Stained-Glass Masquerade
(James 5:13-16)
Intro: Do you ever walk in to a church service and begin to question the validity of the perfection that’s displayed?
Do you ever look around at the people and ask “Is there anyone in here who fails?” or “Has anyone fallen down in their walk with God lately?”
“Am I really the only one here today that feels about this big?”
Do you ever think that your needs are too small for God or the church to care about?
You notice that when you look around everybody else seems so strong; some kind of perfect super-saints.
You begin to get anxious. You begin asking yourself, “What if they find out I’ve messed up? What if they discover that I don’t belong here? What will happen then?”
So you begin to conform to the atmosphere. You put on a fake smile and laugh and hug everyone. You fake this role of a “church-goer.”
You rationalize in your head that by putting on this mask and hiding your shortcomings, than everyone who is in attendance won’t suspect a thing-everything is perfect!
After so long of this, you begin to get comfortable; its second nature. We tuck away our problems; if we can make other people believe that you are perfect then that’s exactly what they’ll see you as. They’ll accept you; there won’t be any questions…but then the guilt begins to seep into your conscience.
Has this been you? Have you run through these thoughts in your head? Do you wear a painted smile every Sunday?
Let me suggest something to you: This is NOT the way it was ever supposed to be!
As the line from the Casting Crowns songs asks: “Are we happy plastic people under shiny plastic steeples with walls around our weakness and smiles that hide our pain?”
Is there anyone who’s been there? Are their any hands to raise?
Have we traded in the grace and forgiveness of God and others into a stage that represents an alternate reality like a TV sitcom?
I know I have.
Folks that is a BIG problem.
We should be able at ANY time to come to our brothers and sisters and confess our wrong-doings, needs, and ask for prayer and support.
The book of James has the most incredible thing to say about the Church and the Christian:
Read James 5:13-20
James is a very practical book. It is typically in Jewish form and content and is reminiscent of “Wisdom” literature (esp. 3:13-17) and contains characteristically Jewish ethical teaching. The author of this book identifies himself with the phrase “James, a bond servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (NKJV). Though there are differences of opinion, there is a lot of evidence that James is one of the oldest books in the New Testament.
James begins this section of his letter in Chapter 5 and verse 13.
It is interesting that this last section seems to have very little ties to any of the previous sections of the letter, but rather addresses our need for prayer and confession to God and one another no matter our sin or needs.
Read James 5:13
The word “suffering” here seems to imply more than illness or disease.
The Greek word used here literally means to suffer (endure) evils (hardships, troubles).
The King James Version translates this pretty well by using the word “afflicted” instead of “suffering.”
Anyone here right now who is afflicted either physically, spiritually, or emotionally?
So what are we to do?
The text says, “…let him pray…”
Prayer is the solution to trouble. It is the Christian’s 24 hour a day access to the inconceivable power of God!
How often we fail to utilize prayer! Maybe if we stopped and prayed more the world would be in a lot better shape than it is today!
James then asks “Is anyone cheerful?”
James is asking is there anyone here who’s feeling extremely positive today. Are you in good spirits? Are you overflowing with the joy of your salvation?
He tells that person to “sing praise.”
Have you ever been driving in your car or going about your day and you think of the joy God has given you and you just begin to sing to yourself?
That is what this verse is implying! Turn your inward joy into outward worship! Let God know you are grateful for what He has given you!
Even if you aren’t going through the greatest time in your life singing to God can bring peace.
You know, a Christian psychiatrist told me that singing an hour of praise and worship songs a day had the same effect on the brain as any prescription anti-depressant! Praising God is powerful, folks!
Read 5:14
James switches gears a bit here and deals specifically with illness.
In general terms here “Sick” is not the same word as “suffering” used in verse 13.
This word is very specific as to what it is talking about and therefore makes this verse distinguish a difference from being afflicted and being ill.
The word for “sick” here literally means “to be weak, feeble, to be without strength, powerless.”
This is a specific physical malady, not a spiritual one as could be the case in the first verse we looked at.
It gives advice as to what to do if you become sick.
It tells the Christian to call on the elders to pray over the person and anoint them with oil in the Name of the Lord.
Does this imply then that the elders all have the gift of healing? I personally do not think so.
It is the act of calling those who have an interest in the well-being of the congregation they have been appointed to shepherd.
This also doesn’t mean that only elders can pray for the sick.
We can all pray at all times for anyone and anything!
From this passage we learn elders are supposed to anoint the sick with oil in “the name of the Lord.”
Clearly in the Bible the miraculous things that took place were not because of the oil, but rather because of Christ!
Again, we can get into debate after debate if we are supposed to anoint people with oil today. Let me suggest to you that it is completely, 100% Scriptural.
Read 5:15
The faith mentioned here is that of the one calling to be prayed for and that of the elders who are doing the praying.
If you can remember a time that you have read “James” you will know that he has taught the Christian to pray and believe that our prayer will be answered (1:6).
When was the last time you prayed and really, truly believed that God was going to do what you asked?
I know that personally, and this is confession time so I can practice what I preach, that sometimes my prayers are very vague and hollow.
I often doubt that praying is doing any good or going to make a difference, but here it is clear that we are to pray knowing that God can and will, in accordance with His will and our good, give us what we ask!
Read 5:16
In verse 16 of the NIV translation the word “Therefore” is used because it connects all these thoughts from the past couple verses together.
