Aug 5, 2012 James # 18 WPCC LED James 5:13-20 "THE PRAYER OF FAITH" What amazing promises God makes concerning prayer and faith! Jesus declared, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and be planted in the sea; and it would obey you!" (Luke 17:6) Since I haven't seen too many trees flying by lately, our faith is probably microscopic. Many of the mighty miracles done by God in the O.T. were born of prayer. Faced with almost certain destruction, Hezekiah takes his enemy's letter and lays it out before the Lord in prayer. God answered. Observe Elijah with a dead child in the upper room stretched himself upon the child, and called to the Lord and said, "O Lord my God, I pray to you, let this child's life return to him." Deep, sincere, powerful, God heard and the boy lived! Look at Elijah on Mt Carmel standing for God alone between the apostate nation and the idolatrous priests of Baal. He prayed and fire fell from heaven! He prayed again and a three and a half year drought ended. James wraps up his book with an exhortation to prayer. He ends where he began. Facing trials with the prayer of faith (James 1:5-6). This passage too contains amazing promises. The prayer of faith will restore the sick. The prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much! Do we really believe in the power of prayer? The power God has promised to make available through faith? E.M. Bounds wrote, of the minster's duty. Primarily, the pastor is dealing with prayerless people-- with people of whom it is said, "God is not in all their thoughts." His main business is to turn them from being forgetful of God, from being devoid of faith, from being prayerless, so that they become people who habitually pray, who believe in God, remember Him and do His will." (Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer, p. 27). I. PRAYER AS A LIFESTYLE vs 13 James mentions three life situations and the proper response to each. "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray." Were these believers ever suffering evil at the hands of oppressors! The same word in vs. 10 is found in vs. 13. Just as the prophets suffered we believers sometimes suffer. Whether it's persecution, trials, troubles, difficulties, grief, sorrow, loss, emotional pain, physical disease. We are to respond with
prayer. O what peace we often forfeit O what needless pain we bear All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer Prayer is the supreme expression of faith. When something bothers us, James tells us to pour out our words to God, instead of pouring out words in anger and frustration to our family, friends, or enemies! The spirit of prayer is the very opposite of the spirit of the swearing in vs 12. When the emotions rage, tempers fly we are far from the calm dependence on God that characterizes the righteous individual. When things go wrong perhaps then we think of prayer. What about when things are going well? James second condition is happiness. "Is anyone cheerful? Are you in good spirits? "Is everything going your way?" What is our response then? "Let him sing praises." How easy to pray when in trouble and forget all about God once the crises is over! God's Word commands both prayer and praise because our busy lives easily neglect them both. Our Christianity must not be compartmentalized. Parked in the garage through the week and only driven to church on Sundays. Our faith is holistic or it is hypocrisy. Faith relates all of life to God, or it is not real faith. Hymn: "In the Cross of Christ I Glory" expresses this biblical concept very well. Our faith in the cross encompasses all of life. "Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure, By the cross are sanctified." The Psalms reveal the integration of faith and life. The authors constantly retreat to God to discover:a fresh supply of endurance, a new measure of strength, refreshing streams of encouragement, renewed hope and a renewed vision of God. In prayer and praise we "off-load stress." We find relief from the pressure cooker of life, and discover a heavenly perspective. Singing to God builds and fosters spiritual joy. The failure to obey this command dissipates it. One visible sign of the filling of the Holy Spirit is "speaking to one-another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, making melody in your hearts to the Lord." Where joyful melody rises from the hearts and lips of saints, there the Spirit reigns! II. PRAYER FOR THE SICK 14-16 But sometimes life deals difficult blows. James' 3rd condition is found in vs 14. "Is anyone among you sick? (His Remedy is) "Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, having anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord; Here James describes the prescription for the believer who is sick.
James # 18 3 There are several important points to note 1. James is speaking about physical healing Christians can be sick. The health and wealth gospel is a lie. What does James mean by "the sick?" Some have suggested that physical healing is not at all in view in this text. That James is talking only about emotional, spiritual and moral healing. The word translated "sick" means "weak" and it can mean any kind of weakness. While it is true that Paul uses the word frequently to refer to "weakness of faith" it also means weakness of body. In John 5:5 the man who laid at the pool of Bethesda had been an invalid, 38 years in his weakness." That is clearly physical illness. In Mark 6:56 it is recorded that as Jesus passed by people were laying the sick in the marketplaces and they were being healed by Christ. Why cannot James be addressing the healing of the whole man? 2. This text has nothing to do with "gifts of healings." (1 Cor 12:9,28,30) There is a great distinction between the sign gifts of healings in Acts and healing in answer to prayer. I believe sign gifts had their function in confirming the Word of God and His Apostles. While I do not look for sign gifts to be manifested in the church today, we can expect God, who is the same, to heal in answer to prayer! 3. The sick believer initiates the process. "Let him call for the elders of the church." Bored elders (even worse- reputed healers) are not supposed to go looking for clients. The sick believer is not told to attend meetings of a healer. Healing ministries do not find their support here. The sick individual is to call for the elders of the church to come to him. 4. It is the elders of the church who come! a. The elders (plural) serve the church (sg). A local church should have a group of men who are the elders. This is one very important task they have. b. The elders are to pray over the one who is sick. Although, it doesn't say lay hands on, it may be implied. The original text indicates that first they are to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord, then pray. This anointing is not medicinal. James isn't saying use the best physical care you can and add prayer. To anoint "in the Name" gives it a spiritual significance. Oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit many places in the O.T. It is a visible symbol of the power and blessing of God. It is a reminder that through the agency of the Holy Spirit healing will be brought. Oil is also a symbol of faith. Those who were sad or mourning did not customarily anoint themselves (Matt 6:17-18). Thus anointing the sick person suggests anticipation of recovery and happiness. The anointing is never alone. It is accompanied with the prayer of faith. 5. The prayer of faith is a prayer offered in faith. Whose faith? The sick person exercises faith in calling for the elders. Now it is the elders' turn. The prayer of the elders which is offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The prayer of faith is not mumbling some sanctimonious words that sound religious. The major factor in this prayer is NOT THE WORDS BUT THE FAITH.
