Lesson 15: Mosiah 1-3

April 13-19 
Mosiah 1-3
"Filled with love towards God and all men"

Materials: a step ladder or tall stool, a crown, Childlike Match Game (see below)
Opening Song: "I'm trying to be like Jesus" (Children's Songbook, 78)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Mosiah 3:19

Attention Activity:
Set the stage for learning about King Benjamin's message. Use a step ladder or tall stool to act as King Benjamin's tower and have a crown made for you to wear as King Benjamin. If you have a small play tent or pup tent have your family set it up or build a blanket fort to act like the families in tents that came to hear King Benjamin speak. 

Lesson:
Monologue: (Stand on the stool and read from MSH 3:3-4 and give it some gusto!) "Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy. For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy."

Welcome to the first recorded General Conference! That's right, in The Book of Mormon, 124 years before Christ's birth the prophet, King Benjamin called all his people together to come hear him speak and proclaim the good news of the gospel. 

King Benjamin gives his sermon on the atonement of Jesus Christ. What does the atonement do for us? The atonement helps us in four ways: it saves us from physical death, it saves us from spiritual death due to the fall of Adam and from our sins, it helps us overcome our weaknesses, and it helps us overcome our afflictions and infirmities. Without the atonement, there would no hope for us because we are imperfect. King Benjamin calls this the "natural man." "For the natural man is an enemy to God and has been since the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord." The natural man is who we are when we are being bad or disobedient. King Benjamin says we need to "put off the natural man" and become a saint. So how do you do that? 

Read Mosiah 3:19 but stop after "becometh as a child". Who here is a child? King Benjamin says that in order to "put off the natural man" and become a saint, adults need to become more like you. Does that make you feel good? Next King Benjamin's going to tell the group how they need to be like little children. Read Mosiah 3:19 again and this time read it all the way to the end.  We can all put off the natural man and become saints by practicing childlike qualities. This should not be confused with being childish. "The Savior’s invitation to become as a little child did not include a call for childish behavior. No matter our age, we must put aside our temper tantrums, belligerent attitudes, and shortsightedness in an effort to become childlike, embracing all that is good about childhood." ("Suffer the Children to Come to Me: An Invitation to Become Childlike" comeuntochrist.org) 

Activity: Childlike Match Game 
Have the cards below printed and cut out onto card stock. Use these cards to play a short matching game. Each time a family member gets a match, have them share a way they can practice the trait on the card. 

In conclusion, we can become a saint through the atonement of Jesus Christ as we continuously strive to become like Him. We need to have a childlike faith, be obedient, and rely on the Savior. Elder Bednar said, "It is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that provides both a cleansing and redeeming power that helps us to overcome sin and a sanctifying and strengthening power that helps us to become better than we ever could by relying only upon our own strength." ("Clean Hands and a Pure Heart." Ensign, Nov. 2007) 


Closing Song: "Jesus Once Was a Little Child" (Children's Songbook, 55)
Closing Prayer:

Refreshment:
Hershey's No Bake Peanut Butter Blossoms recipe here