James
The Leader
Little is written about James
Lots of blanks are left never to be filled in as he grew up as the brother of Jesus
James was visited by Jesus after His death and resurrection
And he became a great leader of the Church in Jerusalem
Jesus said…
“When I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." John 12:32
James saw Jesus as more than a brother, He saw Him as the Son of God
James saw Jesus as the resurrected Son of God
Though James knew Jesus from an earthly point of view all his life,
James saw Jesus high above the earth
What matters to you?
Your heritage, education, wealth, these are the things people on the earth fight over
Become “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”
Because Jesus is all that matters
The Leader
The Apostle Paul gives us
some information about James.
Paul when talking of the “first importance”
1 Corinthians 15:3
That is…
“That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
that he was buried, that he was raised
on the third day according to the Scriptures
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Paul tells us after Jesus’ resurrection,
He showed Himself to many…
And that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time,
most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1 Corinthians 15:4-8
The most important thing for any of us to know is…
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
that he was buried, that he was raised
on the third day according to the Scriptures
James, the brother of Jesus, is one of
those Christ appeared to after His death.
For James, like all of us, everything comes together
after we see Jesus raised from the dead.
All James saw from the time he was born
came together when he saw
His Jesus raised from the dead.
The resurrection made the virgin birth,
Jesus Father in heaven more than a story.
James becomes one of the leaders
of the church in Jerusalem.
James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars,
gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship
when they recognized the grace given to me.
They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.
Galatians 2:9
Paul’s conversion and mission to see the Gentiles
come to Christ, became a major concern.
In Acts 15, the discussion among the church
leaders in Jerusalem are summed up by James…
When they finished, James spoke up:
"Brothers, listen to me.
Acts 15:13
James did not become a great leader
because he was Jesus’ brother.
Too often we recognize leaders by
the things we see on the outside, rather
than the character of what is within.
James became a great leader because
he saw the resurrected Christ.
James laid down everything to become
“a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”
James 1:1
James was a brilliant man,
it is said he knew several languages.
He served alongside Peter and John
and seemed to be the spokesman.
He was a problem solver and negotiator.
James has the same mother as Jesus.
To understand all these things about
James you have to dig deep. Why?
Because James knows who God is
and serving God is all that matters.
James is not focused on his own popularity.
There are a lot of blanks to fill in
about James, the brother of Jesus.
But the scriptures are very silent.
It is not important for us to fill in the blanks.
What is import is we see James as
“a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”
James 1:1
Why?
Because then we can see Jesus as He is.
Jesus said…
“When I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men to myself."
John 12:32
James saw Jesus as more than a brother…
He saw Him as the Son of God.
James saw Jesus as the resurrected Son of God.
Though James knew Jesus from
an earthly point of view all his life,
James saw Jesus high above the earth.
What matters to you?
Your heritage, education, wealth, these
are the things people on the earth fight over.
Become “a servant of God and of the Lord
Jesus Christ,” because Jesus is all that matters.
Scripture Reading NIV
James 1:1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Acts 15:13
13 When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me.
Acts 21:17-19
17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
1 Corinthians 15:4-8
5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Galatians 2:9-10
9 James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.
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