Lesson Helps

Young Women Lesson 17: Preparing to Attend the Temple

Manual 3; Supplement from "Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple" by Elder Russell M. Nelson

Discussion Questions:

  • How can the standards in For the Strength of Youth help you be worthy to attend the temple?
  • How do you obtain a temple recommend to perform baptisms and confirmations for the dead? Is this the same recommend you will use when you are ready to be endowed?
  • What are some things you can do each day to focus on your goal to be worthy to attend the temple and receive the endowment?

Excerpt from "Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple" by By Elder Russell M. Nelson:

In addition to physical preparation, we need to be prepared mentally and spiritually. Because the ordinances and covenants of the temple are sacred, we are under absolute obligation not to discuss outside the temple that which occurs in the temple. Sacred matters deserve sacred consideration.

In this house of learning, we are taught in the Lord’s way. His ways are not our ways. 17 We should not be surprised if teaching techniques differ from those employed in educational pursuits more familiar to us. Temple ordinances and covenants have been an integral part of the gospel since the days of Adam and Eve. Anciently, symbols were used to teach profound truths, and this method of instruction is used in the temple today.

It is necessary, therefore, that we ponder the symbols presented in the temple and see the mighty realities for which each symbol stands. 18 “The temple ordinances are so imbued with symbolic meaning as to provide a lifetime of productive contemplation and learning.” 19 The teachings of the temple are beautifully simple and simply beautiful. They are understood by those who have had little opportunity for education, yet they can excite the intellect of the highly educated.

I recommend that members going to the temple for the first time read entries in the Bible Dictionary that are related to the temple, such as “Anoint,” “Covenant,” “Sacrifices,” and “Temple.” One may also wish to read Exodus, chapters 26–29, and Leviticus, chapter 8. The Old Testament, as well as the books of Moses and Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price, underscores the antiquity of temple work and the enduring nature of its ordinances.

*To read the full talk, click here.

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