First Nephi

FIRST NEPHI

1 NEPHI 1 – Prayer & Prophets
1 Nephi 1:5 Lehi prayed with his whole heart. Think about how that kind of prayer is different. Think back to a time when you prayed with your whole heart.
PRINCIPLE:  Like the prophets of old, prophets today testify of Jesus Christ and teach His gospel.  They make known God’s will and true character.  They speak boldly and clearly, denouncing sin and warning of its consequences.  At times they may be inspired to prophesy of future events for our benefit.
PRINCIPLE:  Nephi declared in the first chapter of the Book of Mormon that he would show us “the tender mercies of the Lord” in his writings.  Faithfulness, obedience, and humility invite tender mercies into our lives.  (Bednar)

1 Nephi 2 – Obedience and the Plan of Salvation
Lehi was obedient. Leaving everything behind would take a lot of faith and trust in God. We aren't asked to leave everything behind and follow God, but we have trials where we have to put our faith and trust in God. Think about what we are asked to do to show our obedience, faith and trust.
PRINCIPLE: When we are faithful and obedient, the Lord will help us in times of trial.
PRINICIPLE:  When we call upon God, He can soften our hearts to believe his words.
TRUTH:  When we share what we have learned through the Holy Spirit others may believe our words.
TRUTH:  God blesses those who are obedient and faithful and persistent obedience qualifies us for the Lord’s help in difficult situations.

1 Nephi 3 – Records are Important
Scriptures were so important that Lehi sent his sons back many miles (I read once that it was 180 miles, a 12 -14 day trip one way!) I've wondered why God didn't just inspire them to take them in the first place.  (He could have!!) As I've gotten older, I realized that God had things to teach Nephi and his brothers. What did they learn from this experience? Think about what we need to learn from our trials.
PRINCIPLE:  If we will do what the Lord commands then he will prepare a way for us to accomplish it.

1 Nephi 4 – Listen to the Spirit
1 Nephi 4:6 Nephi was guided by the Spirit. Think about a time when you felt the Holy Ghost guiding you. Have you written it down?  It helps when we are going through hard times to remember that Heavenly Father cares enough about us to communicate with us. He has in the past and He will continue to in the future as long as we are willing to listen.
PRINCIPLE:  When we exercise faith in God and seek to do what He asks, even when we cannot see the outcome, He will lead us by the influence of the Holy Ghost.

1 Nephi 5 & 6 – Into the Wilderness
1 Nephi 5: 7, 8 I have often thought about Sariah and her feelings about taking her family into the wilderness. and how hard this would be even if she knew it was the right thing to do. Sending her son's back to Jerusalem was almost too overwhelming for her. Can you imagine how hard this would be? When they returned with the brass plates and shared their experiences in obtaining them, it strengthened Sariah's testimony. She said she knew for sure that the Lord was directing her husband and their family. Considering what was ahead of her, why was it so important for her to have this confirmation?
TRUTH:  When we want to speak to God, we pray.  And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures; for His words are spoken through His prophets.  He will then teach us as we listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  (Robert D. Hales)
TRUTH:  One purpose of the Book of Mormon is to persuade all people to come unto Jesus Christ.

1 Nephi 7 – Even after an Angel Appears
1 Nephi 7:21 Nephi's brothers continue to rebel & torment Nephi even after they have witnessed God's constant help. They had an angel appear to them and yet they are quick to forget and go back to their rebellious ways. Why don't they have any faith? How is Nephi able to continue to "frankly forgive" them?
TRUTH:  God answers prayers according to our faith.  Praying in faith means to pray with trust in the Lord and it always includes a willingness to act.

1 Nephi 8 – Lehi’s Vision
Lehi's vision has so many important messages. By reading the scriptures you are holding to the rod! Great Job!
PRINCIPLE:  If we hold fast to the word of God, it will help us overcome temptation and worldly influences.  Holding fast to the word of God helps us grow closer to the Lord and receive the blessings of the Atonement.
PRINCIPLE:  Coming unto Jesus Christ and partaking of the Atonement brings happiness and joy.  (Partaking of the fruit of the tree of life means that they were taking of the blessings of the atonement).
PRINCIPLE:  If we hold fast to the word of God, it will help us overcome temptation and worldly influences.
PRINCIPLE:  Holding fast to the word of God helps us grow closer to the Lord and receive the blessings of the Atonement.
PRINCIPLE:  After we have begun to receive the blessings of the Atonement, we need to be diligent and faithful, repenting of our sins and striving to keep our covenants.
TRUTH:  The atonement of Jesus Christ is the greatest expression of God’s love for His children.
TRUTH:  Lehi’s dream or vision has in it everything a Latter-day Saint needs to understand the test of life.  (Boyd K. Packer)
 
