#6~ APOSTLE; JAMES THE GREAT 1-11-14
* JAMES -- name of four men in the New Testament:
1~ James, the son of Zebedee brother of John, both were apostles.
2 ~ James, a son of Mary, half brother of Jesus, he was not a member of the apostolic band, and not a believer in Jesus until after His resurrection.
~ Let's be reminded, that Jesus chose His 12 apostles at the beginning of His 3½ year ministry, Jesus half brothers did not believe on Him at that time, so this rules out James the half brother of Jesus as one of His apostles. -- However this James, Jesus half brother, wrote the epistle of James, after he became a believer of coarse, and let me also say, that Jesus half brother "JUDAS" wrote the epistle of Jude after he became a believer and that was not until the resurrection of Jesus. -- And let me also say, that neither James nor Judas mentions in their epistles that they are Jesus brother, neither desired to magnify themselves, both states that their the "servant of Jesus Christ" -- both were zealous for Jesus.
* The names of His half brothers are found in Matthew 13:55 -- James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas.--He also had at least two sisters, we're not told their names.
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3rd. ~ James, the father of "Judas an apostle" not Judas Iscariot, and not the half brother of Jesus also named Judas. -- Remember, the half brothers of Jesus did not believe on Him until after His resurrection.
4th. ~ James, the son of Alphaeus, also called son of Cleopas.
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~ Last time we talked about "James the son of Alphaeus" -- James the son of Alphaeus; was referred to as "James the less" probably because he was short in stature, or perhaps because he was younger, also to distinguish him from the other apostle James, the brother of the apostle John.
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* LISTEN, there are no apostles today:
~ Remember an apostle is a person that has been SENT by the Lord Jesus such as the 12 apostles, or the 70 in;
>Luke 10:1After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
~ We don't call missionaries today "APOSTLES".
~Listen, in the days of Paul there were others that Paul referred to as APOSTLES; these were sent by A LOCAL church, not personally sent by the Lord Jesus as the 12 were.
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~ There are others besides Paul and the Twelve who were called Apostles. --- In Acts 14:4, 14, Barnabus is called an apostle. -- But, the only thing certain here is that Barnabus was an apostle of the Antioch church, not a formal Apostle.
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~Notice the church at Antioch sent out Barnabus, not the Lord.
>Acts 13: 1-3 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
2As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. -- The church at Antioch SENT them, not the Lord.
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~ Paul speaks of himself as having been in the company of apostles of Christ at the church in Thessalonica.
>1st. Thess. 2:6 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.
~ Paul is apparently talking about his co-travelers, Silas and Timothy, because we read in;
>1st. Thess. 1:1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians --- so it seems Paul was talking about Silas and Timothy.
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~LISTEN; here "apostle" is being used in its more common usage, simply as a representative (missionary) authorized by a local church to minister in the Word in other locations.
--- There is no recorded scene in which the Lord or the twelve Apostles appointed Silas as a formal Apostle.
* Paul was both an Apostle of the Lord Jesus and an apostle of the church at Antioch, as both sent Paul.
~ These apostles were like the missionaries of today, but these did not have the position, the authority, and the abilities of the Twelve and of Paul.
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~Today local churches send missionaries. -- it is best to call them missionaries, to keep some folks from being confused, if they were referred to as apostles, some folks might think of them as being like the Twelve Apostles, and the Apostle Paul. There are no Apostles today.
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* BACK TOO JAMES THE GREAT:
~~ This is the James we'll be talking about today, James the brother of John --- their parents were Zebedee and Salome, Salome was sister to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
~ Salome believed whole heartedly in Jesus coming Kingship.
>Matt. 20:20-21 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, [James and John] worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
21And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. -- This shows us that Salome believed that Jesus would have a Kingdom. But none in that day understood when it would be.
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~Salome was one of the women who followed Him on His last journey to Jerusalem. --- She was at the cross, as one of the sympathetic and sorrowing women who witnessed His final sufferings. -- She also came to anoint His body on the morning of the resurrection.
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~ This Apostle James is often referred to as "James the great" he is never mentioned apart from his brother John in the New Testament, even at his death.
>Acts 12:1-2 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. 2And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
~ James was killed by Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great, sometime between a.d. 42--44. --- James was the first of the twelve apostles to be put to death, and the only one whose martyrdom is mentioned in the New Testament.
~When the brothers "James and John" are mentioned, James is always mentioned first, probably because he was the older.
~ However after the Resurrection, John became more prominent, probably because of his association with Peter, as they traveled together in the book of Acts. -- Lets keep in mind too that James was martyred in acts 12:
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~ It seems that both brothers, James and John were somewhat high tempered.
