Christianity For Dummies: The Prayer of Faith
James 5:13-20
I. Introduction
A. How many of you take some sort of supplement or vitamin every day? How many of you hate to take your vitamins? Hard to swallow, bad taste.Discuss Kay giving me One A Day vitamins and them finding a stash of them behind the couch. No matter how much they might improve our physical health, sometimes for several reasons we fail to take our vitamins.
B. But what about our spiritual health? I'm afraid that, just like I stashed those One A Days behind the couch, we often leave out of our spiritual diet one of the most important components The Great Physician has made available to us. Mahalia Jackson, an American gospel singer known as "The Queen of Gospel," once said, "Faith and prayer are the VITAMINS of the soul; man cannot live in health without them."
C. James understood this as well as anyone ever could. How is that? Because he had observed the habits of his brother, Jesus, The Great Physician, firsthand himself. Luke 5:16 (MSG): "As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer." Now if prayer was that important to the spiritual health of The Great Physician shouldn't it be for us as well?
D. And so James who throughout his epistle has lovingly taught us how to live out our faith (salvation in shoe leather) ends his epistle the same way he started it - urging us to take our vitamins! With a Rx to PRAY!!! But is this to be just any ole prayer? One offered up half-heartedly? One hurriedly uttered on the way out the door on Monday AM? NO! James calls us to a prayer of faith. He then outlines The Circumstances That Produce It, The Confessions That Precede It, The Intercession That Provides It, The Illustration That Proves It, and The Intervention That Provokes It.
II. Scripture Reading & Prayer
A. Read James 5:13-20.
B. Pray - Father, we often are more concerned about the vitamins on our medicine shelf than the greatest vitamin available to our soul - communion with you through prayer. Teach us through the preaching of your Word about the Prayer of Faith.
III. The Prayer of Faith: The Circumstances That Produce It (v. 13-15a)
A. Scripture teaches us that we should pray in ALL circumstances. Jesus: Luke 18:1 told His disciples a parable "that they ought always to pray." Paul: Eph. 6:18 = "praying at all times," 1 Thess. 5:17 = "pray without ceasing." James: no different...whatever situation we find ourselves...PRAY! Here, James mentions three specific circumstances that produce this prayer of faith.
#1 Is anyone among you suffering? Suffering = Greek "kakopatheo," denotes all sorts of afflictions and trials, same word James used of the prophets as an example of patience in suffering, Paul used the verbal form to describe his imprisonment and to exhort Timothy to be willing to undergo the same.
- Find yourself in the circumstance of suffering? Let him pray. Not for deliverance but the strength to endure. The antidote to suffering is seeking God's comfort through prayer.
#2 Is anyone cheerful? Cheerful = Greek "euthumeo," literally "good passion," refers not to outward circumstances but cheerfulness and happiness in heart whether good times or bad; in Acts 27, it is the sense of well being Paul encouraged his fellow travelers to have even though their ship was in imminent danger of destruction.
- Find yourself cheerful? Let him sing praise. Praise = "psallo," psalms. The natural response of a joyful heart is to sing praise to God, which is a form of prayer. This is what Paul admonished the churches at Ephesus and Colossae to do. Read Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16.
#3 Is anyone among you sick? Sick = Greek "astheneo," can mean "to be weak" even spiritually weak but here with no qualifier = physical sickness.
- Find yourself sick? Let him call for the elders of the church. Call for help! This is the only one of the three circumstances that James expands on and so I want us to look at it in detail. As we do we will see...
B. The Church's Role in Physical Healing
- Who calls? The sick one! Who is called? Itinerant faith healers (Benny Hinn, Robert Copeland)? Those with a gift of healing in the church? THE ELDERS. This is not to deny that healing is a spiritual gift then and now in the church, but James specifies that it is the elders who are to be called. Who are the elders? Spiritually mature, over local, individual congregations. We would say deacons and pastor. Where at? Home of the sick one.
