MESSAGE FOR SUNDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 27, 2009 MESSAGE 15 OF 15 IN JAMES SERIES : Practical Wisdom For Daily Living CHRISTIAN HOPE CHURCH OF CHRIST, PLYMOUTH, NORTH CAROLINA by Reggie A. Braziel, minister Be Faithful In Prayer Message 15 of 15 in James series: Practical Wisdom For Daily Living James 5:13-20 NIV Originally I had planned to preach seventeen messages in this series from the Book of James. But I have decided to preach this last section of James as one sermon rather than breaking it up into three individual messages. And so as we conclude this series this evening, I would like for you to please turn with me to James the fifth chapter, verses thirteen through twenty. P R A Y E R *********************** James 5:13-20 Introduction Earlier in his letter, James addressed one of the most common problems in the Christian life. And that is the problem of prayerlessness. In James chapter four, verse two, James said, You do not have, because you do not ask God.
What is prayerlessness? Prayerlessness is that state in which one prays much less than he should and much less than God desires. We all know we should pray much more than we do, don t we? So why don t we do it? -Is it because we don t really know how to pray? -Is it because we don t have the time to pray? -Or could it be prayer isn t as important to us as it is to GOD? It is very easy to dismiss our failure to pray as a weakness or a shortcoming. But in the eyes of GOD prayerlessness is much more serious. In God s eyes PRAYERLESSNESS is a sin, because GOD has commanded us over and over again in His word to PRAY..In Matthew 7:7,8 Jesus gives us this command: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and he door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. In Luke chapter 18 Jesus told His disciples The Parable of the Persistent Widow to show them they should ALWAYS PRAY and not give up..in I Thessalonians 5:17 the Lord commands us to pray continually or to pray without ceasing as it says in the King James Version..In Philippians 4:6 Paul tells us, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by PRAYER and PETITION, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
*When we PRAY we are obedient to GOD. *When we PRAY we please GOD. Proverbs 15:8 The prayer of the upright is His delight. *When we PRAY we receive the blessings of GOD. Matthew 7:7 Ask and you shall receive. *When we PRAY we discover the WILL and PURPOSE of GOD. Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. *When we PRAY we claim the PROMISES of GOD. Matthew 6:4 Then your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. But in spite of all the emphasis the word of GOD places on PRAYER, I m afraid many of us look at PRAYER as something you do when there s nothing else you can do. How many times have you heard someone say, Well, I guess all we can do is pray. That s like saying, Well I ve done everything I possibly can, I guess I ll give GOD a crack at it. As Christians we should never look at PRAYER as a last resort when all else has failed. We should see prayer as our first line of DEFENSE. Prayer should be our FIRST OPTION, not our LAST!
************************************************ TRANSITION BACK TO SCRIPTURE TEXT ************************************************ If ever there was a man qualified to write on the subject of PRAYER it was JAMES. James is portrayed by an ancient historical writer as a Nazerite whose times of prayer for his nation were frequent and prolonged. It was a common practice for James to go to the Temple in Jerusalem each day and kneel down in prayer asking for God s forgiveness of the Jewish people. In fact James spent so much time on his knees in prayer his knees were described as being like the knees of camels. Many of his fellow Jewish Christians affectionately called James, Old Camel Knees because of his long seasons in prayer. Who do you know who spends so much time in prayer they have developed hard calluses on their knees? As we close out our study of the Book of James we re going to discover that FAITHFUL PRAYER should be our natural response as Christians in every situation. I. In Times of SUFFERING PRAY! vs.13a vs.13a Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. 1. The Greek word James uses in this verse for trouble is the word kakopatheo (kayko-puh-thay-o) which refers to hardships or distresses. It refers to those situations in life that cause us emotional and mental suffering more than physical.
2. How much trouble do you have to be in before it drives you to your knees in prayer? (pause..) Most of us pride ourselves on being self-sufficient and independent. We like to believe that when problems arise we can handle it ourselves. I ll do this and this and this and my problem will be resolved. That may be true if you re fixing a flat tire.or getting a stain out of your carpet. But what about those situations where there are no easy solutions? What about those situations that we don t know which way to turn or what to do? (A) Is any one of you in trouble at HOME? He should PRAY! Family conflict is one of the most common sources of stress and heartache. When things aren t right between you and your mate or between you and one of your children..or between you and your in-laws or perhaps its not you directly, but a married son or daughter who is having marital problems. Often we get so fixated on our problems as home we are completely overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness as though there is no way out. Have you prayed about that family situation? (B) Is any one of you in trouble at WORK? He should PRAY! Have you got a boss or a supervisor or co-worker who drives you nuts? Are you concerned about the future of your job? Have you prayed about your work situation? (C) Is any one of you in trouble in your FINANCES? He should PRAY! Have you gotten yourself in over your head financially? Have you maxed out your credit cards? Are the unpaid bills mounting? Have you prayed about it?
