Effectual Fervent Prayers

EFFECTUAL FERVENT PRAYERS

James 5:16B-18

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: Preacher’s Kids often Play Church

1. Johnny’s mother looked out the window and noticed him “playing church” with their cat. The cat was sitting quietly and he was preaching to it. She smiled and went about her work.

2. A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing and ran back to the open window to see Johnny baptizing the cat in a tub of water. She called out, “Johnny, stop that! The cat’s afraid of water!”

3. Johnny looked up at her and said, “He should have thought about that before he joined my church.”

B. TEXT

16 “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth [for] three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” James 5:16B-18

C. THESIS

1. Intercession is a serious/necessary business. Just as we’re competitive to keep up with our competition – in the fields of education & business & in the global marketplace – we also should rise to compete with the spiritual forces which constantly do battle with us.

2. People around the world, with so much less, are diligently obeying the Spirit’s call to intercede. In 2 Cor. 8:8, Paul said, “I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.” Let’s ask ourselves; are we doing all we can? Take the challenge!

3. James 5:16-18 is packed with meaning. Listen to these other translations of verse 16:

a. Beck, “A good man [woman] can do much by praying vigorously.”

b. Phillips, “Tremendous power is made available through a good man’s [woman’s] earnest prayer.”

c. Living, “The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results.”

4. This verse tells us at least 3 things about intercessory prayer: 1). The Kind of Person we must be to pray it (have a Righteous Life), 2). The Kind of Prayer which must be prayed (Effectual Fervent prayer), and 3). The Effect of a persistent, believing prayer (Power).

5. So what made Elijah’s prayers so powerful? They were first...

I. BACKED UP BY A RIGHTEOUS LIFE

A. RIGHTEOUS – but not in the absolute sense

1. When God said that Elijah was a righteous man, it did not mean that he had some intrinsic righteousness of his own, or that he was perfect.

2. Elijah was a man with many faults just like us. He got discouraged, his faith failed him (like when he fled from Jezebel in fear), and sometimes he didn’t do what he was supposed to (“What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kgs. 19:9,13).

3. When James tells us that Elijah was “a man of like passions with us,” James is telling us that Elijah had the same fallen nature and weaknesses we do. Part of James’ reason for telling us this is so we won’t put Elijah on a high pedestal that WE can never live up to.

4. James wants us to know that the same kind of prayers Elijah prayed are within OUR grasp, because the same righteousness available to Elijah is available to us. How’s that?

B. ELIJAH HAD FORGIVENESS/RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH. SO CAN WE!

1. In Ps. 66:18 David said, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” David knew that sin would cut him off from effective prayer. In order for prayer to be heard, we must be forgiven. 1 John 1:9,7 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness... and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

2. Forgiveness is the first step, the second step is for God to confer His righteousness on you. God did this for Abram (Gen. 15:6, “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness”).

3. Paul tells us that this same state of righteousness is conferred on all who put their faith in Jesus as their Savior and justifier (Rom. 4:23-24, “The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”)

4. So the same righteousness that clothed Elijah, to stand and intercede before God, can clothe us. “Christ Jesus...is made unto us wisdom, and RIGHTEOUSNESS, and sanctification, and redemption” 1 Cor. 1:30.

5. You can have the same confidence to stand before God because Jesus has taken your sins away and given you His righteousness; “For [God] has made him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” 2 Cor. 5:21. Hallelujah!