- What guidelines? #1 Pray over: "proseuchomai epi," epi could mean physical position but also could imply laying on of hands; physical touch is important - discuss that I make it a point to touch the patient (shake hands, lay hand on shoulder, hug). #2 Anointing with oil: oil had many uses in Jewish 1st century (as medicine, as symbol of God's giftedness and empowerment of OT prophets, priests and kings, as prep for daily activities - put on face, as ceremonial symbol of God's presence). This last use is most consistent with context. The symbolism of anointing is usually associated with the setting apart or consecrating of someone or something for God. Thus, as the elders pray for the sick person, they are setting that person apart for God's special attention. #3 In the name of the Lord: not just an empty mouthing of "in Jesus' name," but instead signifying the divine authority with which the anointing is done - The Great Physician. #4 And the prayer OF FAITH: The prayer is offered with faith. Who's? The sick? No...the elders. James mentions no requirement on the sick person's part only that he call for the elders. What is this prayer of faith - strain hard, fasting...maybe...but the answer is in 1 John 5:14-15. #5 And the Lord: James describes two results of the prayer of faith - 1) the sick person will be saved, Greek = "sozo," used often in NT for spiritual salvation, but here used in OT sense of physical deliverance; 2) THE LORD will raise him up. God uses many means to heal - prayer, medicine, doctors, etc - but ultimately ALL healing is of the Lord. As Ben Franklin said, "God heals, and the doctor collects the fee." Here the elders pray and leave the results to God. Nowhere does Scripture guarantee physical healing in EVERY case. Dr. Wiersbe: "Those who claim that God heals every case, and that it is not His will for His children to be sick, are denying both Scripture and experience." Dorcas in Acts 9:31 died, Lazarus whom Jesus loved in John 11 died. Many of us have Christian family, friends, and loved ones who stand as testament that it is not always God's will to heal in this life. Wayne!!!
- What disclaimers? Discuss drug commericals. Take a SIN-ventory! Physician heal thyself by examining yourself for any unconfessed sins that are causing the illness. James says And IF he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. This is a periphrastic perfect active particle - does not assume sin is the cause. Discuss 1st century - sin and sickness went hand in hand and there was a theological connection (cf. 1 Cor. 11:30). Yet Jesus in the healing of the blind man in John 9 asserted that sin is not always the cause! But it may be, so James calls the sick one to take a SIN-ventory! Quote 1 John 1:9.
C. Illustration: Tony Campolo tells the story of a time he was in a church in Oregon and prayed for a man who had cancer. The man's wife called him and said, "You prayed for my husband. He had cancer." Tony said, "Had?" Whoa, he thought, it's happened. She said, "He died." Campolo felt terrible. "Don't feel bad," his wife said. "When he came into church that Sunday, he was filled with anger. He knew he was going to be dead in a short period of time, and he hated God. He was 58yo, and he wanted to see his children and grandchildren grow up. He was angry that this all-powerful God didn't take away his sickness and heal him. He would lie in bed and curse God. The more his anger grew toward God, the more miserable he was to everybody around him. It was an awful thing to be in his presence. After you prayed for him, a peace came over him and a joy came into him. The last three days have been the best days of our lives. We've sung. We've laughed. We've prayed. Oh, they've been wonderful days. And I called to thank you for laying your hands on him and oraying for healing." Then she said something incredibly profound: "He wasn't cured, but he was healed."
D. Application: I wonder how many BHBA churches truly live out the church's role in physical healing as James describes it here? I want Crossway to be that sort of church. Our biblical world-view asserts God's love, power, and sovereignty even amidst suffering, sickness, persecution, and death. God may not cure the believer in this life but he always heals. Further, He may not always use this pattern to cure but it is available - sick? Want prayed for, hands laid on you, anointed for physical healing? All you have to do is call.
The Prayer of Faith: The Circumstances That Produce It (v. 13-15a)
IV. The Prayer of Faith: The Confessions That Precede It (v. 15b-16)
A. Therefore What is it there for? Since sin can sometimes lead to physical illness, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, THAT you may be healed.
B. Let's look first at the confession of sin: It PRECEDES the physical healing. Confess...THAT you may be healed. What sins? Any that lead to the illness, any that may be hindering healing. Confess to whom? Dr. Wiersbe: "We must never confess sin beyond the circle of that sin's influence. Private sin requires private confession; public sin requires public confession. It is wrong for Christians to 'hang dirty wash in public,' for such 'confessing' might do more harm than the original sin." In summary...1st and foremost to God, elders at home privately, people sinned against privately if private publicly if public.
