Lord's Day - Sunday - International Sunday schoolLesson - Outline for Teacher's and Student's

 November 29

Lesson 13 (KJV)

Impartial Love

Devotional Reading: Matthew 12:1–8

Background Scripture: James 2

James 2:1–13

1 My brethren have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with persons' respect.

2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God has chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom he hath promised to them that love him?

6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?

7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

8 If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well:

9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

Key Verse

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God has chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?—James 2:5

Love for One Another

Unit 3: Godly Love Among Believers

Lessons 9–13

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

1. Identify specific behaviors that demonstrated the church’s underlying partiality.

2. Explain how following Jesus’ command to love should have prevented Christians from showing favoritism.

3. Discuss practices of his or her church that may discriminate against certain individuals and develop a plan to correct those actions.

Lesson Outline

Introduction

A. Discrimination

B. Lesson Context

I. Favoring the Wealthy (James 2:1–4)

A. Attitude of Jesus (v. 1)

A Special Football Camp

B. Case Study (vv. 2–4)

II. Favoring the Poor (James 2:5–7)

A. In Faith (v. 5)

Rich in God

B. Against Oppression (vv. 6–7)

III. Favoring the Neighbor (James 2:8–13)

A. Royal Law (vv. 8–11)

B. Law of Liberty (vv. 12–13)

Conclusion

A. Two Laws

B. Prayer

C. Thought to Remember

HOW TO SAY IT

Galilee	Gal-uh-lee.
Jerusalem	Juh-roo-suh-lem.
Leviticus	Leh-vit-ih-kus.
Messiah	Meh-sigh-uh.
Nazareth	Naz-uh-reth.

What Do You Think? How do the implications of verses 2–3 for you change, if at all, as you realize that those working at minimum wage in America are in the top 10 percent standard of living in the world? Digging Deeper In what ways are “the poor” of today wealthier than “the rich” of the first century AD? Why is this question important?

What Do You Think? In what way could you turn sympathy into action if you see the issue of James 2:2–3 actually occur in your church? Digging Deeper Should your action focus on correcting the perpetrator or on comforting the victim? Why?

What Do You Think? What discrimination and/or favoritism challenges do Christians face regarding someone considered “poor” by US standards but “rich” by third-world standards? Digging Deeper How does that question speak to you personally?

What Do You Think? When finding yourself a victim of discrimination, in what contexts is it best to push back verbally versus merely walking away? Why? Digging Deeper Considering the reverse, how should you react in cases where others behave in a patronizing or overly deferential way toward you? Why?

What Do You Think? What more can you do to stay alert to unbiblical cultural trends that creep into the church? Digging Deeper Do we eliminate favoritism within the church by refusing to recognize social classes, or does such refusal invite other problems? Why?

 Krause, Mark S., Andrew Sloan, et al. “Impartial Love.” The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2020–2021. Ed. Ronald L. Nickelson, Jane Ann Kenney, and Margaret K. Williams. Vol. 68. Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2020. 111. Print.