~ James and John asked Jesus if He wanted them to call down fire in revenge on a Samaritan village because they refused to allow Jesus to journey on too Jerusalem. -- This account is recorded only in Luke gospel, where we read:
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>Luke 9:51-56 And it came to pass, when the time was come that HE should be received up, HE stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
~The Greek word for being received up occurs only here, Jesus death, as well as His ascension, is what this is referring to.
>52And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.
~The messengers were to go into this Samarian village and make advanced preparations to accommodate this great crowd that was following Jesus.
> 53And they [Samaritans] did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. --
~Notice the rejection by the Samaritans, we think of the "good" Samaritans because of the parable, but they were no more considerate than the Jews--both rejected Him.
~ LISTEN, there were long-standing tensions between Jews and Samaritans; the Samaritans would not knowingly accommodate travelers bound for Jerusalem.
~ Samaritans were a mixed breed of people; they were part Jew and gentile, most of the Jews looked down on the Samaritans as gentile dogs.
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> 53And they [Samaritans] did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. --
~John is always thought of as a kind- hearted apostle, but here we notice his fiery disposition.
> 54And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?" -- 55 But HE turned, and rebuked them, and said, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of." -- 56For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
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Evidently James had forgotten the Lords teaching about loving our enemies, and do good to those who hate us, and praying for those who despitefully use us. -- But how many of us today would rise up in the defense of Jesus, most of us I'm sure.
~ Because of James and John's attitude and temper, Jesus nicked named them, "Sons of Thunder"
>Mark 3:17-- he surnamed them Bo-an-er-ges, which is, The sons of thunder:
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* The Jews and the Samaritans didn't get along.
~ If you'll recall, when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4: == the Samaritan women ask Jesus;
>vs.9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto HIM, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
~ Another incident recorded only by Luke, was the time James and John met an unknown disciple using the name of Christ to cast out devils.
~Evidently he was a believer in Christ, but he was not one of the Lords 12 apostles, John rebuked the unknown disciple with unnecessary sternness, on the ground that he was not one of the twelve.
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> Luke 9:49 -- 50 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. 50And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.
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~ So once again, [the sons of thunder]
~ Jesus immediately rebuked their hasty intolerance and heady attitude, and laid down a principle that applies to His church at all times, and that is; --
-- Everyone seeking to heal the sick, and save souls in His name was to be regarded as a disciple and friend.
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~ Lets remember that a disciple is a learner, a follower of Jesus, we that are believers in Jesus today are His disciples, -- there are no apostles today, today their called Missionaries. -- The missionaries today are SENT by local Churches.--not by the Lord Jesus as in His days.
~Even in our day and time, we pray for the sick, for people with infirmities, the way we pray now-a days, is if it be the Lords will. -- No one today has apostolic powers, those days are gone, the Lords apostles even had power to raise the dead.
~ Jesus commanded His 12 in;
> Matthew 10:6-8 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
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~James was one of three disciples--Peter, James, and John--whom Jesus took along privately on three special occasions. --- The three accompanied Him when He healed the daughter of Jairus in Mark 5:37. --They also witnessed His transfiguration in Matt. 17:-- and they were also with Him in His agony in Gethsemane in Matt. 26:37.
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~James and John were fishermen as was their father Zebedee, Zebedee evidently had a successful business in fishing, and seems to be a man of a good social position, as he had hired servants to assist him in his business of fishing.
>Mark 1:19-20 And when HE had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. -- 20And straightway HE called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
~Jona of Bethsaida, and his two sons, Andrew and Peter, were also fishermen of Galilee, and some sort of partnership seems to have existed between Jona and Zebedee in fishing operations.
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~ Peter, and Andrew, and James and John, all four fishers, who obeyed the call to follow Jesus, they continued to be personal friends. --- Because of their respective ages, they were at first classified in pairs -- Andrew and John, the younger, and Peter and James, the elder pair.
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~As they journeyed around with Jesus, circles became apparent within the apostolic band. The outer circle was reserved for Judas Iscariot, the traitor.
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~In Matthew and Luke, Andrew ranks second to Peter, obviously his chief distinction was in being Simon Peter's brother.
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In Mark, James takes second place, and there the order is "Peter, James, and John."
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~John's gospel doesn't give a list of the Apostles.
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~The closeness of James with the Lord Jesus is also found in the record of Gethsemane, for he was one of three Jesus requested to accompany Him, to witness His deepest agony.
~Mark 14:33 He taketh with him Peter and James and John.