C. Illustration & Application: Discuss Roger Barrier story (page 87-88). Now that may not be how you wash clothes but I bet it is the way a lot of you confess your sins...bundle them up and throw them before God. Each sin needs individual attention to maintain optimal physical & spiritual health!
D. Look now at the praying for one another: We are called to pray for each other in many aspects but here specifically for cure of bodily afflictions and illness. Verse 14 James exhorts the elders to pray for the healing, here the whole church is to pray for healing.
E. Application: You know why I think most of us don't live out this verse? Too afraid our confession and praying for each other may lead to our healing but our sickness is not as painful and debilitating as the gossip that will go on outside the church's wall. Brothers and sisters we need mutual honesty, openness and sharing of needs for optimal physical & spiritual health but we MUST NEVER become a gossip, a Miriam with loose lips!!!
The Prayer of Faith: The Circumstances That Produce It (v. 13-15a)
The Prayer of Faith: The Confessions That Precede It (v. 15b-16)
V. The Prayer of Faith: The Intercession That Provides It (v. 16b)
A. So what type of intercession provides this prayer of faith? Does James say it comes from one with a casual attitude toward holiness & Christlikeness in their life? Does it come from one who breathes out a quick ten second prayer and waits for God to act? I thought prayer was fully dependent on God? Prayer is ultimately based on the will and power of God yet Scripture says something of us as well. Proverbs 15:29 says "The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous." James in keeping with his wisdom literature approach says the same here - The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results (NLT). So we see two conditions with regards to the effectiveness of intercessory prayer based on the one offering the intercession:
#1 Persistence: cf. Matt. 7:7-8. #2 Righteousness: Does that mean a holier than thou Super Saint? No! James uses it as Jesus did to refer to right conduct. It doesn't mean 100% of the time but it does mean it is generally true and typical of your life.
B. Illustration & Application: James personally understood this! Was he righteous? Paul called him one of the "pillars" of the Jerusalem church (Gal. 2:9). Was he persistent? Do you recall his nickname? Camel Knees!! Eusebius, the early church historian, said this of James: "He was in the habit of entering the temple alone, and was often found upon his bended knees, and interceding for the forgiveness of the people; so that his knees became as hard as camel's, in consequence of his habitual supplication and kneeling before God." Want to be a prayer warrior for the Kingdom? Start with the example of 'ole Camel Knees, James' persistence and righteousness - he truly practiced what he preached!
The Prayer of Faith: The Circumstances That Produce It (v. 13-15a)
The Prayer of Faith: The Confessions That Precede It (v. 15b-16)
The Prayer of Faith: The Intercession That Provides It (v. 16b)
VI. The Prayer of Faith: The Illustration That Proves It (v. 17-18)
A. To illustrate the power of prayer that comes from the lips of a righteous person, James points to Elijah. His exploits were so spectacular (Mount Carmel, raising the widow's son), his manner of "death" so remarkable (translated to heaven) and his connection to the coming Messiah so poignant that he was one of the most popular of all figures among Jews.
B. Yet there are no Super Saints! We are all human. Elijah was a great man but he wasn't perfect; in fact, as James points out Elijah was as completely human as we are (LB). And this man, just as much human as everyone of us in this room this AM, prayed one of the most powerful prayers recorded in Scripture: James records that he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Did you catch the conditions? Righteous man...prayed fervently. Is that not what we just said is the kind of intercession necessary for the prayer of faith? James goes on to record that then he [Elijah] prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. One of the most powerful prayers recorded in all of Scripture. Prayed by a man just as human as we are. Thus it follows that this power of prayer is available to all who sincerely follow the Lord and not just a special few.
C. Why this example? Isn't the one from Mount Carmel more spectacular, the one that raised the widow's son more appropriate? Dr. Moo points out that 1) deadness of the land brought back to life is an analogy to the illness of the believer and being restored to health or 2) tradition associated the drought with Elijah's praying and so it was a familiar illustration.
D. Application: I love this quote from Dr. MLK, Jr - "Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You don't have to know the 2nd theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." And what is the vitamin of the soul? Prayer. Everybody can pray and any ole saint can be great when it comes to the power of their prayers - look at Elijah. Do you truly believe you can pray prayers as powerful as his? What did Jesus say? "For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matt. 17:20) That word you in the Greek is YOU! Not some Super Saint...YOU! In the words of MLK, Jr "Everybody can be great."
