LIFEWORK fr Lessn 9 The Ryal Law f Lve (James 2:8-13) There s a scene in the mvie A Few Gd Men where Lt. Daniel Kaffee, a military defense attrney played by Tm Cruise, is questining Cl. Nathan Jessep, played by Jack Nichlsn. I practically knw the scene by heart, as every actr I ve ever studied with wuld wrk that scene in class ver and ver and ver and ver again. Yu may recall it s a pretty heated scene in which Kaffee is pressing Jessep, demanding that he tell the truth, t which the eversinister Nichlsn shuts back, YOU CAN T HANDLE THE TRUTH! Bear with me here. I m nt exactly sure what I was thinking when I began studying the bk f James in preparatin t teach it. I actually began my study f it several years ag but was interrupted by life events and decided t shelve it fr a time when I had mre time t devte t it. The Lrd is surely grinning, as nly He knws that He shelved it until a time when I was mature enugh t handle (teach) the truth with the respect that it deserves. The bk f James is hard. It s scratchy. It s blunt. It s black and white. It is withut questin the hardest bk f Scripture I ve ever lved. It s truth at it s truest, and we wuld be wise indeed t allw this truth t change us even if it hurts us. C mn, girls, we can handle the truth. And we can live it! Yu are greatly and dearly lved by the King! x - Punky Befre yu being yur Bible study this week: Turn ff all ptential distractins (like TV, cell phnes, email, etc.) Pray, asking the Lrd t speak t yu thrugh His Wrd Be sure t use just the Bible text fr yur answers (n cmmentary ntes) Take yur time t read thughtfully thrugh the assigned Scriptures When answering a questin with a Scripture reference, be sure t give the chapter and verse number. Lessn 7 Review: Thrugh the Eyes f Lve (James 2:1-7) What was yur take-away frm Wednesday night s lessn- a new idea r cncept, r a meaningful thught fr yu regarding prejudice? DAY 1: James Read-Thrugh I m s glad that s many f yu were actually able t listen t James last week. If yu weren t able t get t that, please try t d s this week r smetime sn. It will exercise yur listening muscles and yu ll be amazed at the new insight yu get. Fr this week s read thrugh I d like fr yu t mark r highlight in yur wrking text, every prmise yu find recrded in James; indicate every cnditin t that prmise where apprpriate. Which f thse prmises speaks mst specifically t yu and which ne are yu claiming fr yurself? DAY 2: The Ryal Law (James 2:8) Ahh! Nthing like a little encuragement t keep us ging! James gives us just that in v.8. Write ut his encuragement t yu in the space belw, and stre it up as treasure in yur heart: James 2:8 String Up Treasure If yu really keep the ryal law fund in Scripture, Lve yur neighbr as yurself, yu are ding right. James 2:8 (NIV84) 1
Hw is that we knw we are ding right? Think abut the term ryal law. What des that mean t yu? Please read Leviticus 19:18. This is where the ryal law was given t the Israelites. Make a careful bservatin f this verse and recrd belw every fact yu uncver: Remembering that James, ur prtagnist, is the brther f ur Lrd, let s lk at hw King Jesus Himself respnded when He was questined abut the ryal law. Read Matthew 22:34-40 and answer the fllwing questins: Wh is questining Jesus and fr what purpse? What did the Pharisee ask Jesus? What did Jesus tell him was the greatest cmmandment And what did Jesus tell him was f equal imprtance? Hw did Jesus summarize the greatest cmmandment? Thugh yu may have heard this verse a hundred times and prbably even knw it by heart, take a few mments t think it thrugh. What d yu think this means? Sister, there is mre t this ryal law than meets the eye. Lk clsely at what was inscribed by the finger f Gd, handed dwn frm Mses t all generatins: Lve Gd; Lve thers as yu lve yurself. Dn t miss that critical cmpnent f yurself. This is nt a narcissistic, self-centered r hednistic kind f lve. This is lve in the healthiest manner with emphasis n the spiritual, scial, emtinal, mental and physical aspects f ne s life. Fr we can nly lve thers t the degree that we lve urselves; and we can nly lve urselves t the degree that we knw and believe Gd s lve fr us. DAY 3: Lve Yur Neighbr (James 2:8) Accrding t the ryal law, wh is it that we are t lve as we lve urselves? Hw wuld yu describe wh yur neighbr is? I m ging t ask yu t dig deep tday and give sme serius thught t ne f the mst imprtant parables Jesus ever tld. Please read the parable f the Gd Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. Yu ll nte a difference in the details f vv.25-28 as cmpared t Matthew s gspel. Summarize the differences in details belw: 2
