Welcome to our first sermon in our new sermon series on the book of James. I have been looking forward to this series for some time, and I hope that it will help us to grow in our knowledge of the Lord.
Today is an introduction to the book of James. James is known as a general Epistle. That means it was not written to a specific audience as were Ephesians and Colossians for instance. Other general Epistles include I Peter and I John to name a couple.
There is a debate as to who the author of James is. The majority of Bible scholars believe that the author is Jesus' brother James. He came to believe in Jesus when Jesus appeared to him after the resurrection. James would become the leader of the church in Jerusalem. His active leadership role is recorded in the events found in Acts 15. Acts 15 relates the issues and the outcomes of the first church council.
Some believe that this Epistle was written by James the brother of John. This James was one of the inner circle of Jesus' disciples. James was the first Apostle to suffer a martyr's death. If this James us the author, James would be the first of the New Testament books to be written as this James only lived a few years after the Ascension of the Lord Jesus.
There are a few who believe that the Apostle known as James the Less wrote this book.
My personal belief is that James the brother of John wrote this book. James was chosen by Jesus as one of the three men who were the inner circle of the disciples. I believe that Jesus may have done this so that James would write this important Epistle. I have only recently come to this belief. I know that it is not the majority opinion.
Whoever wrote this book was very familiar with the teachings of Jesus. As we study through James, we will see that much of Jesus' teaching is given to us in this Epistle.
James is concerned about three primary areas. This work teaches us about the importance of putting faith into action. It also tells us about the importance of proper ethical behavior in the life of a Christian. We will also see that James is concerned about seeing that people are treated fairly and without prejudice.
Over the course of the next few weeks, we will study what James has to teach us. I love the book of James. Apart from the Gospels, James is my favorite book in the New Testament. Amen.
Prayer Requests
As I am typing this post, it is snowing and blowing hard. I have to drive to work this afternoon, so please pray that all will be well.
Please pray that the coronavirus vaccine distribution will operate more efficiently and reach more people faster. Pray that the sick will recover.
Pray for peace and safety during the Presidential Inauguration.
Pray for peace in the troubled areas of the world. Syria, Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan need prayer.
Our prayer focus countries this week are Albania and Myanmar. Pray that many will come to know the Lord.
Next week we will continue with our series in James. On Monday, I will post the verses, and I will try to post something on Wednesday. May God bless you all.
No comments:
Post a Comment