Alma 8-12: Jesus Christ Will Come to Redeem His People (June 8-14)

After preaching to responsive audiences in Zarahemla and Gideon, Alma traveled to Ammonihah, where he was rejected (Alma 8:6-13). But as he was leaving, an angel told him to return. This time, he had help from a resident of the city named Amulek.

Here is a summary of the sermon they jointly taught: Alma and Amulek’s Sermon in Ammonihah – Alma 9-13.

This week, we are studying the first half of Alma and Amulek’s ministry in Ammonihah. Here is an outline of the key events:

1. Alma and Amulek meet and prepare to preach together (Alma 8).
2. Alma warns the people to repent (Alma 9).
3. Amulek affirms that Alma is a prophet of God (Alma 10).
4. Amulek is questioned by Zeezrom and testifies of the Savior (Alma 11).
5. Alma answers two follow-up questions about the resurrection (Alma 12).

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned from these chapters:

Humility is a prerequisite for learning.

• Dismantling the walls around our hearts: He That Will Not Harden His Heart – Alma 12:9-11
• Learning to receive personal revelation: What Are the Mysteries of God?
• Overcoming willful ignorance: Alma 10:5-6 I Knew…Yet I Would Not Know
• Conquering barriers to belief: Because of the Traditions of Their Fathers – Alma 9:14-17
• Recognizing God’s messengers: He Sent Angels – Alma 12:28-30

An understanding of the Savior’s Atonement can give us confidence and peace.

• Permanence and durability: What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Resurrection?
• Deliverance from physical, mental, and spiritual limitations: What Does the Book of Mormon Add to Our Understanding of the Resurrection?
• The breadth of the Savior’s gift: Redeemed, Reunited, Restored, Resurrected – Alma 11:40-45
• The universality of the resurrection: The Loosing of the Bands of Death – Alma 11:40-41
• Finding rest through repentance: He Shall Have Claim on Mercy – Alma 12:33-35
• The power of a preposition (“from” vs. “in”): To Redeem Them From Their Sins – Helaman 5:10

This life is a time to prepare.

• God gave Adam and Eve the gift of time: What Is a “Probationary State?”
• Cherubim and a flaming sword: Why Did God Prevent Adam and Eve from Partaking of the Tree of Life?
• Curbing our impatience: Having No Preparatory State – Alma 12:26-27
• Overcoming our separation from God: What Are the Two “Provocations” Discussed by Alma?
• Learning to acknowledge our weaknesses and failings: We Must Come Forth and Stand Before Him – Alma 12:14-15

Serving others can be difficult, but it’s worth it.

• Love and sadness: Weighed Down with Sorrow – Alma 8:14-16
• Providing nourishment: What Does It Mean to Be “an Hungered?”
• Enduring adversity: That the Lord Might Show Forth His Power in Them – Alma 8:30-31
• Praying diligently on behalf of other people: Wrestling with God in Mighty Prayer – Alma 8:10

We should be responsive to God, just as He is responsive to us.

• Responsiveness to God: Return to the City of Ammonihah – Alma 8:14-16
• God’s responsiveness to us: Quick To Hear…and to Answer – Alma 9:26
• A remarkable pair of divine attributes: Alma 9:26 Full of Patience…Quick to Hear

Other topics

• Keeping our testimonies simple: He Is the Very Eternal Father – Alma 11:39
• Avoiding thought-sins: What Should I Think About?
• Providing tangible evidence of change: What Is “Fruit Meet for Repentance?”
• We’re all on the same team: Alma 12:5 This Was a Plan of Thine Adversary