3. Any time we are in trouble at HOME.at WORK. in our FINANCES.or whatever it may be, the first thing we should do is PRAY. The problem is many of us pray a time or two about our situation and when we don t see quick results we think our prayers have failed or that God has not listened. This is where persistence in prayer is a must. We must pray and pray and keep on praying until GOD answers. In times of SUFFERING.PRAY! ************************* Secondly. II. In Times of SMOOTH SAILING.PRAY! vs. 13 b vs. 13b Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 1. It has been said, Nothing will drive us to pray more than trouble, suffering or adversity. And nothing will drive us away from prayer more than the absence of trouble, suffering or adversity. 2. Some times it seems the only time we pray to GOD is when we need something or want something. How easy it is to forget all about GOD in times of smooth sailing. 3. Can you imagine never speaking to your earthly father except when you have trouble or problems? God loves for us to talk to Him in the good times as well as the bad times.
Psalm 148 tells us All nature praises God. Psalm 19:1 and 148:3 tells us The sun, the moon and the stars all praise the Lord. Psalm 148:2 tells us, All the angels of heaven praise God. 4. Now if all these things praise GOD, shouldn t you and I also praise Him? God loves the praises of His people! We should PRAISE God for His holiness and His mercy. (Psalm 99:3,4) We should PRAISE God for His marvelous grace. (Ephesians 6:1) We should PRAISE God for His goodness. (Psalm 135:3) We should PRAISE God for His kindness. (Psalm 117) We should PRAISE GOD for His salvation. (Ephesians 2:8,9) We should PRAISE God for His son. (John 3:16) Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done! In Times of SUFFERING PRAY! In Times of SMOOTH SAILING..PRAY! ************************* Next James tells us
III. In Times of SICKNESS CALL FOR THE ELDERS TO PRAY vs.14-16 READ: V E R S E S 14-16 1. If we pray at all, sooner or later we will spend time praying for those who are sick. In fact, much of the Church s prayer life revolves around praying for people who are SICK, DISEASED, HOSPITALIZED, FACING TESTS, FACING SURGERY, or RECOVERING FROM PHYSICAL INJURY. 2. Can God heal all sick people? Of course He can. The scriptures tell us, Nothing is impossible with God. Does God heal all sick people? Well the obvious answer to that is, NO! We have all prayed for loved ones and friends and fellow Church members who have been sick and they never recovered. For reasons we may or may not ever understand in this lifetime, God chose to answer our prayers differently than what we prayed for. 3. The focus in these verses is NOT on what GOD can do, so much as it is on what WE, AS CHRISTIANS SHOULD DO in times of sickness. (a.) First of all, WHEN YOU ARE SICK, CALL FOR ELDERS OF THE CHURCH TO COME PRAY OVER YOU. (vs. 14) Now common sense tells you this doesn t mean every time you get the sniffles or a headache or a sore throat you should get on the phone and have the Church leaders come pray over you The term James uses in this verse for sick refers to serious illness. The kind of illness that would require longterm confinement to one s bed at home or in a hospital.
Notice, it is the sick person who is to take the initiative in this matter. This does not mean the elders or the minister is to go out scouting around for sick people. The scriptures place the responsibility to initiate this prayer process directly upon the sick person. Do church elder possess special healing powers? NO! But they are the human link between GOD and the sick person. They are the go-between. What if the Church has no elders, such as is the current situation here at Christian Hope? The sick person should call some of the minister and some of the deacons, or some respected men in the Church. (b) Next, THE ELDERS ARE TO OFFER A PRAYER OF FAITH AND ANOINT THE SICK PERSON WITH OIL. Oil has always been symbolic of the presence of God. The oil has no magical healing power in and of itself. The oil serves as a humbling reminder that ultimately all healing comes from the Great Physician. (c) Next James tells us THIS IS THE TIME FOR THE SICK PERSON TO CONFESS ANY SIN IF THERE IS ANY. Does this mean the person is sick as a result of SIN? Not necessarily. Could the person be sick as a result of un-confessed and unrepentant sin? Possibly. Remember Paul warns us in I Corinthians 11:30 that regularly partaking of the Lord s Supper in an unworthy manner can lead to weakness sickness..and in some cases death.
