Sunday, August 28, 2016

Primary 4 Lesson 31: Samuel the Lamanite


PRIMARY 4 LESSON 31: SAMUEL THE LAMANITE

Classroom prep:
  • Write on board “prophets foretold the life and mission of jesus christ”
  • Lego Samuel and rice krispie treats wall on table
  • Gospel Art Book of Samuel on display

Who noticed some mini miracles this week?

1/ Songbook 36 samuel tells of the baby jesus / with words
  • Who is this song about?

2a/lesson (below)

2b/What are the arrows in your life that are temptations to not choose the right?
Write on paper to post on the board
Distractions, boredom, taking the easy way out, selfishness, dishonesty, lowering standards, swearing, drugs/alcohol, bad music, swearing, bad tv shows/movies

3/Split up into pairs and make lego walls with samuel
Hand out lego bag with minifigure
Hand out blank paper and pens
Each pair comes up with ways they can dodge those temptations
  • Have faith
  • Have courage
  • Be brave
  • Do the hard things
  • Stand up for what’s right
  • quit wasting time on phones and computers
  • do more productive things
  • quit making excuses
  • quit putting the unimportant things ahead of the important things, etc

LESSON
Remember how Nephi had been really righteous but his people had not and they were humbled with a famine that Nephi used Priesthood Power to happen to them.

The Nephites were righteous for awhile, but within a few years they began to be wicked again….within about 10 years after the famine, they needed to be humbled again and were doomed to be destroyed if they didn’t repent.
OPEN SCRIPTURES TO HELAMAN 13
What message was Samuel the Lamanite sent to reveal to the Nephites? (Helaman 13:6–7.)
Explain that “glad tidings” means “good news,” or the gospel.
Why is the gospel of Jesus Christ good news for us?
We can repent and be forgiven of our sins.
Why is it important to have the Spirit with us? Why is it important not to put off repentance? (Helaman 13:38.)

Each time the Nephites returned to wickedness they were guilty of committing the same sins they had committed before. What were those sins? (Helaman 13:22)
(Forgetting the Lord and his blessings, ingratitude, heart set on riches, boasting, envying     
           (jealousy) strifes (fighting) malice (hate) murders and persecution)

Who were the Nephites following instead of the prophets? (Helaman 13:27–29.) Samuel called these false prophets blind guides. What “foolish and blind guides” are leading people today?  Samuel the Lamanite went to the Nephites and told them they needed to repent. The people were angry at his message, and they threw him out of the land. As Samuel was returning to his own land, the voice of the Lord came to him and told him to do what? (Helman 13:3) (to return and tell the people whatsoever thing that came into his heart.)

What does that mean? Samuel would receive revelation from God concerning what to say.

Samuel returned to Zarahemla, but the people would not allow him to enter into the city. Samuel needed to deliver the message from the Lord. What did he do so he could accomplish this?
He went and got up on the city wall and cried with a loud voice and prophesied what the Lord put into his heart. He prophesied heavy destruction upon the people if they did not repent.
He also delivered another message, a message of glad tidings (which means good news).
• What do you think his message of glad tidings was? Remember Samuel lived in a special time period. He lived during the time period when Jesus Christ, the son of God would come to the earth. His message of glad tidings was that Jesus Christ, the redeemer, would be born on the earth in five years. (Helaman 14:2)
• Why is this good news? Because Jesus would make an atonement for our sins and redeem all who believe on his name.
• Samuel also prophesied concerning the death of Jesus. According to Samuel why did Jesus have to die? (Helaman 14:15-18) Samuel explained that Jesus must die to redeem all mankind from spiritual death and to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead.
POST SIGNS OF BIRTH AND DEATH
How did the people react to Samuel's words? Some believed and went to find Nephi to confess their sins and be baptized (take off the small group of people), but the majority of the people were angry with Samuel.

Why did the people reject Samuel’s teachings? (Helaman 14:10.)

What did Samuel teach about the Atonement? (Helaman 14:15–18.) What responsibility do we have when we understand the Atonement? (Helaman 14:19.) What responsibility do we have for our actions? (Helaman 14:30–31.)

What did the Nephites who believed Samuel do after he finished preaching? (Helaman 16:1.) What did those who did not believe him do? (Helaman 16:6.) Why do you think people choose not to believe the prophets? What can we do to strengthen our testimonies of the prophets?

What did the people attempt to do to Samuel because of their anger? Slay him. They cast stones at him on the wall and shot arrows at him. But they could not hit him with their stones or arrows.

Why do they think people who were familiar with using a bow and arrow and the people who were throwing rocks couldn’t hit Samuel. (Because the Spirit of the Lord was with him.) (Helaman 16:2)

When the people saw that Samuel was miraculously protected did they believe his words then? Some believed, but the more part of the people did not believe the words of Samuel, and they went forth to lay their hands upon Samuel. He cast himself down from the wall and did flee out of their lands to preach among his own people.

Five years after Samuel delivered his message to the Nephites, great signs, wonders, and miracles began to occur. The words of the prophets began to be fulfilled. Did the nonbelievers start to believe when they began to see the prophesied signs and wonders occurring? The most part of the people grew more wicked and did harden their hearts. (Helaman 16:22-23) They contrived foolish excuses to not believe.
Conclusion
All the prophets taught of Jesus. Latter-day prophets also testify and teach of Jesus. Our faith and belief in the Savior can be strengthened as we read the prophets’ words in the scriptures and as we listen to and read the words of the latter-day prophets concerning Christ

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