Lesson 1: Heavenly Father’s Plan for Us

Primary 6: Old Testament, (1996), 1–5

http://www.lds.org/manual/primary-6-old-testament/lesson-1-heavenly-fathers-plan-for-us?lang=eng

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Purpose

To help the children understand that they are spirit children of Heavenly Father and that he has a plan that will help them become like him and return to live with him again.

Preparation

1. 1. Prayerfully study:
• • Romans 8:16—We are the children of God.
2. 8: 16 The Spirit itself beareth ^awitness with our ^bspirit, that we are the ^cchildren of God:
3. 
   
• • Abraham 3:22–26—The plan of salvation was presented to us before we were born on earth.
4. 3: 22-26  Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the^aintelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the ^bnoble and great ones;
    23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast ^achosen before thou wast born.
    24 And there stood ^aone among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and ^bwe will make an earth whereon these may ^cdwell;
    25 And we will ^aprove them herewith, to see if they will ^bdo all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;
    26 And they who ^akeep their first ^bestate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second ^cestate shall have ^dglory added upon their heads for ever and ever.
• • Doctrine and Covenants 138:55–56; 
• 138:56 Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first ^alessons in the world of spirits and were ^bprepared to come forth in the due ^ctime of the Lord to labor in his ^dvineyardfor the salvation of the souls of men.
•  55 I observed that they were also among the ^anoble and great ones who were ^bchosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God.
• Job 38:4, 7—Many were prepared in premortal life to be prophets and leaders on earth.
5.  Job 38: 
6. 4 Where wast thou when I ^alaid the ^bfoundations of the ^cearth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

7 When the morning stars ^asang together, and all the ^bsons of God shouted for ^cjoy?

• _______________________________________________
• • Gospel Principles, chapter 2, “Our Heavenly Family.”

• Chapter 2: Our Heavenly Family

  Gospel Principles, (2011), 8–12
  We Are Children of Our Heavenly Father

  • •
    What do scriptures and latter-day prophets teach us about our relationship to God?

  God is not only our Ruler and Creator; He is also our Heavenly Father. All men and women are literally the sons and daughters of God. “Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 335).

  Every person who was ever born on earth is our spirit brother or sister. Because we are the spirit children of God, we have inherited the potential to develop His divine qualities. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can become like our Heavenly Father and receive a fulness of joy.

  For teachers: You do not need to teach everything in each chapter. As you prayerfully prepare to teach, seek the Spirit’s guidance to know which portions of the chapter you should cover and which questions you should ask.

  • •
    How does your knowledge that you are a child of God influence your thoughts, words, and actions?

  We Developed Personalities and Talents While We Lived in Heaven

  • •
    Think about talents and gifts you have been blessed with.

  The scriptures teach us that the prophets prepared themselves to become leaders on earth while they were still spirits in heaven (see Alma 13:1–3). Before they were born into mortal bodies, God foreordained (chose) them to be leaders on earth. Jesus, Adam, and Abraham were some of these leaders. (See Abraham 3:22–23.) Joseph Smith taught that “every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was [fore]ordained to that very purpose” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 511). However, everyone on earth is free to accept or reject any opportunity to serve.

  We were not all alike in heaven. We know, for example, that we were sons and daughters of heavenly parents—males and females (see “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). We possessed different talents and abilities, and we were called to do different things on earth. We can learn more about our “eternal possibilities” when we receive our patriarchal blessings (see Thomas S. Monson, in Conference Report, Oct. 1986, 82; or Ensign, Nov. 1986, 66).

  A veil covers our memories of our premortal life, but our Father in Heaven knows who we are and what we did before we came here. He has chosen the time and place for each of us to be born so we can learn the lessons we personally need and do the most good with our individual talents and personalities.

  • •How have other people’s talents blessed you? How can your talents and gifts bless others?

  Our Heavenly Father Presented a Plan for Us to Become Like Him

  • •How does earth life help prepare us to become like our Heavenly Father?

  For teachers: Class members or family members are more likely to give a thoughtful answer to a question if they are given time to ponder their response. For example, after asking a question, you could say, “Please take a minute to think about your response, and then I’ll ask for answers.” Then give them time to ponder.

  Our Heavenly Father knew we could not progress beyond a certain point unless we left Him for a time. He wanted us to develop the godlike qualities that He has. To do this, we needed to leave our premortal home to be tested and to gain experience. Our spirits needed to be clothed with physical bodies. We would need to leave our physical bodies at death and reunite with them in the Resurrection. Then we would receive immortal bodies like that of our Heavenly Father. If we passed our tests, we would receive the fulness of joy that our Heavenly Father has received. (See D&C 93:30–34.)

  Our Heavenly Father called a Grand Council to present His plan for our progression (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith,209, 511). We learned that if we followed His plan, we would become like Him. We would be resurrected; we would have all power in heaven and on earth; we would become heavenly parents and have spirit children just as He does (see D&C 132:19–20).