What James is saying is, If there is something sinful in your life that is hindering your relationship with the Lord, the time to get it out in the open is when you have called the elders to come pray over you. You see, you may need for the elders to pray for your SPIRITUAL healing as much as your PHYSICAL healing. In Times of SUFFERING PRAY! In Times of SMOOTH SAILING..PRAY! In Times of SICKNESS.CALL ON THE ELDERS TO PRAY! ******************** Next James tells us.. IV. In Times of National SINFULNESS PRAY! vs. 18,19 READ: VERSES 18,19 1. Now you may be wondering, What in the world do these verses have to do with national sinfulness? Although the specific wording of Elijah s prayer is not given to us in the scripture, we do know the circumstances under which he prayed the prayer to which James is referring. Elijah prayed for drought in Israel in a time of Israel s sinful rebellion against God. King Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel were governing Israel at that time. They were encouraging people to worship false idols rather than the One true God.
When Ahab refused to listen to the words Elijah brought from the Lord, Elijah prayed that God would take drastic measures to bring Israel to her senses. And so for three and half years there was neither rain or dew in the land of Israel. 2. Like Israel, the United States of America is in a state of SINFUL rebellion against GOD. There is an all-out war against God in this country. There is a rising hostility toward Christianity and the Christian values of our great American forefathers. This nation has turned to worshiping the IDOLS of money, materialism and heathenism. 3. If ever there was a time for Christians to PRAY for our SINFUL NATION, it is NOW! I believe we, like ELIJAH, whom James tells us was a man just like us, should pray that GOD will take drastic measures that will cause America to turn back to Him before it is too late. In Times of SUFFERING..PRAY! In Times of SMOOTH SAILING.PRAY! In Times of SICKNESS CALL ON THE ELDERS TO PRAY! In Times of national SINFULNESS.PRAY! And finally
V. In Times When A SAINT STRAYS.PRAY vs. 19,20 READ: V E R S E S 19, 20 1. Chances are you know someone who has strayed away from the Lord. Perhaps it is one of your own sons or daughters. or one of your brothers or sisters.or a friend.or just someone you know. 2. All of us knows some PRODIGALS. Perhaps they have strayed because of SIN in their life. Perhaps they strayed because of a conflict in the Church or because they became disillusioned with Christianity for one reason or another. No matter what the reason may be, the truth of the matter is, the ENEMY stole them and we need to pray for them. 3. How do you pray for a PRODIGAL? Just think of Jesus Parable of The Prodigal Son in Luke chapter 15. a. Pray for God s grace to protect them in this time of rebellion. b. Pray for a famine in their lives. There s nothing like difficult circumstances to wake one up and make them realize they need God. c. Pray that they get homesick for the Lord. d. Pray that they come to their senses before it is too late. e. Pray that they will repent and come back home to God. f. And pray that God will send the right person into their life to point them back to God. Just because they will not listen to you doesn t mean GOD doesn t have someone He can use to point them in the right direction.
C O N C L U S I O N ILLUSTRATION: It is said that early African converts to Christianity were deeply committed to spending time alone with GOD each day in prayer. Each one had a separate spot in the thicket where he or she would go to pour their heart out to God. Over time the paths to these special places of prayer would become well worn. As a result, if one would begin to neglect his prayer life, the others would remind him Brother, the grass is growing on your path. Is the grass growing on your prayer path? How long has it been since you spent some quality time alone with God in prayer? As James has reminded us tonight, we need to PRAY about everything. In Times of Suffering..we should PRAY! In Times of Smooth Sailing we should PRAY! In Times of Sickness..we should PRAY! In Times of national Sinfulness..we should PRAY! In Times when a Saint Strays from the Lord..we should PRAY! Pray on, when rough and dark your pathway, And you cannot see the light; When every spark of hope has vanished, And bright day has turned to night. Pray on, for God does surely hear you, Noting well each and every request, Pray then in faith believing, That God always gives what s best! So pray on brother, pray on sister, pray on!