The word “therefore” implies “For this reason confess your sins to one another.”
The principle of mutual confession is wider than just this passage.
The word “confess” here literally means to acknowledge something openly; an omission of fact.
Something that I found extremely interesting is that James is actually saying “Be in the practice of confessing your sins to one another.”
How many of us can say we are actively in the practice of owning up to our mistakes to one another?
The King James Version translates this as “faults” but that is not the best translation. A fault is much different from a sin, isn’t it?
So when we confess to each other we are to confess our sins.
Now here is the important part of this passage.
When James talks about confessing our sins to one another he is not merely saying that we should only confess sins that we have committed against the particular person we are talking to, although those should be confessed as well, but rather James is talking about unloading and unburdening our lives to each other at times like this so that we may intercede for each other.
This confession is not limited to you and the elders, but it is made clear in Galatians 6:1 that we are to do it brother to brother, sister to sister, brother to sister, etc.
How long has it been since you have truly repented; truly come to your brothers and sisters for prayer about a personal struggle? If your like most, probably too long.
It says if we do this then we will be healed. This is alluding to the previous section about being ill in the sense that one’s sin stands between them and God’s intervention since God cannot be in the presence of sin, it must be dealt with!
It is not just limited to the sick though.
We can see that in the meaning of the word James uses here for “heal” that literally means, “to cure, heal; to make whole; to free from errors and sins, to bring about (one’s) salvation.
This word encompasses so much more than just physical healing! It denotes spiritual healing as well! It denotes the restoration of one’s relationship with God back to right standing, coming back to the Father who is waiting for you!
The last part says this “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful
and effective.”
I don’t often say they way the King James Version puts it is the best, but I really like this verse in the KJV: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
This simply means that the prayer or plea of a godly person who seeks to live for God every single day is able to do much.
Church, I’m going to get brutally honest with you.
Most people in the world don’t have too high of respect for the church.
You may say, “well that’s ok, we’re still right with God so they world won’t like us.”
I want to challenge that right now.
We often treat people the worst in the church.
Everything that everybody else does is worse than anything before it.
We convey a horrible message to the world!
Bill’s sermon last Sunday morning really hit me. We judge who and who not to tell about Christ.
We try to impose a Christian lifestyle on those not in Christ! Where is that found in Scripture? NOWHERE!
We say horrible things in our “inner-circles” that gets out into the world:
-Are you gay? We don’t want you here.
-Not a Republican? Don’t even try to come in our doors.
-Clap your hands during worship? You are not welcome here.
-Have questions about your faith? Too bad, we’re not going to help.
-Don’t like the way we do things? Oh Well.
-Don’t think like we do? Everyone has the right to be wrong.
-Don’t use our translation of the Bible? You’re going to Hell.
-Have you been Divorced? Well that’s the unforgivable sin so get out of here before you taint our fellowship.
Victoria, 24, who is a young unwed mother, said this:
“Everyone in my church gave me advice about how to raise my son, but a lot of the time they seemed to be reminding me that I had no husband—and besides, most of them were not following their own advice. It made it hard to care what they said. They were not practicing what they preached.”
Unfortunately, Victoria is no longer in Christ.
And we wonder why the church is DRASTICALLY declining all over the world.
Who appointed us judge of the world, because last time I checked that was the job of God and God alone!
CHURCH, JESUS PAID WAY TOO HIGH A PRICE FOR US TO PICK, CHOOSE, JUDGE, AND FAULT FIND; FOR US TO PICK AND CHOOSE WHO CAN COME!
Folks, let me suggest that often we are no better than the Pharisees.
Jesus had VERY strong words against this practice.
Turn with me to the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 6:41-42
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ’Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”
I want to focus on the word “hypocrite” here.
The literal meaning of hypocrite is “an actor, a stage player.”
When we refuse to acknowledge our sins to one another, as James wrote, than we are being a hypocrite. We are acting; we are pretending to be something else!
How can we truly be right with God if we do not acknowledge our sins to one another?
We are so quick to point out others sin, but we are reluctant to admit our own.
We have developed a man-made view somewhere that makes us think its NOT ok to come forward and ask for prayer because everyone in the church is perfect.
Surely if you go forward there is something wrong!
NEWS FLASH! We are all messed up and have problems.
We all sin; we all aren’t perfect; we all need Jesus.
I have been to churches where the invitation is offered and literally half of the congregation goes up front for prayer EVERY SUNDAY because they understand the need to confess their sins to one another and let the elders pray for them!
I have also been to churches where not a single soul moves during the invitation because they don’t want to make people think they are actually having problems. Obviously, Sunday after Sunday no one comes forward.
What I’m saying in all this is:
We have got to got to got to repent of this. We have to come forward when we have a problem.
There is no problem to big or small that cannot be dealt with here.
Are you burdened down with life? Have you had enough? Are you tired of carrying a load that is almost impossible to bear?
WELL GET RID OF IT!
Lay it down at the feet of Jesus!
Stop fault-finding in others and look inside yourself.
Get you pride out of the way! It is literally killing you!
Let’s get brutally honest here:
How can we be right with God when we won’t even acknowledge that we mess up to ourselves or to one another?
For some of you, the last time you came up for an invitation was to be baptized. For some of you that was decades ago! I know that life is weighing on you!
God cannot work in your life if you are not going to let Him.
