YOUTH GOAL PLANNER. INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ATONEMENT. Youth can record their feelings about the Savior and what He has done for them. They start by reading six faith-filled testimonials of apostles and prophets. Then youth and leaders can have a testimony meeting where they can testify of His love for us and their love for Him.
Great for Sunday School – Seminary – family night – Youth Goal activity
YOUTH GOAL PLANNER
“Increase Understanding of the Atonement”
My Feelings about the Savior and What He Has Done for Me
(after reading these key scriptures):
“In Gethsemane, the Savior ‘descended below all things’ (D&C 88:6) as He bore the burden of sin for every human being. At Golgotha, He ‘poured out his soul unto death’ (Isaiah 53:12), and His great heart literally broke with an all-encompassing love for the children of God. When we remember the Savior and His suffering, our hearts too will break in gratitude for the Anointed One” (Bruce D. Porter, “A Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit,” Ensign, Nov. 2007, 32).
READING:
• LESSON 132 Seminary Isaiah 53 (HERE)
John 3:16-17
SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION. GOD LOVES US John 3:16 scripture poster/card set. Youth can know that our Father in heaven loves us so much that He allowed Jesus Christ who created us and our world to also sacrifice His life for us. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” READ MORE
Romans 5
2 Nephi 9:6-7; 21-26
“Jesus was the only one who could offer such an infinite atonement, since He was born of a mortal mother and an immortal Father. Because of that unique birthright, Jesus was an infinite Being” (Russell M. Nelson, “The Atonement,” Ensign, Nov. 1996, 35).
“According to eternal law, that atonement required a personal sacrifice by an immortal being not subject to death. Yet He must die and take up His own body again. The Savior was the only one who could accomplish this. From His mother He inherited power to die. From His Father He obtained power over death” (Russell M. Nelson, “Constancy amid Change,” Ensign, Nov. 1993, 34).
“Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can overcome the consequences of our sins as we have faith in Jesus Christ, repent, are baptized, and endure to the end.” READ MORE
Alma 7:11-13
Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote of the Savior’s familiarity with the afflictions of mortality and with our individual transgressions: “He knows by actual, personal experience, because not only did He suffer pains, afflictions, and temptations of every kind during His second estate, but He took upon Himself our sins as well as our pains, sicknesses, and infirmities. (SeeAlma 7:11–12.) …”READ MORE
Alma 34:8-17
While serving as a member of the Seventy, Elder Robert E. Wells spoke of the faith required to bring changes in our lives sufficient to participate in the Atonement of Jesus Christ:
“‘Just how much faith do I need for the atonement of Christ to work for me?’ In other words, how much faith do I need to receive salvation? In the book of Alma … we find the answer. The prophet Amulek taught this simple but grand principle: ‘The Son of God, … bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance’ (Alma 34:14–15; emphasis added).
“Please note those three words: faith unto repentance. That is the clue. Four times in three verses he uses that expression [see Alma 34:15–17]. …
“So the combination of faith in Christ plus faith unto repentance is vitally important. That concept is one of the greatest insights we have into the importance of simple, clear faith—faith sufficient to repent. Apparently, faith great enough to move mountains is not required; faith enough to speak in tongues or to heal the sick is not needed; all that we need is just enough faith to recognize that we have sinned and to repent of our sins, to feel remorse for them, and to desire to sin no more but to please Christ the Lord.” READ MORE
Doctrine & Covenants 19:15-20
Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified why Jesus Christ was willing to suffer for our sins: “In some incredible way that none of us can fully comprehend, the Savior took upon Himself the sins of the world. Even though His life was pure and free of sin, He paid the ultimate penalty for sin—yours, mine, and everyone who has ever lived. His mental, emotional, and spiritual anguish were so great they caused Him to bleed from every pore (see Luke 22:44; D&C 19:18). And yet Jesus suffered willingly so that we might all have the opportunity to be washed clean—through having faith in Him, repenting of our sins, being baptized by proper priesthood authority, receiving the purifying gift of the Holy Ghost by confirmation, and accepting all other essential ordinances. Without the Atonement of the Lord, none of these blessings would be available to us, and we could not become worthy and prepared to return to dwell in the presence of God” (“The Atonement and the Value of One Soul,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 85). READ MORE