The Prayer of Faith: The Circumstances That Produce It (v. 13-15a)
The Prayer of Faith: The Confessions That Precede It (v. 15b-16)
The Prayer of Faith: The Intercession That Provides It (v. 16b)
The Prayer of Faith: The Illustration That Proves It (v. 17-18)
VII. The Prayer of Faith: The Intervention That Provokes It (v. 19-20)
A. James style here in ending his epistle is abrupt. There is no concluding greeting as in most NT letters. Instead, in typical James' fashion, he calls the community of believers to action. Hey pew warmer, Get up off your butt!!! Though he does not specifically mention prayer here the context implies it - in fact, the need for a life and death intervention has provoked it.
B. My brothers - again we see James pastoral concern; he calls ALL believers to spring into action...not just the pastor, or the elders or the members of the Way Back Committee...ALL believers take note...if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back.
#1 One believer strays - wanders = Greek "planeo," from which we get "planet," was widely used to describe deviation from the way of righteousness. The truth = not doctrine alone but believing & action; "what the mind thinks and the mouth confesses the body must do." For James right belief = right living. But not in this believer's life...right belief = wrong living.
#2 Another believer is willing to help - AND someone brings him back implies that some in the church were not - isn't this still true today? Maybe more so! Discuss waning of church discipline, popularity of Matt. 7:1. This is UNCOMFORTABLE stuff and potentially hazardous to a relationship, yet we have a responsibility - read Gal. 6:1, 2 Thess. 3:15.
C. We of course don't get on our spiritual high horse and shame, shame, shame on you you should be more spiritual like me! Dr. Robertson: "It was easy then, and is now, to be led astray from Christ, who is the Truth." How do believers wander? #1 Willfullness, #2 trickery of false teachers, #3 demonic influence, #4 worldly influence. The cause is NOT the issue... that a brother needs snatched from the fiery pits of hell is!!!
D. So what happens as a result of such an intervention? whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins Brings back, turns = Greek "epistrepho," used in the Septuagint for repentance. We see 2 results of this intervention:
#1 save his soul from death = spiritual not physical.
#2 cover a multitude of sins = James uses covering in its typical OT usage - the forgiveness of sins; what does he mean by multitude? Given that even one sin is enough to send someone to hell, then a multitude have been covered, forgiven by the blood of Jesus for each of us individually little less corporately.
E. Application: Read Free Bible Commentary notation. Dr. Moo puts it this way: "These last two verses are an appropriate closing summons to action. Not only should the readers of James 'do' the words he has written; they should be deeply concerned to see that others 'do' them also. It is by sharing with James the conviction that there is indeed an eternal death, to which the way of sin leads, that we shall be motivated to deal with sin in our lives and in the lives of others." The spiritual battle has casualties but also reclamations. Are you willing to turn a brother or sister from the error of his/her way in order to save their soul from eternal damnation?
VIII. Conclusion: Chapter 12
A. Let me close by asking you, if you went to the Great Physician this AM for a spiritual check-up, what "grade" would He give you on the health of your prayer life? Specifically, how are you doing at the prayer of faith? More importantly, what steps are you going to take to improve it?
VIII. Conclusion: Sermon Series
A. Discuss the old seatbelt commercials - you can learn a lot from a dummy. I pray that you indeed have learned a lot from a dummy...not James...ME! I pray this series on James, "Christianity For Dummies," has taught you as much about how to live out our faith as it has taught me. As we end our study of James, I feel it would be a good time for a little self-examination. To see how we are doing at this whole salvation in shoe leather thing. And so I've given you an additional handout this week with 12 questions for reflection. A self-exam for you to see where you are in your walk with the Lord and where you might need to make some changes to be a better doer of the Word and not just a hearer of the Word.
IX. Invitation and Benediction
- Speaking of Dummies, you know the dumbest decision you could ever make in your life? To ignore & reject the fact that - recite John 3:16. Be smart this AM...come to the cross, ask Jesus to wash away your sins, receive his gift of eternal life. Maybe the smart decision you need to make this AM is for church membership, or baptism, come to the altar & spend some time with the Lord.