  We learned that He would provide an earth for us where we would prove ourselves (see Abraham 3:24–26). A veil would cover our memories, and we would forget our heavenly home. This would be necessary so we could exercise our agency to choose good or evil without being influenced by the memory of living with our Heavenly Father. Thus we could obey Him because of our faith in Him, not because of our knowledge or memory of Him. He would help us recognize the truth when we heard it again on earth (see John 18:37).

  At the Grand Council we also learned the purpose for our progression: to have a fulness of joy. However, we also learned that some would be deceived, choose other paths, and lose their way. We learned that all of us would have trials in our lives: sickness, disappointment, pain, sorrow, and death. But we understood that these would be given to us for our experience and our good (see D&C 122:7). If we allowed them to, these trials would purify us rather than defeat us. They would teach us to have endurance, patience, and charity (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 15–16).

  At this council we also learned that because of our weakness, all of us except little children would sin (see D&C 29:46–47). We learned that a Savior would be provided for us so we could overcome our sins and overcome death with resurrection. We learned that if we placed our faith in Him, obeying His word and following His example, we would be exalted and become like our Heavenly Father. We would receive a fulness of joy.

  • •List some of Heavenly Father’s attributes. How does the plan of salvation help us develop these attributes?

  Additional Scriptures

  • •Hebrews 12:9 (God is the Father of our spirits)
  • •Job 38:4–7 (premortal life implied)
  • •Abraham 3:22–28 (vision of premortal life)
  • •Jeremiah 1:5 (vision of premortal life)
  • •D&C 29:31–38 (vision of premortal life)
  • •Moses 3:4–7 (spiritual and temporal creations)
  • •1 Corinthians 15:44 (spiritual and temporal creations)
  • •D&C 76:23–24 (begotten sons and daughters)
  • •D&C 132:11–26 (plan for progression)
  • _____________________________________
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2. 2. Study the lesson and decide how you want to teach the children the scripture account (see “Preparing Your Lessons,” p. vi, and “Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii). Select the discussion questions and enrichment activities that will best help the children achieve the purpose of the lesson.
3. 3. Materials needed:
   1. a. A Bible and a Pearl of Great Price for each child.
   2. b. Ten cutout figures of the plan of salvation: 6-A through 6-J(located in the back of the manual).
   3. c. The following wordstrips:
      Where?

      Who?

      What?

Note: The second part of the story of the Council in Heaven, our choosing to follow Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father rather than Lucifer, will be covered in lesson 2.

Suggested Lesson Development

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Attention Activity

Display the wordstrips you have prepared or write the following words on the chalkboard: Where? Who? What?

Ask the children to listen as you sing or read the words to the first verse of “I Lived in Heaven” (Children’s Songbook, p. 4) so they will know the answers to some important questions that you will ask them.

“I lived in heaven a long time ago, it is true;

Lived there and loved there with people I know. So did you.

Then Heav’nly Father presented a beautiful plan,

All about earth and eternal salvation for man.”

• •Where did we live a long time ago? (In heaven; see D&C 93:29, first sentence; Abraham 3:22–23.) “Long before this world was created, all of the spirits of the men and women who were assigned to this earth lived in a spiritual existence” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], p. 30).
• •Who lived there with us?
• •What was Heavenly Father’s plan for us? Explain that Heavenly Father wanted us to be able to receive a physical body, to learn to choose between right and wrong (note: lesson 2 deals with agency), and have the opportunity to become like him.

Scripture Account

Teach the children the account of our premortal life as revealed in Abraham 3:22–26 and Doctrine and Covenants 138:55–56 and explained in Gospel Principles, chapter 2. (For suggested ways to teach the scripture account, see “Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii.) Note: the first estate refers to our premortal life, and the second estate is our life on earth. Explain that intelligences as used in these scriptures refers to the spirit children of Heavenly Father and that premortal life means our life before we were born on the earth. Teach Heavenly Father’s plan using the cutout figures of the plan of salvation.

(click to view larger)

Emphasize that the main purpose of Heavenly Father’s plan is to give us the opportunity to become like him.

Discussion and Application Questions

Study the following questions and the scripture references as you prepare your lesson. Use the questions you feel will best help the children understand the scriptures and apply the principles in their lives. Reading and discussing the scriptures with the children in class will help them gain personal insights.

