Lesson 15: The Coming Forth of the Book of

Mormon “Lesson 15: The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon,” Primary 3: Choose the Right B, (1994),70

To help each child understand how we received the Book of Mormon.

Purpose

(Enter Name Here)

OUR OPENING PRAYER WILL BE GIVEN BY

Attention Activity

►We are going to play a song.

Attention Activity

►If you know the Song Title, Raise your hand. (Do not say the name until called on)

Attention Activity

►Here is a hint, see if this helps you to know the title of this song.

Attention Activity

►Let’s try singing this song

The Golden Plates

►1. The golden plates lay hidden

►Deep in the mountainside,

►Until God found one faithful,

►In whom he could confide.

►2. A record made by Nephi,

►Written in days of old;

►Now, in the Book of Mormon,

►The story is retold. ► Words: Rose Thomas Graham, 1875-1967

► Music: J. Spencer Cornwall, 1888-1983. Arr. (c) 1989 IRI

Attention Activity

►Today’s lesson is about the Gold Plates.

Lesson 15: The Coming Forth of the Book of

Mormon “Lesson 15: The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon,” Primary 3: Choose the Right B, (1994),70

Discussion

►Many years ago, some fathers kept histories of their families.

►Usually, just before a father died, he would give his family history to his son, who would continue writing the history.

►Families would keep their histories like this for many years.

Discussion

►Prophets too wrote what happened to their families.

►But they also wrote about how Heavenly Father helped them and about the people who lived around them at that time.

Discussion

►Heavenly Father called a prophet named Mormon to gather all the histories of his people, copy the most important parts, and write them on thin sheets of gold, like pages of a book.

►These were called gold plates.

Discussion

►Why do you think Mormon wrote the records on sheets of gold instead of paper?

Discussion

►Why do you think Mormon wrote the records on sheets of gold instead of paper?

Gold is a metal that will last.

Gold does not fall apart like paper and other materials or rust like many other metals.

Discussion

►Mormon used gold plates because they would last a long time.

►It took many years for Mormon to finish writing on the plates.

►Before Mormon died, he gave the plates to his son Moroni.

Discussion

►When Moroni had finished writing on the gold plates, Heavenly Father told him to bury the plates in a hill.

►Heavenly Father knew that the writings on the gold plates would be important to people living many years later.

Discussion

►Moroni made a stone box to bury the plates in so that they would be safe until Heavenly Father wanted his children to read them.

Go to video Go to slides Continue

►When Joseph Smith was 14 years old, many churches were claiming to be true, and he did not know which one to join.

►One day Joseph read James 1:5 in the Bible: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.”

►Joseph needed to know which church was right, so he decided to ask God.

►On a spring morning Joseph went into the woods near his home to pray.

►As he knelt down and started to pray, Satan tried to stop him. Joseph prayed harder, asking Heavenly Father for help.

►Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ came to Joseph in a pillar of light. Heavenly Father pointed to Jesus and said: “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”

►Joseph asked which church he should join.

►Jesus told him not to join any of them because they were all wrong.

►When Joseph told some people what he had seen and heard, they laughed at him.

►The leaders of many local churches persecuted him.

►Three years went by.

►One night Joseph was praying to be forgiven of his sins and to know what he should do.

►An angel named Moroni appeared and told Joseph about a book that was written on gold plates.

►Joseph was to translate these plates into English.

►After Moroni left, Joseph thought about what Moroni had told him.

►Moroni came back two more times that night.

►The next day Joseph went to the top of the Hill Cumorah, which he had seen in a vision.

►There he found a big rock.

►He pried the rock up with a stick.

►Beneath the rock was a stone box.

►As Joseph looked into the box, he saw the gold plates.

►Moroni appeared and told Joseph not to take the plates but to come back on the same day each year for four years.

►Each time Joseph went, Moroni taught him.

►After four years Joseph was finally allowed to take the gold plates.

►He used the Urim and Thummim to translate some of them.

►Scribes helped Joseph by writing the words as he translated them from the gold plates.

►Joseph took the translated words to a printer and had them made into a book.

►The book is called the Book of Mormon.

►It tells about people who lived in America many years ago.

►It also tells about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

►When Moroni was told to take the Gold Plates, Moroni told Joseph Smith to be very careful with them and to guard them with his life.

Questions

►What kind of man did the song say Heavenly Father needed to bring forth the gold plates?

Questions

►What kind of man did the song say Heavenly Father needed to bring forth the gold plates?

A faithful man

Questions

►Why do you think the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith three times that night?

Questions

►Why was it important for Joseph to protect the plates?

Questions

►Why was it important for Joseph to protect the plates?

Because wicked men would try to get them from him and would not do what Heavenly Father wanted done with the plates

Questions ►Do any of you know what the Urim and

Thummim are?

Questions ►Do any of you know what the Urim and

Thummim are?

The Urim and Thummim are like special glasses through which Joseph could look to help him translate the ancient writing on the plates.

With Heavenly Father’s help and by using the Urim and Thummim, Joseph was able to translate the words on the gold plates into words we could understand.

When the translation into English was completed, the book was printed.

It was called the Book of Mormon.

The book of Mormon is what Joseph translated from the gold

plates.

►After he translated the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith returned the plates to Moroni.

Questions ►The Book of Mormon contains many

separate books.

►The books in the Book of Mormon were named for the prophets who wrote on the plates.

►The Book of Moroni is divided into chapters and verses.

►Show the children how the book of Moroni is divided into chapters and verses.

Questions ►Let’s read Mormon 8: 1 and 4.

►1 Behold I, Moroni, do finish the record of my father, Mormon. Behold, I have but few things to write, which things I have been commanded by my father.

►4 Therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; . . .

Questions

►We call this book the Book of Mormon because Mormon wrote most of the words on the gold plates.

►Mormon’s son Moroni finished the record.

Questions

►On the following slides, we are going to show you pictures.

►Can you say what the picture shows us is happening.

Moroni Appears to Joseph Smith in His Room

Joseph Receives the Gold Plates

Mormon Abridging the Plates

Moroni Hides the Plates in the Hill Cumorah

The Gold Plates

Testimony

►I am grateful for the Book of Mormon and what it means to all of us in these latter days.

►I testify of it’s truthfulness and encourage you to pray to Heavenly Father so you too may know it’s truths.

(Enter Name Here)

OUR CLOSING PRAYER WILL BE GIVEN BY

THE END

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