James # 18 4 Sometimes we pray a formula almost like this child who confused his nursery rhymes when he said his evening prayers "now I lay me down to sleep I pray the lord my soul to keep If he hollers, let him go Eeny, Meeny, miny mo." It isn't multiplying words that does it- D.L. Moody said, "Some men's prayers need to be cut short at both ends and set on fire in the middle." John Bunyan said, In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart." God sovereignly grants the faith when he is pleased to heal. But God is careful about to whom he grants that faith. It is the effective prayer of a righteous man that accomplishes much. The lack of holiness cuts the nerve of prayer. Bounds said, "We pray feebly because we live feebly...we simply cannot talk to God, strongly, intimately, and confidently unless we are living for Him, faithfully and truly...righteous character and Christ-like conduct give us a peculiar and preferential standing in prayer before God. "The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry." (Ps 34:15). The elders in any local church should be the epitome of righteous men. Among them you would expect to find the men who are most in touch with God. They are also the spiritual authorities to whom believers must submit. A great deal of American Christians problem lies in rebellion against God by rebellion against their spiritual leadership. The Word of God does not guarantee physical healing for all. Even for all who believe. Healing is not always "just a prayer away." Even in the N.T. days Paul did not heal every believer. In the early days of the church healings were very common. However, as the century drew on, healings decreased. Paul himself asked God for healing three times and God said, NO. Was that Paul s lack of faith or God s sovereign choice? Paul writes to Timothy who is a minister of the gospel, use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. Paul did not heal him! Was it a lack of faith on Timothy s part? No, not everyone is healed. The emphasis of James is on the sovereignty of the Lord. "The Lord will raise him up." He is anointed in the name of the Lord." The Lord is sovereign in healing. His lordship becomes evident in His healing. When He is not pleased to heal He will not grant faith for the healing. It is not the individual s fault, nor is it necessarily the elders fault if someone is not healed in answer to prayer.
James # 18 5 6. When faith is sovereignly granted the promise is that the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Sickness is sometimes, but not always, related to sin. Job's friends committed that error by accusing Job of sin and insisting that his sickness was God's punishment for it. James says if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. The condition of that "if" means it is uncertain. He may have sinned, he may not have sinned. It is unsure. We know that sickness sometimes is a discipline for sin especially at the Lord's table (1 Cor 11:30). No believer should ever call for the ministry of the elders who is not willing to have his life and his sins fully exposed to them before God. Verse 16 expands that to the whole body. 1 John 1:9 says "if we confess" but here it is intensive and commanded! Confess forth, confess openly, freely and publicly before one-another and pray for each other that you may be healed." This is a stunning blow to pride! When sins are the cause of sickness, confession is absolutely a necessity for healing. III. PRAYER FOR ONE-ANOTHER 17-20 Lest we think this applies only to spiritual supermen, James adds, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. He put his sandals on one shoe at a time. He prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it did not rain in Palestine for 3 1/2 years. He prayed again and it rained. James says, "He prayed with prayer." His prayer was earnest, sincere, vital energetic, filled with faith. Prayer wasn't preparation for the work, it was the work! Far beyond the scope of prayer for the sick is James' suggestion that the prayer of a righteous man can bring heaven's blessings to produce earth's fruitfulness. It was prayer that brought judgment on the kingdom of wicked king Ahab, and when repentance came, prayer brought the blessing of God again. Elijah came close to converting a nation from the error of its way. His experience, James is saying, is not beyond our reach! But just as nations stray, individuals also do. In fact, a nation is merely many individuals making the same choices. Even, Christians may also stray from time to time. Vs 19-20 is addressed to "brethren" who stray. Prayer is the great ministry of restoration. Do you know some fellow believer who has fallen into sin, become cold, indifferent, or even hostile? Headed down that path he/she is facing judgment. He may be facing physical death as discipline from God. But prayer can make a difference. All of us can become Elijahs turning sinning Christians from the error of their way. Our growth in character has more than our own blessing as its end. It gives us the stature of an Elijah. Righteousness achieved in times of trial enables us to become an Elijah in prayer in order to turn our fellow believers from the path of error.