Editor’s note: To support elders quorum and Relief Society classes, the Church News is publishing lesson resources on messages from October 2024 general conference. These are meant to be a starting point and not a strict lesson plan.
About this talk
- “The Triumph of Hope”
- by Elder Neil L. Andersen | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
- Saturday morning session of October 2024 general conference.
- Theme: Individuals can find hope in Christ despite sorrow and challenges.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Elder Andersen’s message here.
Outline
- Elder Andersen offered an introduction to general conference. He quoted President Russell M. Nelson’s invitation to seek guidance from the Holy Ghost while listening to the Lord’s servants.
- Hope is a priceless endowment from God.
Our hope for eternal life
- Hope of eternal life is assured through the grace of Jesus Christ and individual choices. Victory comes through faith in Him, and it overcomes the challenges of mortal life.
Hope comes from God
- Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have eagerly blessed the righteous with the precious gift of hope. The Lord’s Spirit still enlightens the faithful today.
A lesson of hope
- As Moroni taught, hope comes through the Atonement of Christ. Hope is a living gift that grows by increasing faith in Him.
A house of hope
- The temple — “a house of light, a house of hope” — verifies hope as one feels the Spirit within. Nothing can darken hope when holding tightly to temple covenants and promised blessings.
When hope is discarded
- Those without hope in Christ see sadness and despair. When one husband died, for instance, the wife was unable to comfort their children. Her despair led to darkness and confusion.
Hope in heartbreaking tragedy
- When young adult Trey died after complications from a heart transplant, the parents were devastated. Yet, they awoke the next day filled with indescribable peace, a testament that “the Lord does not leave us comfortless,” the father noted.
The promise of hope
- Peace may not come as quickly as desired, but by putting trust in the Lord, His peace will come. Jesus Christ lives and is the triumph of hope.
Discussion questions
When have you seen hope in Christ overcome the challenges of mortal life?
What action can we take to further increase our faith in Jesus Christ?
How have you seen the temple be “a house of hope” in your life?
What can we do to shine the Light of Christ when others experience despair?
How can we maintain hope in Christ when peace or answers don’t come immediately?
Notable quotes
- “Our victory comes through faith in Jesus Christ as we triumph over our sins, difficulties, temptations, unfairness and the challenges of this mortal life.”
- “Hope is a living gift, a gift that grows as we increase our faith in Jesus Christ.”
- “There is no pain, no sickness, no injustice, no suffering, nothing that can darken our hope as we believe and hold tightly to our covenants with God in the house of the Lord. It is a house of light, a house of hope.”
Key scriptures
- “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer [keep a brightness of hope]; I have overcome the world.”
- “And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.”
- “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.”
Invitations and promises
- “As we strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, we see beyond our struggles to the blessings and promises of eternity. Like a light whose brilliance grows, hope brightens the darkened world, and we see our glorious future.”
- “‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for’ (Hebrews 11:1). We build this substance — the evidence blocks of our faith — through prayer, temple covenants, keeping the commandments, continually feasting on the scriptures and the words of modern-day prophets, taking the sacrament, serving others and worshipping weekly with our fellow Saints.”
- “I promise you that as you trust in the Lord, His peace will come. May we nurture our precious faith, pressing forward with a perfect brightness of hope.”
Stories
- The prophet Moroni was lonely and in hiding near the end of the Book of Mormon. Yet, in this dark time, he recorded the words of hope from his father, Mormon: “Ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal” (Moroni 7:41).
- A couple that once had faith in Christ decided to discard their belief. All seemed well with their success, and they found pleasure in their intellect. However, the husband suddenly fell ill and died. The wife was painfully unprepared and unable to comfort her children. Her despair led to darkness and confusion.
- After complications from a heart transplant, young adult Trey — the son of Elder Andersen’s nephew — never regained consciousness. Trey’s parents were heartbroken, but they awoke the next day filled with indescribable peace. Although they greatly miss Trey, they gained a greater witness that “the Lord does not leave us comfortless.”
Notable footnotes
- 22. Hebrews 11:1. In the Joseph Smith Translation it reads, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (in the Bible appendix). We see the assurance of our faith in the blessings that come to those who keep the covenants they have made with the Lord.
- 27. See 2 Nephi 31:20. The hope Nephi speaks of is perfect and bright because it is centered in Christ. He is perfect, and His Atonement, which offers this bright hope, is also perfect.
Additional resources
- Related image: “Garden Tomb”
- Related video: “Men’s Hearts Shall Fail Them”
- Related hymn: No. 1003, “It Is Well With My Soul”
Recent conference talks on hope
- Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “A Higher Joy” (April 2024)
- Elder Jose L. Alonso: “Jesus Christ at the Center of Our Lives” (April 2024)
- Sister Tamara W. Runia: “Seeing God’s Family Through the Overview Lens” (October 2023)
Who is Elder Andersen?
- Elder Neil L. Andersen was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on April 4, 2009. He had served as a General Authority Seventy since 1993, during which time he managed development of the film “The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd” and supervised the initial launch of Mormon.org, now ComeUntoChrist.org.
