Lesson 3, Unit 2, Choice 2: The Savior Healed a Young Man

• Review Matthew 17:14–21, and list three things the Savior said were needed for the disciples to heal the man. 

1. faith "as a grain of mustard seed"
2. prayer
3. fasting


Read each of the following references. Next to the reference, write what it teaches about what is needed for miracles to happen.

• 3 Nephi 18:20 - "And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you."
  So we must: ask Heavenly Father, have faith, and it must be a righteous desire/God's will
  
  
• Doctrine and Covenants 50:29 - "And if ye are purified and cleansed from all sin, ye shall ask whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus and it shall be done."
  We must be purified and cleansed from sin at the time of asking for the miracle, and ask in Christ's name.
  
  
• Doctrine and Covenants 42:48 - "And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed."
  Basically, if you have faith that you will be healed, and it is not your appointed time to die, you will be healed.

Lesson 3, Unit 1, Choice 1: The Feeding of the Multitudes

1.    The Savior provided two similar miracles. As a summary of what took place, complete the following chart:

2.  In each story, the available food was insufficient to feed the multitude, yet with the help of the Lord the insufficiency was overcome. Read Romans 3:23 and ​explain in writing another way human effort is insufficient in receiving the glory of God. According to Ether 12:27, how does the Lord help us overcome this insufficiency?

Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"

Because there is no perfect person and all mankind has sinned, none of us is worthy on his own to enter into heaven and receive the glory of God.

Ether 12:27 - "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

This tells us that although we are weak and sinful and not fit for the kingdom of God, if we humble ourselves and submit ourselves to the will of our Father, and we have faith in Christ, His grace and atoning sacrifice will make up for our faults and imperfections, and we will be able to become strong and pure and Godlike through humility and faith in him.

Lesson 2, Unit 2, Choice 2: The Lord Often Taught with Parables

Choice 2: Matthew 13: 24-48. The Lord Often Taught with Parables

1.    In the Bible Dictionary read the first three paragraphs under the entry “Parables” (pp. 740-41). In your own words, write a definition of a parable:

An extended metaphor which conveys spiritual truths in proportion to the hearer’s faith and intelligence.

2.    Read the following parables: parable of the tares (Matthew 13:24-30); parables of the mustard seed and the leaven (Matthew 13:47-50); parables of the treasure and the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44-46); parable of the gospel net (Matthew 13:47-50). Next to each of the following questions write the name ​of the parable that best answers that question.

o       What describes the future growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? - the parable of the tares

o       Why does the Church send out so many missionaries? - The parable of the gospel net

o       How do you explain the remarkable growth of the Church, considering that it is fairly new compared to most world religions and started small in the American frontier? - The parables of the mustard seed and the leaven

o       Why are some members of the Church willing to sacrifice so much worldly wealth and recognition in order to maintain membership in the Church? - The parables of the treasure and the pearl of great price

o       Why do some Church members choose to leave the Church? - the parable of the gospel net?

3.    Write answers to the following questions:

o       Considering the parables of the treasure and the pearl of great price (see Matthew 13:44-46), what sacrifices would you be willing to make to obtain the treasure of the gospel? What sacrifices have you or those you know already made for the gospel?

I have not really had to make a lot of sacrifices for the gospel in my life (or no more than anyone else in the church has anyway). I sacrificed sleep during high school by going to early-morning seminary. I sacrifice time on Sundays to go to church, and time when I do service for others occasionally (though this is hardly a sacrifice because it makes me feel good!). I make sacrifices of not doing some of the things I want to do like drinking coffee and black tea or getting multiple ear piercings. I dress modestly, in a way that allows me to wear my temple garments, which can be a sacrifice of comfort and vanity. I sacrifice 10% of income for tithing, and two meals on fast Sundays. But those are all just a bunch of little things. Even though I guess I make sacrifices for the gospel, I definitely feel like I could sacrifice even more to follow the gospel even better than I do. I want to be more like the man who would sacrifice everything to obtain the treasure in the field, because right now I’m probably bartering with the person selling the field to see what price I can talk him down to ;-)

o       What does the net represent in the parable of the net cast into the sea? (See Matthew 13:47). What does it mean to be gathered into the net? What is represented by the action of gathering the good into vessels and casting the bad away? (See Matthew 13:48-50).

I couldn’t find an explanation of the parable of the net, but I said above that it had to do with the church sending out missionaries. I think that’s because nets are used to catch or gather things in, and when Christ said that he would make Peter and his brother “fishers of men” he meant that they would preach the gospel (cast their nets) and gather in men (instead of fish). So I guess the net is the gospel, because the fishers are missionaries/those who preach the gospel. I think being gathered into the net means hearing the gospel. The good are those who hear the gospel and accept it and are converted, and the bad are those who hear the gospel and reject it. The good are gathered into the kingdom of heaven while the bad are cast out into “the furnace of fire” in the last days.

Lesson 2, Unit 1, Choice 2: Miracles are Evidence of Faith and God's Power

Choice 2: Matthew 8-9; Mark 2. Miracles Are Evidence of Faith and God's Power 

​1.          Using the following references, fill in the chart below by writing in the second column a brief description of each miracle the Lord performed, then in the third column list those who exercised faith for the miracle to occur.

