Hebrews 7–13

Invite students to think about a time when they were discouraged about something. Have students reflect on the following questions:

• How did you handle the experience?

• What did you do that helped?

• What didn’t help?

Then read together the following statement by President Jeffrey R. Holland:

Every one of us has times when we need to know things will get better. … For emotional health and spiritual stamina, everyone needs to be able to look forward to some respite, to something pleasant and renewing and hopeful, whether that blessing be near at hand or still some distance ahead. It is enough just to know we can get there, that however measured or far away, there is the promise of “good things to come.” (“An High Priest of Good Things to Come,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 36)

• How can knowing that there are “good things to come” help you face the challenges of life?

Invite students to read Hebrews 9:11 (or one student to read it aloud) looking for a descriptive title of Jesus Christ. Write the following scripture references and questions on the board. Invite students to form small groups and to select one of the passages to study together. Students should look for what they can learn about Jesus Christ as a “high priest of good things to come.”

To help students understand the background and symbols of Jesus Christ as our Great High Priest, they could read “Hebrews 9. What did the high priest do on the Day of Atonement?” in Scripture Helps: New Testament.

After giving students time to study, invite them to share what they learned about Jesus Christ as our Great High Priest and Mediator of the new covenant. As students share, you may want to help them identify the following truth: Because Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the new covenant, we can hope for good things to come.

You could ask:

• What does Jesus Christ’s role as mediator teach you about your covenant relationship with Him? (If helpful, you could read together the first paragraph in Guide to the Scriptures, “Mediator,” Gospel Library.)

• What do you look forward to because of your covenant relationship with Jesus Christ?

Consider sharing the following statement by Elder Ulisses Soares:

I pray that we [can] … rejoice in what I love to call “covenant confidence through Jesus Christ.” This confidence is the quiet yet certain assurance of receiving the blessings that God promises for those who keep their covenants and is so needed amid the challenging circumstances of our day. (“Covenant Confidence through Jesus Christ,” Liahona, May 2024, 17)

Invite students to reflect on how “covenant confidence through Jesus Christ” can help them know that there are good things to come. Students could record their thoughts and feelings. Encourage some students to share what they recorded.

Return to “Learning Activity Options.”

Consider displaying and reading together the following statements by the Lord’s prophets:

Faith [is] the first principle in revealed religion, and the foundation of all righteousness. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 50)

Of all our needs, I think the greatest is an increase in faith. (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Lord, Increase Our Faith,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 54)

Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith. (Thomas S. Monson, “Be of Good Cheer,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 92)

Faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest power available to us in this life. (Russell M. Nelson, “Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” Liahona, May 2021, 104)

• What thoughts do you have as you read these statements?

• What role does faith in Jesus Christ play in your life? (Give students time to quietly reflect and record their thoughts.)

Invite students to read Hebrews 11:1–3, looking for the meaning of faith. They could use a dictionary, the Define feature in the Gospel Library app, and footnotes to better understand the meaning of faith (see the skill “Finding the Meaning of Words and Phrases” in Scripture Study Skills). Then have students write the definition of faith on the board. Give them time to review what others have written.

• After looking at the definitions of faith on the board, why do you think faith in Jesus Christ might be our greatest need and greatest power?

You might remind students that Hebrews 11 contains many examples of people who exercised faith in Jesus Christ. Display the following names and scripture references and write on the board the following incomplete truth: With faith in Jesus Christ, we can … Invite students to select one or more names and read the related verses. Then have students identify different ways to complete the statement.

• Abel (verse 4)

• Enoch (verses 5–6)

• Noah (verse 7)

• Abraham (verses 8–10, 17–19)

• Moses (verses 23–27)

• Israelites (verses 28–39)

After giving students time to study, invite them to share what they learned about faith. Encourage them to also share how they completed the statement on the board. Their responses may include the following: With faith in Jesus Christ, we can endure suffering, accomplish miracles, and receive divine promises.

As students share their insights and completed statements, consider asking questions like the following to deepen their learning:

• How did the person in each account exercise faith?

• What did you learn from these accounts that could strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ?

• What did you learn about God as you studied these verses?

Consider displaying the following statement from President Russell M. Nelson:

Faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation of all belief and the conduit of divine power. According to the Apostle Paul, “Without faith it is impossible to please [God]” [Hebrews 11:6]. …

Everything good in life—every potential blessing of eternal significance—begins with faith. …

The Lord does not require perfect faith for us to have access to His perfect power. But He does ask us to believe.

My dear brothers and sisters, my call to you … is to start today to increase your faith. Through your faith, Jesus Christ will increase your ability to move the mountains in your life, even though your personal challenges may loom as large as Mount Everest.

Your mountains may be loneliness, doubt, illness, or other personal problems. Your mountains will vary, and yet the answer to each of your challenges is to increase your faith. That takes work. …

To do anything well requires effort. Becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ is no exception. Increasing your faith and trust in Him takes effort. (“Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” Liahona, May 2021, 102–3)

• What efforts have helped you increase your faith in Jesus Christ?

Invite students to quietly reflect on President Nelson’s statement and to record their responses to the following questions:

• What personal challenge or circumstance do you currently face?

• How can increasing your faith in Jesus Christ help with this challenge or circumstance?

• What effort can you make to increase your faith in Jesus Christ?

Return to “Learning Activity Options.”

Write the following words on the board: chasten, punish, correct, discipline, scourge.

If needed, invite students to look up the meaning of these words. Then ask:

• Have you ever associated these words with love? If so, why?

Invite students to read Hebrews 12:3–11, looking for what these verses teach about why God chastens us.

• What do verses 5–11 teach you about God’s love?

• What are God’s purposes for chastening us? (Students may identify a truth like the following: Because God loves us, He chastens, or corrects, us so we can enjoy the peaceable fruit of righteousness.)

• What are some ways the Lord chastens, or corrects, us?

Consider sharing the following statement by Elder D. Todd Christofferson:

If we are open to it, needed correction will come in many forms and from many sources. It may come in the course of our prayers as God speaks to our mind and heart through the Holy Ghost (see D&C 8:2). It may come in the form of prayers that are answered no or differently than we had expected. Chastening may come as we study the scriptures and are reminded of deficiencies, disobedience, or simply matters neglected.

Correction can come through others, especially [apostles, prophets, patriarchs, bishops, and others] who are God-inspired to promote our happiness. …

Correction, hopefully gentle, can come from one’s spouse. …

Parents can and must correct, even chasten, if their children are not to be cast adrift at the mercy of a merciless adversary and his supporters. …

Remember that if we resist correction, others may discontinue offering it altogether, despite their love for us. If we repeatedly fail to act on the chastening of a loving God, then He too will desist. (“As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 99–100)

• What impresses you most about Elder Christofferson’s message?

Invite students to quietly ponder a time when they felt chastened by the Lord. Have students ponder and record their thoughts to the following questions:

• How did you respond to the chastening or correction?

• What was the Lord trying to teach you?

• What can you do to be more receptive to the chastening of the Lord?

To end class, you could watch “The Will of God” (3:02) or share President Hugh B. Brown’s story of the currant bush (see Hugh B. Brown, “Liahona Classic: The Currant Bush,” Liahona, Mar. 2002, 22).

3:2

Return to “Learning Activity Options.”