• • Who is the Father of our spirits? (Romans 8:16.) 
•  16 The Spirit itself beareth ^awitness with our ^bspirit, that we are the ^cchildren of God:
• How are we as mortals like our heavenly parents? (Genesis 1:27.)
•  27 So God created man in his own ^aimage, in the image of God created he him; male and ^bfemale created he them.
• • What did we do in the spirit world? (D&C 138:56.)
•  56 Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first ^alessons in the world of spirits and were ^bprepared to come forth in the due ^ctime of the Lord to labor in his ^dvineyardfor the salvation of the souls of men.
• •What did we do when Heavenly Father presented his plan to us? (We shouted for joy; see Job 38:4, 7.)
• •Why don’t we remember our premortal life? Explain to the children that when each of us was born on the earth, we forgot our life with Heavenly Father. This allowed us to develop faith in him and in Jesus Christ. We can do this through believing the prophets, studying the scriptures, praying, and following the guidance of the Holy Ghost.
• •How is earth life different from our premortal life? (See enrichment activity 6.)
• •What are we supposed to do while we live on earth? (Abraham 3:25;
•  25 And we will ^aprove them herewith, to see if they will ^bdo all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;
• Alma 34:32–33.) 
•  32 For behold, this ^alife is the time for men to ^bprepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of ^cthis life is the day for men to perform their ^dlabors.
   33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many^awitnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not^bprocrastinate the day of your ^crepentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the^dnight of ^edarkness wherein there can be no labor performed.
• What will happen if we keep the commandments while we are on earth? (Abraham 3:26.)

 26 And they who ^akeep their first ^bestate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second ^cestate shall have ^dglory added upon their heads for ever and ever.

• •What happens to our physical bodies when we die? Where do our spirits go? (Ecclesiastes 12:7; 
•  7 Then shall the ^adust return to the earth as it was: and the^bspirit shall return unto God who ^cgave it.
• Alma 40:11–14. 
•  11 Now, concerning the ^astate of the soul between ^bdeath and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are ^ctaken ^dhome to that God who gave them life.
   12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of ^ahappiness, which is called ^bparadise, a state of rest, a state of ^cpeace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.
   13 And then shall it come to pass, that the ^aspirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the ^bdevil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into ^couter darkness; there shall be ^dweeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.
   14 Now this is the state of the ^asouls of the ^bwicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, ^cfearful looking for the fiery^dindignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this ^estate, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.
• Help the children understand that at death our spirits do not actually go into God’s presence but go to the spirit world, where we receive a partial judgment.)
• •What does it mean to be resurrected? (2 Nephi 9:12.) 
•  12 And this ^adeath of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is ^bhell; wherefore, death and hell must ^cdeliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its ^dcaptive ^espirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive ^fbodies, and the bodies and the ^gspirits of men will be^hrestored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.
• Who will be resurrected? (1 Corinthians 15:22.)
•  22 For as in ^aAdam all ^bdie, even so in ^cChrist shall all be made^dalive.
• •What will happen after we are resurrected? (2 Corinthians 5:10.) 
•  10 For we must all appear before the ^ajudgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, ^baccordingto that he hath ^cdone, whether it be good or bad.
• Who will be worthy to live in the celestial kingdom? (D&C 76:51–53. 
•  51 They are they who received the ^atestimony of Jesus, and^bbelieved on his name and were ^cbaptized after the ^dmanner of his burial, being ^eburied in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given—
   52 That by ^akeeping the commandments they might be ^bwashedand ^ccleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the ^dhands of him who is ^eordained and sealed unto this power;
   53 And who ^aovercome by faith, and are ^bsealed by the Holy Spirit of ^cpromise, which the Father ^dsheds forth upon all those who are just and true.
• Help the children understand that to be able to enter the celestial kingdom, they must have faith in Jesus Christ, repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Ghost. Then they must live worthy and prove their faithfulness. See enrichment activity 3.) Who will live in the terrestrial kingdom? (D&C 76:71–79.) 
•  71 And again, we saw the ^aterrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the church of the ^bFirstborn who have received the fulness of the Father, even as that of the ^cmoon differs from the sun in the firmament.
   72 Behold, these are they who died ^awithout ^blaw;
   73 And also they who are the ^aspirits of men kept in ^bprison, whom the Son visited, and ^cpreached the ^dgospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh;
   74 Who ^areceived not the ^btestimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it.
   75 These are they who are ^ahonorable men of the earth, who were ^bblinded by the craftiness of men.
   76 These are they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness.
   77 These are they who receive of the ^apresence of the Son, but not of the fulness of the Father.
   78 Wherefore, they are ^abodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun.
   79 These are they who are not ^avaliant in the ^btestimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God.
• Who will live in the telestial kingdom? (D&C 76:81,
•  81 And again, we ^asaw the glory of the ^btelestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the ^cglory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament.
•  101–103.)
•  101 But ^areceived not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the ^beverlasting covenant.
   102 Last of all, these all are they who will not be ^agathered with the saints, to be ^bcaught up unto the ^cchurch of the Firstborn, and received into the cloud.
   103 These are ^athey who are ^bliars, and ^csorcerers, and^dadulterers, and ^ewhoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.
• •What will it be like to live in the celestial kingdom? (D&C 76:92–94.) 
•  92 And thus we saw the ^aglory of the celestial, which ^bexcels in all things—where God, even the Father, reigns upon his ^cthroneforever and ever;
   93 Before whose throne all things bow in humble ^areverence, and give him glory forever and ever.
   94 They who dwell in his ^apresence are the church of the^bFirstborn; and they see as they are seen, and ^cknow as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his ^dgrace;
• What are we promised if we are worthy of living in the celestial kingdom? (We will be like God; see D&C 76:95.)

