James - Secret Service
Pastor Jason West
March 3, 2024
Luke 6:13-16 “And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor”
I. An Obscure Background
A. James, the
B. The Influence of a
1. The Brother of
(Mark 2:14)
2. A Godly
a. At the Crucifixion
Mark 15:40-41 “There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem” (cf. Matthew 27:56).
b. Visiting the Empty Tomb to Honor Christ
Mark 16:1 “When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him” (cf. Matthew 28:1).
c. Proclaiming the Resurrection of Jesus
Luke 24:10-12 “Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.”
II. A
• Note: There is no such thing as a boring testimony!
Luke 18:28-30 “And Peter said, ‘See, we have left our homes and followed you.’ And he said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.’”
III. A Ministry in the
Matthew 10:1 “And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.”
2 Corinthians 12:12 “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.”
A. James Didn’t Need the
B. God Rewards Us According to What He Has Gifted Us to Accomplish
1. God Has Entrusted Us All With Different
Matthew 25:14-15 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.”
a. The First Servant
Matthew 25:16 “He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.”
b. The Second Servant
Matthew 25:17 “So also he who had the two talents made two talents more”
c. The Third Servant
Matthew 25:18 “But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.”
2. God Will Hold Us
(Matthew 25:19-30)
3. God Sees in Secret
a. In Your
(Matthew 6:1-4; Luke 21:3-4)
b. In Your
(Matthew 6:5-6)
c. In Your
(Matthew 6:16-18)
4. God is Working through an Army of Disciples Who Are Working Behind the Scenes and Giving All the Credit to God!
(Hebrews 11:33-38; Revelation 21:14)