1 Nephi 9 & 10 – God Will Always Prepare a Way
1 Nephi 9:6 It is very comforting to know that God knows all things and has all power. We can put our trust in Him. He will prepare a way!
PRINCIPLE:  As we obey God's commandments and the promptings of the Holy Ghost, our understanding of the purposes behind them will grow, and the Lord will bless us for our obedience.
PRINCIPLE:  God know all things and prepares a way to accomplish all of His work.
PRINCIPLE:  Through the Holy Ghost, God can give us strength, comfort, and direction to overcome or endure life's difficulties.TRUTH:  God reveals truth to all those who diligently seek him.
1 Nephi 11 – Find Out for Yourself
1 Nephi 11:1 We don't have to just believe what we are taught. Heavenly Father encourages us to find out for ourselves if things are true.
TRUTH:  The Savior's willingness to live a mortal life shows His love for us.
PRINCIPLE:  The Savior condescended to live a mortal life, minister to and heal the sick and afflicted, and die for all our sins that we might return home to the presence of Heavenly Father.
 
1 Nephi 12 – Pride and Iniquity
It must have been hard for Nephi to see what would happen to his people because of their pride and iniquity.

1 Nephi 13 - Plain and Most Precious
Can you imagine the joy and relief Nephi must have felt when he learned that all was not lost and that the restoration of the Gospel would bring people to the knowledge of Christ and provide great blessings?
TRUTH:  The Lord has prepared and will continue to prepare, a way for His restored gospel to enter every nation.
TRUTH:  The Bible is a record of great worth.  When the revelations in the Bible were originally recorded, they contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord. TRUTH:  The Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ.  It restored precious truths concerning the Fall, the Atonement, the Resurrection, and life after death.
 

1 Nephi 14 – Stumbling Blocks
One of the promises made to us in this chapter is the taking away of our stumbling blocks if we listen to the Lord. When I stopped and really thought about what that could mean, I realized what a powerful blessing it could be and I am working on trying to be a better listener.

1 Nephi 15:  Harden not your Hearts and Ask in Faith Believing
11 Harden not your hearts, ask in faith, believe ye shall receive, be diligent in keeping commandments & surely you will understand. Reminds me of James 1:5
24 Hold tight, listen to the word of God. You won't be overpowered unto blindness and led away.
27 Focus on the Gospel. Let not your mind be so filled with the things of the world that you can't see clearly.

1 Nephi 16 – The Liahona/The Holy ghost
Liahona. There are so many lessons to learn here. Lehi's family was guided according to their faith and diligence. One difference between Nephi and Laman and Lemuel is that Nephi didn't sit around and wait for God to fix things. He prayed and then got to work to solve the problem according to inspiration. Many times the inspiration didn't come until he was in the process of trying to understand or do something to fix the situation. Sometimes we stumble before God steps in to help us, but He always does. Have faith. Don't give up too soon.

1 Nephi 17 – Do Not Doubt
1 Nephi 17:50  if God commands Nephi does not doubt. He knows all things are possible with God. Think about how much Nephi has learned since they left Jerusalem.

1 Nephi 18 – Put off the Natural Man
1 Nephi 18:16 How is it that Nephi is able to react to such difficult problems without complaining and with such faith? I wonder if it has to do with learning to put off the natural man (which would automatically react negatively).  As we grow in the Gospel and practice putting off the natural man, little by little we begin to think and act on a higher plane. It becomes more natural to handle problems with a better attitude & with faith. As we trust in God's plan we eventually become more like Him.

1 Nephi 19 – Liken the Scriptures unto Us
1 Nephi 19:23 Powerful lessons can be learned when we read the scriptures and liken them to our own lives and situations. God can more easily speak to us because we are listening and searching for the lessons he is teaching. Through the scriptures we learn how much Heavenly Father loves and blesses His children and wants to help us.

1 Nephi 20 – Importance of Isaiah (Who do we Worship?)
Nephi quotes Isaiah. Why does Nephi take so much time and effort to engrave Isaiah's words from the brass plates (Bible)? It would not have been an easy task so there must be something very important that he wants us to learn. I think it is no coincidence that the chapter before talks about likening the scriptures to us. God wants the children of Israel to turn away from evil and listen to what He has been saying since the beginning of time. Come unto Him and keep His commandments. Many people today worship idols of power, money or possessions. God continues to plead with us to come unto Him and trust Him to guide us.

1 Nephi 21 – Covenants Connect Us to God
More of Isaiah, Any insights? Here is what I got: God will never leave or forget about us. Christ has engraven us upon His hands. Covenants connect us to God.

1 Nephi 22 – A Marvelous Work
God promises to bring forth a "marvelous work" in the last days. The knowledge & covenants of the gospel are more marvelous than we may think. As we work to help others through service, missionary and temple work, WE become a better people. How amazing is that?