[Thought questions for One Lawgiver and Judge November 26, 2014]

Image © Steve Creitz from GoodSalt.com

1. Introduction. Have you ever complained about a new stop sign in your neighborhood? Or about the lack of stop signs or posted speed limits nearby? Imagine that you live in the capital city of the United States, Washington, DC. What would the term “diplomatic immunity” mean to you if you saw a luxury car displaying the logo of a foreign country illegally blocking traffic ahead of you? Why do we have such strong feelings about the laws that surround us? Do our attitudes extend to our church’s rules and procedures? From a universal perspective, how many lawgivers and law enforcers are there? Can you identify any of them? See James 4:12.

2. Judgment or Discernment—or slander? Is it always slander to speak ill of someone? Should we be careful what we say about the people we choose to be around us? What does pointing out a member’s faults have to do with sitting in judgment? Would you like to work in a factory or software company that has no rules or no enforcement of them? What is the difference between judging someone and exercising the role of judge and jury over that person? Or is there a difference?

3. The Lawgiver is the Judge. Who is the author of the Ten Commandments? Did Jesus dispense with these ten rules during His stay on earth? Why or why not? Why are so many fellow Christians intent on doing away with the Old Testament commandments today? After telling us that there is only one lawgiver and one judge, what does James find too many church members trying to be? Why? At the end of earth’s history will God provide extra time for us to learn to obey Him? If not, when can we learn the law of God and how to obey it?

4. Planning Ahead. If you could start your life over again, say at age eight or ten, would you make careful plans for your future? Are you making plans now for the next several years? Do you know someone with supplies on hand for years to come? Is that a good idea? How can you make your plans for the next ten or fifteen years fit God’s plan for you? Does James believe in planning for the future? What condition does he apply to this process? See James 4:13-15.

5. Life is a vapor. Today we see “vapor” stores popping up everywhere in the U.S.A., selling a product made from marijuana that is becoming legal and greatly desired. What is the sensation that “vapor” gives people who use these products? In what ways is life like a vapor? Are you ever sick of the sin and turmoil of this life? How does being aware of the approaching end of your life and of the world change your attitude toward Jesus’ coming? Are you ready to trade the “vapor” of this life for a solid, mind-building, soul-healing, body-enhancing eternal life with Jesus?

Print/PDF/Email