High Priest Lesson August - Choices (Monson), Opposition in All Things (Oakes)

Thomas S. Monson - Choices

INTRODUCTION

SAY: The Teaching for our Times lesson for this month is from last month's Ensign on President Monson's talk on Choices and Elder Oakes' talk on Opposition in All Things.

SAY: President Monson's opening statement is: May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.

SAY: And Elder Oakes statement at the beginning of his talk is: Opposition permits us to grow toward what our Heavenly Father would have us become.

SAY: And my objective is: To have a discussion and learn what choosing the harder right instead of the easier wrong means.  What are some of the hard things as disciples of the Lord, Jesus Christ, that we must do?  Be thinking about this as we move through lesson.

LEARNER READINESS 

SAY: To begin let's listen to a few quotes from President Monson's talk,

READ A

READING A - I have been thinking recently about choices. It has been said that the door of history turns on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. The choices we make determine our destiny.

When we left our premortal existence and entered mortality, we brought with us the gift of agency. Our goal is to obtain celestial glory, and the choices we make will, in large part, determine whether or not we reach our goal.

Lets' read two excerpts from Elder Oake' talk:

READ B

READING B - The purpose of mortal life for the children of God is to provide the experiences needed “to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.”  As President Thomas S. Monson taught us so powerfully this morning, we progress by making choices, by which we are tested to show that we will keep God’s commandments. To be tested, we must have the agency to choose between alternatives. To provide alternatives on which to exercise our agency, we must have opposition.

SAY: Do you see the relationship between choices and opposition?

READ C

READING C - The rest of the plan is also essential. When we make wrong choices—as we inevitably will—we are soiled by sin and must be cleansed to proceed toward our eternal destiny. The Father’s plan provides the way to do this, the way to satisfy the eternal demands of justice: a Savior pays the price to redeem us from our sins. That Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God the Eternal Father, whose atoning sacrifice—whose suffering—pays the price for our sins if we will repent of them.

LEARNER INVOLVEMENT

SAY: We are moving into the involvement phase of the lesson.  Please listen carefully to the next quote from President Monson's talk:

READ D

READING D - May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary—a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals.

SAY; President Monson talks of a great a powerful faith that we CHOOSE to build up within ourselves, a real faith that bolsters our desire to choose the right.  Without such faith, we go nowhere.  With it, we can accomplish our goals.

Q: Is it hard to exercise faith (do the hard choice) rather than go with the flow?
Q: Why is it a choice to build within ourselves a great a powerful faith? (because it is hard, because it requires humility, it requires obedience to the pattern set forth in scriptures.  Q: What is that pattern?

Q: What does real faith look like? (perhaps a man of faith is meek.  He has learned not be offended, not retaliate, not react, not revile;  perhaps he has learned to trust in his God in all things; Perhaps he is kind and gentle, not easily provoked.  Q: What do you thing real faith looks like?

Q: Why is faith required to accomplish our goals? Q:Brother Pyne, when our patriarcal blessing state that our blessing is fulfilled through our faith and faithfulness, what CHOICE is the Lord implying? The hard right or the easier wrong (if no answer)?

Q: How do we grow our faith? (by living righteously, by receiving signs, assurances and evidences from our righteous living, Giving our wills to God (our grace) for His grace.

SAY: Let's read of a time in scriptures where a group of men were having a difficult time.  While we read these verse, note in your minds what the men did and what the Lord did.

READING E : Alma 59:10-11

10 Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people. 11 Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.

Q: What did the men do?
Q: What did the Lord their God do? (assurance and hope)

Q: What if we aren't receiving assurance from God through the Spirit?  What do we do?

LEARNER APPLICATION

SAY: Let's transition to application portion of the lesson.  Let's read a except from President Monson:

READ F

READING F - May we maintain the courage to defy the consensus. May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.

Q: What does P.M. mean by "defy the consensus"?

SAY: Let's read another except from Elder Oaks:

READ G  (about the sabbath)

READING G - Our efforts to improve our observance of the Sabbath day pose a less stressful example of opposition. We have the Lord’s commandment to honor the Sabbath. Some of our choices may violate that commandment, but other choices in how to spend time on the Sabbath are simply a question of whether we will do what is merely good or what is better or best.

Q: How could we apply this lesson on choices and opposition to how we keep the Sabbath Day?

SAY: And one more quote from President Monson:

READ H

READING H - As we contemplate the decisions we make in our lives each day—whether to make this choice or that choice—if we choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice.

Q: Is it a choice to be humble and meek? Alma 13 28

28 But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;

Q: Why is it a harder right choice?

READ 1 Nephi 10:19-21

READING I

19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.
20 Therefore remember, O man, for all thy doings thou shalt be brought into judgment.
21 Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever.

Q: Is it a choice to seek after God?
Q: What are the blessings for those who diligently seek?
Q: Is it hard to do this?

Q: Is it a choice to consider yourselves fools before God? 2 Nephi 9:42-43

READING J

42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and thewise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.43 But the things of the wise and the prudent shall be hid from them forever—yea, that happiness which is prepared for the saints.

Q: Is it a choice to consider yourselves fools before God?

READ 2 Nephi 2:7

READING K

7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

Q: Is it a choice to come unto Christ with a broken heart?
Q: Who else beside those with broken hearts and contrite spirits will the Lord answer the demands of justice for?  (none)  Q: Isn't this a sobering thought?

Q: What is the harder right choice?

CONCLUSION

Our true nature is from God.  We are children of Heavenly Parents.  When this truth is removed we run into all sorts of problems in this life.

If there is something in this lesson that especially  impressed you, take it up with the Lord in prayer; Ask for His Grace.

Offer the Lord your broken heart and contrite spirit as best you can.  He will answer you grace with his own.

These are the hard right choices that we are here on earth to make.