James the Passionate Apostle Part 1
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Introduction:
Today we continue on with our series on the Apostles. Today we meet James. He is one of the three that disciples that is in the close inner circle and is the least familiar to us.
He never appears as a stand alone person when spoken of in gospel accounts, he is paired up with his younger, better known brother John. The only time he is mentioned in the book of Acts in recording his martyrdom.
It is ironic that James is silent because normally the eldest is the speaker for the family and logical to dominate the group. James was the eldest brother between him and John, that is why his name is always listed before John when their names appear together. James’ and John’s family seems to be prominent, more prominent than that of Peter and Andew. How we know this is because their father’s name is referenced by saying simply “the sons of Zebdee” which signified that Zebdee was a man of some importance. There are 6 references of this in the Gospels.
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Zebdee’s prestige seemed to come from financial success, family lineage, or both. He was quite well-to-do. His fishing business was successful and able to employ multiple hired servants.
He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.
Zebdee’s entire family had enough status that the apotle John was known as “the high priest” and that is how John was able to get Peter admitted to the high preiest’s courtyard on the night of Jesus’ arrest. ()
There is evidence that Jame’s and John’s father was a Levite and close relation to the high priest’s family. I don’t really understand why the Bible goes into so much detail on establishing Zebdee’s family’s level of importance. But it is clear that the family’s reputation reached from Galilee to Jerusalem to the high priest’s household.
Because of all this level of importance, James being the oldest from this prominent family, may have felt that he had the right to be the chief apostle. There were many reasons to state his greatness from this status. But James never took first place among the apostles only one: where he was the first to be martyred.
James was a strong leader even though we known little about him. James, Peter and John were the only ones Jesus permitted to go with him when He raised Jarius’s daughter from the dead.
Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James).
The same group witnessed Jesus’ glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone.
James was among the four disciples who questioned Jesus privately on the Mount of Olives.
Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him,
“Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”
Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him,
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James was there again with John and Peter when the Lord urged them to pray with Him privately in the garden of Gethsamane.
They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.”
He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed.
He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed.
He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
He was a member of the small, inner circle and was able to witness Jesus’ powr in raising the dead, the glory of Jesus transfigured, Christ’s soveregnity in the way Jesus laid out the future on the Mount of Olives, and saw the Lord’s agnoy in the garden.
He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed.
Seeing all of this must have strengthened his faith immensely. Can you imagine being granted this inner access to the Lord? Can you imagine the level of closeness and priviledge?
There is nothing we should take more seriously than when someone allows us into their confidence. It is a level of trust and respect that does not come easily and we should not take it for granted. I believe this is highly demonstrated in James’ life and he does not take this priviledge for granted.
This morning look at your life this far. How are you doing? I am asking you to think for a minute on how you would sum up your life in one word up to this point in time of course. Or even how would you sum up your life based on this week?
For James, to sum up the measure of his life in a word would be passion. Although we know little about him this is the characteristic is quite evident. He served with intense fevor and intensity. Jesus gave James and John the nickname: Boanerges: “sons of thunder”.
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This nickname defines James’s personality vividly - zealous, passionate, and ferverent.
Jesus reminds us of Jehu in the Old Testament, who was known for driving his chariot extremely fast.
The watchman exclaimed, “The messenger has met them, but he isn’t returning either! It must be Jehu son of Nimshi, for he’s driving like a madman.”
Jehu’s passion was out of control and his zeal for the Lord was tainted with selfishness and blood thirsty cruelty.
But Jehu did not obey the Law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.
James zeal was mixed with some similarities but much milder in dose and may have went down a similar path as the OT Jehu but James met Jesus! By God’s grace he was transformed into a man of God and became one of the leading apostles.
Isn’t it neat to see the comparison of an OT example that is similar in the NT but GRACE is applied and we get to see what that means to a life? Aren’t you glad you have God’s grace in your life? Friend if you do not, do not wait the time is right this morning and His grace freely flows for you today!
In Mark’s account of Jesus’ nicknaming of the brothers “sons of thunder” it includes listing the twelve apostles and he mentions it in the same way Simon was named Peter.
James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”),
Unlike Peter’s nickname which was intended to help encourage and shape Peter’s character, Boanerges seems to have been given to Zebedee’s sons to scold them when they allowed their naturally feverish temperaments to get out of hand. Jesus may have used it in humor to gently remind them of this.
James had a fiery, passionate disposition. While Andrew was quietly working in the background bringing people to Jesus, James was wishing he could call down fire from heaven and destroy whole villages of people.
Even when James was martyred and the martrydom was done by Herod (no less) suggests that James was not a passive or subtle man and had style that stirred things us. This meant he made deadly enemies quite rapidly.
Please note that I am not trying to present this apostle to you in a negative light. There is certainly room to passionately serve our Lord and Savior. I thank God for passionate drive that is given to people. We need more passionate service to the Lord. There is a legitimate place in spiritual leadership for thunderously passionate personalities.
Elijah was that kind of character. I am sure Elijah was a role model for James when he was pleading for fire from heaven.
Nehemiah was also passionate.
So I confronted them and called down curses on them. I beat some of them and pulled out their hair. I made them swear in the name of God that they would not let their children intermarry with the pagan people of the land.
John the Baptist had firey temperment. I guess we could say James was cut from the same cloth as these guys. He was outspoken, intense and impatient with evil doers.
This morning where are you? Do you serve with zeal and fire? Are you passionately fired up for service to God? What makes you passionate regarding your service to Him? Do you know Him? How’s your walk?
This is the first part of our message on James. This morning as we conclude I want you to take inventory of your life. In the last few weeks we have been looking at three different disciples that brought three different perspectives to serving God. These men walked closely with Jesus but all brought different things to the table.
This morning I want you to remember that:
1. Different - is not a bad thing. It is good we are all not meant to be like each other but we are to strive to be like Jesus!
2. Serve - not matter how we do it the important thing is that we serve Him. No matter if it is extroverted and loud like Peter, quiet and effective like Andrew or fierce passion and intensity like James. We are all called to serve and we are needed to reach out to others and make a difference in these last days. Don’t stop serving Him to your full potential.
3. Intimacy - All three examples we have looked at have another thing in common. They knew Jesus. They walked closely with Him. Talked with Him privately. Witnessed His miracles and power. They didn’t always understand why He did things the way He did but they loved Him, respected Him and yielded to Him because of that level of intimacy they had with Him.
This morning as we conclude this part of the message I want you to evaluate your life. Where are you?
Do you know Him? if not come and know Him. There is a level of closeness that you will experince like nothing else. He will show you love beyond what you ever thought you could experience and grace that is worldview changing.
He wants you just like you are! He made you, created you, knows you better than you know yourself and loves our differences. Differences do not make us weird it makes us unique and useful in all areas. He wants to know you more, will you get to know Him better?
Closeness and intimacy with the Creator of the world who would have thought that to be possible but it is and He desires that with us. He created us with a void that can only be filled by Him. We need to embrace this and open up to it. Can you imagine the possibilities if we lived to our full potential in Him? Are you?
Come now is the time to worship