 95 And he makes them ^aequal in power, and in might, and in dominion.

Remember the three degrees of glory by Sea Turtle -- Celestial, Terrestrial, Telestial

Enrichment Activities

You may use one or more of the following activities any time during the lesson or as a review, summary, or challenge.

1. 1. Tell the children that this year they will be studying the gospel mostly from the Old Testament and Pearl of Great Price. Show the children a copy of each of these books, or if they have their own set of scriptures, have them locate each of these books. Explain that the Old Testament is the history of God’s dealings with his people from the creation of the earth until about four hundred years before Jesus Christ was born. The Pearl of Great Price contains sacred writings by several prophets, including two Old Testament prophets, Moses and Abraham. They tell about our premortal life, the early history of the world, Heavenly Father’s plan for us, and the restoration of the gospel.
   You may wish to compare some verses in the Old Testament with those in the Pearl of Great Price, such as Genesis 1:5 with Moses 2:5. Encourage the children to bring their own scriptures each week if possible.
2. 2. 
   Read and discuss Abraham 3:23 with the children.
   • • What kinds of things might we have been chosen to do on earth? Explain that we are free to choose what we will do in this life, but each of us has been foreordained to do an important work on the earth.
3. 3. Put the cutout figures of the plan of salvation around the room and have the children physically move from place to place as you briefly review each one (emphasize in the review that we all lived with Heavenly Father in the premortal life and that we can live with him again). Or have the children put the cutouts in the proper order on a table. Encourage the children to decide to make right choices so they will someday be worthy to return and live forever in the celestial kingdom. (You may also wish to have each child make a set of cutouts to take home and share with his or her family.)
4. 4. 
   Explain that our life on earth is like a school. We are here to learn and be tested. If we make right choices, we will pass the tests and be able to return to Heavenly Father. Read and discuss the following quotation: “My brothers and sisters, we’re away from home. We’re off to school. Our lessons will not be easy. The way we react to them, the way we conquer and accomplish and live will determine our rewards, and they will be permanent and eternal” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 28).
5. 5. 
   Help the children understand and memorize Abraham 3:25.
6.  25 And we will ^aprove them herewith, to see if they will ^bdo all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;
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8. 6. 
   Discuss with the children how earth life is similar to and different from our premortal life. You may wish to prepare slips of paper with items from the following list written on them. Have the children take turns picking a slip of paper, reading it to the class, and placing it under the cutout figure, Earth Life or Premortal Life, to which it belongs. (Some of these belong under both. You could make an additional wordstrip or put these between the two cutout figures.)
   • Live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (premortal)
   • Be with our family (both)
   • Have the Bible and Book of Mormon to guide us (earth)
   • Have only a spirit body (premortal)
   • Have a physical body (earth)
   • Be taught Heavenly Father’s plan (both)
   • Experience hard work, sorrow, and death (earth)
   • Be able to have children (earth)
9. 7.  Talk with the children about the importance of living righteously in order to be able to return to Heavenly Father and live in the celestial kingdom. Have the children role-play situations such as the following, showing the decision that will help them return to live with Heavenly Father:
   1. a.  Your friend asks you to go to a movie with him on Sunday.
   2. b.  You forgot to do your homework and you are tempted to tell your teacher that you could not do it because you were sick.
   3. c.  Your mother asks you to stay home to tend your younger brother instead of going somewhere with your friends.
10. 8.  Sing or read the words to “I Am a Child of God” (Children’s Songbook, p. 2), “I Will Follow God’s Plan” (Children’s Songbook,p. 164), “I Lived in Heaven” (Children’s Songbook, p. 4), or “The Books in the Old Testament” (Children’s Songbook, p. 114).

http://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/the-books-in-the-old-testament?lang=eng

Conclusion

Testimony

You may want to bear testimony that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. Express gratitude for the plan of salvation, which will help us return with our loved ones to live with Heavenly Father someday.

Suggested Family Sharing

Encourage the children to share with their families a specific part of the lesson, such as a story, question, or activity, or to read with their families the “Suggested Home Reading.”

Suggested Home Reading

Suggest that the children study Job 38:4, 7 and Abraham 3:22–26 at home as a review of this lesson.

Invite a child to give the closing prayer.