Lesson 8: Genesis 18-23

 February 14-20
Genesis 18-23
"Is any thing too hard for the Lord"

Materials: "Abraham and Isaac" Video on youtube (link below)
Opening Song: "Tis' sweet to sing the matchless love" (Hymns, 177)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Attention Activity: 

Tell the following story to your family:

 Tyler had always wanted a toy drone to play with. He had seen the other kids his age play with their drones and had longed for one of his very own. His friends would let him come over from time to time to play but it wasn't the same because he could never take it home. Then, on his birthday, Tyler opened a special gift from his parents--his own drone. It was so cool. It could fly very far and high without loosing range, and it even took pictures. His drone had been worth waiting for; it was a lot nicer than he could have imagined. 

A few weeks after his birthday, his mom picked him up from school. He could tell she had been crying. She told Tyler that his aunt and uncle's home had burned down the night before. Everyone was safe but his aunt, uncle, and cousins had lost everything. They had no clothes, or toys, or house. Tyler felt very sad for his cousins. His family decided to put together boxes of things that they could give their cousins. Tyler went through his clothes and picked out several that could fit his cousin, Greg. Tyler also put some legos, stuffed animals, and action figures in the box for Greg. He thought about Greg's last visit a few days after Tyler's birthday. He and Greg had flown his drone together all day long. Greg had such a big smile on his face that day. Reluctantly, Tyler took his drone off the shelf and put it into the box to give to Greg. 

As Tyler's mom was loading the boxes into the car, she noticed Tyler's drone tucked into the box. She took it out and her eyes filled with tears. She was touched by Tyler's selfless sacrifice and love for his cousin. Before she took the boxes to her sister's house, she went to the store and bought another drone to give to Greg. She told Tyler that because he was willing to sacrifice his most prized possession, she had decided to buy Greg his own drone. Tyler gave his mother a big hug. He was excited that Greg and he would each have their own drone to play with. Tyler was so happy he made his decision to think of Greg before himself. 

Lesson:

Today we are going to talk about sacrifice. From the days of Adam and Eve, Heavenly Father commanded people to offer animal sacrifices to the Lord as a way to repent for their sins. This was because Christ had not come to earth yet. Abraham the prophet and his family faithfully offered sacrifices to the Lord. 

Last week, we learned Abraham made a covenant with Abraham. Part of the promise was Abraham would have many descendants, and that his wife Sarahi, who was very old, would have a child. She did a have a child, a son called, Isaac. 

Activity:

Watch the video below about Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac starting from the timestamp 13:21 to the end. 

Why would the Lord ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? The Lord wanted to test Abraham's obedience. He wanted to see if Abraham was willing to give up the one thing he had waited so long for--a son. The Lord also wanted to show Abraham that he was a devoted and righteous servant of the Lord. Abraham's sacrifice to Isaac was also meant to teach the world about Heavenly Father's sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice.

Today, we no longer offer animal sacrifices, but we are still asked to keep the Law of Sacrifice. When Jesus visited the Americas, he told the Nephites the commandment for animal scarifies was over. In 3 Nephi 9:20 it says, "And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit." This means we need to be humble and receive the will of God and the council of his prophets. 

When we enter the holy temple to receive the endowment, we make a covenant with God to keep the law of sacrifice "doing all we can to support the Lord’s work and repenting with a broken heart and contrite spirit" ("About the Endowment," churchofjesuschrist.org/temples).

What are you willing to sacrifice for Heavenly Father? Could we sacrifice more time by working on our church callings, attending the temple, or studying the scriptures. Could we sacrifice our worldly possessions by giving to charity? Could we show more humility and love towards our family members?

Bear your testimony of the Law of Sacrifice.

Closing Song: "He sent His Son" (Children's Songbook, 34)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: Mini doughnut hot buttered cheerios recipe here