Our world is filled with counterfeits and imitations. From diamonds, to tennis shoes to designer bags and watches. We even have imitation foods. Just as there are imitations in world, there are imitations in the church.
There are two kinds of Christianity in the world: Cultural Christianity, which is a Christianity of words. Genuine Christianity, which is a Christianity of works.
“Cultural Christianity means to pursue the God we want instead of the God who is. It is the tendency to be shallow in our understanding of God, wanting Him to be more of a gentle grandfather type who spoils us and lets us have our way. It is sensing a need for God but on our own terms. It is wanting the God we have underlined in our Bibles without wanting the rest of Him, too. It is God relative instead of God absolute.” – Francis Schaeffer
“A whole generation has come up believing that it is possible to ‘accept’ Christ without forsaking the world.” – A.W. Tozer
The book of James is an attempt to shatter the shallow arguments of the cultural Christian and to demonstrate the marks of a Genuine Christian. The focus of this letter is to demonstrate the difference between a dead faith and a faith that works, with the word faith appearing 14 times in the letter. The book can be broken down into four basic sections:
- Genuine Faith Produces Genuine (1:2-27)
- Genuine Faith Produces Genuine (2:1-3:12)
- Genuine Faith Produces Genuine (3:13-5:6)
- Genuine Faith Produces Genuine (5:7-20)
This morning I want us to get to know the author of this great epistle. Let’s turn our attention to the first verse of this great epistle.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. (James 1:1)
Will The Real James Please Stand Up!
The James
4 James in the New Testament:
- James the son of Alphaeus (Luke 1)
- James the father of Judas. (Luke 6:16)
- James the son of Zebedee and older brother of John
- James the half-brother of Jesus.
“‘Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joseph, and Judas, and Simon? Are not his sisters here with us?'” (Mark 6:3)
“But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.” (Galatians 1:19)
The of James
“And the multitude was sitting around him, and they said to him, `Behold, Your mother and your brothers are outside looking for You.’” (Mark 3:31)
“‘Depart from here and go into Judea that your disciples also may see the works that you are doing. For no one does anything in secret, when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.’” (John 7:3-4)
“For not even his brothers were believing in him.” (John 7:5)
The of James
“…together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers.” (Acts 1:14)
“Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” (I Corinthians 15:7)
“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James.” (Jude 1)
The of James
“’Tell these things to James and to the brothers.’ Then he departed and went to another place.” (Acts 12:17)
“And after they finished speaking, James replied, ‘Brothers, listen to me.'” (Acts 15:13)
“When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.” (Acts 21:17)
The of James
- James was a man of .
“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
2. James was a man of .
3. James was a man of .
Three Practical Lessons From James
- One can be near Jesus, but far from .
- No past failure is greater than God’s .
- The greatest achievement of a person’s life is to be a .