3 and 4 Nephi Lesson Videos

Here are the links to the lessons on 3 and 4 Nephi

3 Nephi 1-10

3 Nephi 11  Christ Appears to the Nephites

3 Nephi 17-18: The Sacrament

And a special lesson on the last week of Christ's life:

The Easter Week

In Our Midst: Finding Jesus in the Temple (3 Nephi 11)

Whenever a story takes place in or near the temple, it’s interesting to see if there is something about it that directly relates to our own modern experiences in the temple. Jacob’s discourse (given at the temple) contained many elements of our temple covenants, and King Benjamin’s sermon echoed it almost exactly. In the marvelous climax of this nearly thousand-year history, Christ chose to meet His people at the temple. Many elements of our temple worship can be found in the record of His visit.

A few years before the birth of Christ, Samuel the Lamanite stood up on a city wall and preached about the signs of Jesus’s coming. The signs of His birth did appear, but they were followed by thirty-three long years when nothing was known of the Savior. The Nephite society went through various upheavals, and then, when hope was nearly lost, the signs of Jesus’s death and Resurrection occurred, including the destruction of many cities at the time of His Crucifixion. Finally, a still small voice was heard, proclaiming His coming, and Jesus Himself descended into the midst of the people, and they became acquainted with Him over the course of many days.

 LDS scholars agree that it was during this time that Jesus revealed the higher ordinances to His disciples. John Welch stated, “Jesus only had a short time to spend with these people at the temple at Bountiful. He didn’t waste a word. What he says is of crucial importance. It’s the kind of thing that you and I can look to as an anchor in our lives to put our bearings straight, . . . and to see what really matters most in our covenant relationship with our Father in Heaven.”1

Jesus Meets His People at the Temple

The fact that Jesus meets His people at the temple is significant, for it is through the temple covenants that we step into a new relationship with Him. We wait until we’re adults to go to the temple for a reason; this is a crucial time on life’s path—the phase where many people give up on faith altogether. This loss of innocence is the stuff of literature, and it is also a theme in the temple. Adam and Eve had to decide whether to cling to innocence or choose experience. Their courageous choices show us, however, that the loss of innocence need not signal a descent into sin. We can move from innocence to experience,  from childhood faith to spiritual maturity, by making and keeping covenants with Christ. Thus, the temple has been given to us, not as one more thing on our to-do list, but as a vehicle for spiritual rebirth. It is through covenants that our efforts to keep the commandments meet the grace of Christ. As we go through the worship services at the temple, we experience many of the same things that the Nephites did. We are blessed and taught, and we experience sacred moments of prayer. The culmination recalls the beautiful moment when Jesus invited each person present to come and receive a personal witness of His redeeming grace:

And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come. (3 Nephi 11:13–15; emphasis added)

Jesus’s appearance to the Nephites is replayed, symbolically, in every session of temple worship; the same joy the Nephites felt is available to all of us if we just do as they did—look up: “And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them” (3 Nephi 11:8).

Sometimes, in the press of the many responsibilities we have in life, it’s easy to miss the joy that Jesus offers, the sense that He is actually here in the midst of us. The temple allows us a quiet place and time to concentrate on the relationship we are building with Him though our covenants. We can pray for angels to attend our loved ones and receive the power that is promised us as we are faithful. We can rehearse, in a small measure, what it will be like to meet Him again one day and hear Him whisper (in that still small voice), “Welcome home.”