Think this parable thrugh (vv.30-37). What d yu learn abut the traveler and the Samaritan wh helped him? List at least 5 facts that stand ut t yu in this parable: What des this parable mean t yu? What distinct prmise des Jesus leave the expert in the law with in v. 28? We will revisit this parable in ur lessn next week. Fr nw, think abut yur wn life. Wh are the neighbrs Jesus is calling yu t lve? Please take a careful lk at tw mre verses tday and tell me what mre yu learn abut the ryal law f lving yur neighbr: Rmans 13:8-10 Galatians 5:13-14 DAY 4: Stumbling Over Just One (James 2:9-11) The enrmity f Gd s Law (the first five bks f the Bible) as recrded in Leviticus and Deuternmy is mindbggling. Als referred t as the Msaic Law (the law given t Mses), it s cmprised f much mre than the Ten Cmmandments 613 if yur cunting, and carries a tremendus weight f perfrmance keeping the law in rder t be in right standing with Gd. If yu had the time tday I d ask yu t read thrugh Leviticus t get the flavr f what I m talking abut and t get the full effect f what James tells us. Based n ur lessn and study f James 2:1-7 last week, remind me again, what is favritism? Lking carefully at vv.9-11, answer the fllwing: What is the result f shwing favritism? What is it that cnvicts us f sin? What s the shcking reality James thrws dwn fr us in v.10? And what des that ne stumble earn us the title f? Please lk up the English wrd lawbreaker and recrd the definitin an synnyms yu find: 3
Ww! Des that ever smack! James des nt mince any wrds just cmes right n ut and says it! Nw, persnalize this verse and put it int yur wn wrds: Whenever I even nce, I m cnvicted as a. Des that make yu want t ask, SERIOUSLY??? Yes, seriusly! But mre than asking seriusly, it makes me want t shut, HALLELUJAH!! because f what Christ has accmplished fr us. Please read Matthew 5:17-20 and recrd what Jesus says in v.17: What des that mean t yu? DAY 5: Mercy Triumphs! (James 2:12-13) James is insistent that ur actins and ur wrds be in sync. It s that walk-yur-talk thing we hear quted s ften. In tday s passage wrds and actins are a target nce mre. What des James warn us f in v.12? Hw des James describe the law in this verse? D yu recall where he used this same term previusly? It s such an xymrnic statement: The law that gives freedm. I mean, dn t we find laws t be a bit cnfining? After all, we d like t put the peddle t the metal every nce in a while, dn t we? But the law that gives freedm? In what ways d yu see that Gd s Law gives us freedm? Think f it in these terms: Freedm frm and freedm fr. Think it thrugh a bit deeper. Hw has Gd s law persnally given yu freedm? Thrughut ur study f James thus far, we have referred back t Jesus Sermn n the Munt as recrded in Matthew, chapters 5-7. Please begin yur study time tday by rereading Matthew 5:1-12. Recrd Jesus wrds in v.7 belw: What des mercy mean t yu? Give it yur best sht first and then lk up the English definitin? Nw, cntrast mercy with judgment. What des that mean t yu? The mst merciful thing Gd has ever dne fr us is als His mst gracius act f lve and kindness: Jesus Christ. As believers in ur Lrd and Savir Jesus Christ, we are saved by grace. Grace is a gift; it s nt sme kind f spiritual merit badge we get fr gd behavir. Grace is smething undeniably wnderful that we can nly experience by receiving it freely. Keeping the law des nt bring us grace nr des it bring us eternal life. We are saved, simply and prfundly, thrugh faith in Jesus Christ- the gracius Gift f Gd Himself. Having said all f that, Gd s grace des nt mean that we can live rule-free n this earth. We are cmmanded t bey ur Lrd Christ and fllw His ways 4
(laws). Grace desn t cancel ut the law; it puts the law in a new perspective fr the believer. The law, nce an external set f rules that had t be kept abslutely perfectly (that s legalism), is nw the perfect law f liberty r the law that gives freedm. Our hearts receive the law as fr us and nt against us because we knw that Gd is fr us and nt against us, and by the pwer f the indwelling Hly Spirit f Jesus Christ we want t and will live ut the law mre and mre. N lnger bund by the law, we are free in the law first and fremst t lve. Let that all sink in, sister, then cnsider this: In His lving kindness, Gd has extended t us such mercy and grace that we will never be able t fully cmprehend. Therefre, hw culd we withhld frgiveness and mercy frm anther? Believe Gd s grace t yu, His mercy that cvers yu and let that flw thrugh yu t thers. Wh needs t receive mercy frm yu tday? LIVING TRUTH à LIVING PROOF (Practical, life applicatin f the Scripture) Living Truth: Hw did yu live (apply) Gd s Wrd in yur life this week in a practical way? Give the Biblical reference and write ut the passage yu fllwed: Living Prf: What were the results r the prf f the Truth yu applied? (Did yu frgive smene? Did yu humble yurself? Did yur reactin t a situatin change fr the better?) SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Lk back ver the parable f the Gd Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 (Day 3). Hw did this parable persnally speak t yu? Based n ur lessn tnight, what new thughts and insights have yu persnally gained abut the ryal law t lve yur neighbr as yurself? Punky Tlsn 2011 5