2.          Explain in writing how it affects your faith to know that God has this kind of power.
 

Reference	Miracles of the Lord	Who Demonstrated Faith
Matthew 8:1-4	Jesus healed a Leper	The Leper
Matthew 8:5-13	Jesus healed the Centurion’s servant who was “sick of the palsy, grievously tormented”	The Roman Centurion
Matthew 8:14-15	Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law who was sick of a fever	Peter’s mother-in-law (and probably also Peter and his wife)
Matthew 8:16	Jesus cast out devils and healed all that were sick	Those who were sick, and maybe those who were possessed with devils? Or the friends/family of them that were possessed with devils?
Matthew 8:23-27	Jesus calmed the winds and the sea during the tempest	Jesus’s disciples (they woke him and asked him to save them)
Matthew 8:28-34	Jesus cast the Legion of evil spirits out of the men and into a herd of swine	The men who were possessed? Or those who were following Jesus?
Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34	Jesus healed a woman diseased with an issue of blood and raised from the dead the daughter of Jairus	The woman who touched the hem of his garment and Jairus and his wife
Matthew 9:27-31	Jesus healed two men of their blindness and caused them to see	The two blind men
Mark 2:1-12	Jesus healed a man who was sick of the palsy	The man with palsy and his four friends

​ 

I wouldn’t say that knowing that God has this power affects my faith so much as knowing that faith precedes miracles affects my faith. The fact that God has power to heal and cast out devils and calm seas does not make a huge difference to me or my faith, considering that miracles of this kind are not anything I see on a daily basis, so it is not particularly relevant to my level of faith. However, it IS definitely important to know that in each of the occasions faith was a requirement for the miracle to happen. That tells me that if I want God to heal me or a loved one or perform any kind of miracle in my life I must first demonstrate faith in Him.

Lesson 1, Unit 2, Choice 1: The Baptism of Jesus Christ

Read Matthew 3:13-17 and Institute Manual "What Is the Significance of the Holy Ghost Descending “like a Dove”?" Then write the answers to the following questions:

Why was John hesitant to baptize Jesus? - I believe John might have been hesitant to baptize Jesus because he didn't feel worthy to do so (because who would feel worthy enough to baptize the only person in mortality to be completely free of sin?). He said to Jesus, " I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" I imagine it must have felt somewhat like if a missionary told an investigator at his baptism that he was actually going to be doing the baptizing instead of being baptized. It's not a perfect analogy, of course, because John at least had the authority to baptize, but looking at it that way it is easier to imagine how John might have felt about the situation.

What is taught here about the Holy Ghost? - From these verses we learn about the Holy Ghost that he is a separate being from Heavenly Father and Jesus, and that his sign is the dove, an emblem or token of truth and innocence. He was also present at the baptism of Jesus Christ to bear testimony that he was the Son of God.

Jesus Christ said He must be baptized to "fulfill all righteousness." List three reasons why Jesus Christ was baptized (see 2 Nephi 31:6-11). - Even though Christ was pure, holy, and without sin, he was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He did this in order to show humility and willingness to be obedient to the Father in keeping his commandments, and also to set an example for all of us and show that baptism is a necessary ordinance for entering into the kingdom of heaven.

What evidence is found in Matthew 3:16-17 that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate personages in the Godhead? - Christ was a mortal man on earth being baptized in the Jordan River, the voice of God the Father was heard coming from the heavens, and the Holy Ghost appeared as a personage and with the sign of a dove. They were all present at the same time and place but in different forms, therefore they are three separate personages.

Lesson 1, Unit 1, Choice 1: The Premortal and Mortal Savior

Five truths about the premortal Jesus Christ (John 1:1-14):

1. Christ existed with God the Father from the beginning.

2. Christ made all things and nothing was made without Him.

3. He was the light and life of men.

4. He sent John the Baptist ahead of him to bear witness of him and prepare the way for him.

5. Christ was full of grace and truth and his glory was that of the only begotten of the Father.

Five truths about Jesus Christ's mortal life (John 17:1-5):

1. Jesus had power over all flesh.

2. Christ's mission was to give eternal life to all those the Father would give him.

3. Christ glorified the Father while he was on earth.

4. Christ finished the work that he was sent to do.

5. Jesus did not have the same level of glory as a mortal as he had had pre-mortality.

Using Bible Dictionary and Institute Student Manual Commentary (pp. 15 and 18), write 1-2 sentences about the meaning of each title:

Christ: “Christ is a sacred title, and not an ordinary appellation or common name; it is of Greek derivation... [and means] the Anointed One." (p. 18 in the former New Testament Institute Student Manual)

Messiah: "An Aramaic word meaning 'the anointed.' ... Used as the title of an office, it denotes the King and Deliverer whose coming the Jews were eagerly expecting. In the New Testament the deliverer is called the Christ, which is the Greek equivalent of Messiah, and Jesus the Messiah is called Jesus the Christ, Jesus Christ, or Christ Jesus."

Therefore, "Christ" and "Messiah" both mean "the Anointed one" but "Christ" comes from Greek and "Messiah" from Hebrew. 

Jehovah: "The name Jehovah means the 'Self-Existent One' or 'The Eternal.' It is written in our Old Testament as Lord in capital letters. According to ancient Jewish practice, the name Jehovah or I Am (the Self-Existent One) was not to be spoken for fear of incurring divine wrath." (p. 18 in the former New Testament Institute Student Manual)

Immanuel: means "God with us. Also spelled Emmanuel. A name-title given in Isa. 7:14 and 8:8 as a sign of God’s deliverance. ... It signifies that Christ as God will be born into mortality of a virgin and will be among the people to save and redeem them. This prophecy received its fulfillment in Christ." (The Bible Dictionary)

The Word: This comes from the greek word "Logos" which means "expression." This is an appropriate title because "Jesus was the Word, or expression, of His Father to the world" (Elder Russell M. Nelson).