did the devil turn away?

Read D&C 76:25-27.  Fill in the Blank

 25 And this we saw also, and bear record, that an __________________ of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who ____________________ against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,

 26 And was called __________________________, for the heavens wept over him—he was ________________________, a son of the morning.

 27 And we beheld, and lo, he is ___________________! is fallen, even a son of the ­______________________!

Read Moses 4:1-4: How Satan becomes the devil.

What did Satan seek to destroy?

Satan chose a path of full rebellion in the very presence of Heavenly Father. Nobody forced him to this decision. Satan posessed the same agency we all had in the pre-mortal life. While most of us used our agency to obey God, and thus be able to receive further blessings from him, Satan, and those who followed after him used their agency to fight against God. Satan planted seeds of rebellion and disobedience. Eternal Justice demands that he receive the consequences of that choice, and one of those consequences is a complete loss of an opportunity for a mortal life. Because he will never receive a physical body, he will never be able to obtain what is needed to return to God’s presence. Satan knew the consequences of his choice before he made the decision, yet he proceeded despite knowing what it would cost him. Because he knew beforehand, it is ultimately fair that he receive the consequences of his choice. (askgramps.org)

BONUS Question: Read Over Abraham 3, Moses 1-4.

In what order did these three events happen….*the Creation, *the War in Heaven, * Satan and His Followers being cast out.

6)Ecclesiastes 1: The Veil, Eternity, and Increased Wisdom

What does the preacher talk about in Eccl 1:11 as pertaining to the veil?

Eternity is a hard concept for us to understand in mortality. What are some examples of “eternity” or “infinite” in this chapter?

In what verses does the preacher basically say that matter is infinite and neither created or destroyed?

Why do you think that “increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow” means? (Eccl 1:18) 

Definition of sorrow: a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others.  To mourn, to grieve.

How much “knowledge” did Jesus Christ have on this earth?  How can we relate that to sorrow and Him atoning for our sins?

Why do you think there is a “Veil” protecting us from our previous knowledge of our premortal life?  [there are several answers to this question]