Prayer and the prodigal Jas 5:17-20 WBC 23/11/03pm
In July 2002 in an incident that the news-media called "The Miracle at Quecreek," nine miners were trapped 240 feet under-ground for three days in a water-filled mine shaft. You probably remember, you were no doubt holding your breath with me as they were down in that flooded mine shaft without food and light and drinking water. After they were rescued, they were interviewed about what happened down there. They said that they "decided early on they were either going to live or die as a group."
The 55 degree water threatened to kill them slowly by hypothermia, so according to one news report "When one would get cold, the other eight would huddle around the person and warm [them], and when another person got cold, the favour was returned."
Miner Harry Mayhugh told reporters after being released from Somerset Hospital, "Everybody had strong moments, but any certain time maybe one guy got down, and then the rest pulled together. And then that guy would get back up, and maybe someone else would feel a little weaker, but it was a team effort. That¡¦s the only way it could have been."
They faced incredibly hostile conditions together-and the world marvelled when they all came out alive together. [Bill White, Paramount, California; source: adapted from "Teamwork Helped Miners Survive Underground," CNN.com (7-28-02)] from www.sermoncentral.com
These are James¡¦ last words
- ends somewhat abruptly. Unlike Paul!
Ends with something v important to him
- = love and care for one another. Care for the wanderer
o the backslider. Prodigal
o be a concerned community
- it¡¦s like he knows life and ¡¥savage wolves¡¦ will come against people¡¦s faith when his sermon ends (like Paul to Eph leaders in Acts 20:18)
In other words- this is one of the many ¡¥tests¡¦ Jas is trying to prepare his ¡¥global congregation for
- individual¡¦s faith tested
o by hard times¡K or suffering¡K or intellectual challenges
„X all the very real things that can tempt one to be static¡K stagnate¡K backslide
- our faith tested
o to see if we¡¦ll be merciful
It was F.B. Meyer, I believe, who once said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard they tried not to sin. And second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed them. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances.
SOURCE: Stephen Brown, Christianity Today, April 5, 1993, p. 17.
- to see if we¡¦ll respond¡K
o be like the good shepherd (seek them out)
o or be like Cain ¡§Am I my brother¡¦s keeper?!¡¨
- will we be ¡¥spiritual¡¦ like Gal 6:1.. or carnal/selfish?
WHAT has happened, here?
V19- it started in their belief: ¡§wandered from the TRUTH¡¨
- either were ignorant to what the Bible said or
- started wandering from the core creedal truths of the Bible
Who says ¡¥what you believe doesn¡¦t matter¡¦?!
- everything we are/do starts in what we believe
They¡¦ve started wandering. And the truth is, the Bible says about the fundamental things
- ¡¥stand firm¡¦¡K ¡¥stand firm in the faith¡¦ Is 7:9 ¡¥if you do not stand firm in your faith you will not stand AT ALL¡¨
v20- their behaviour followed their belief and they are now (v20) in ¡¥the error of their ways¡¦
- ie life is probably a real mess
- they¡¦re not living as a Christian
Seen it happen? I have.
- I think : why didn¡¦t someone love them enough to confront them over their belief¡K behaviour
o Then!
o Or- confront their father: stop drinking! (sometimes it goes back generations)
They¡¦ve lost it.
Think: ¡¥can¡¦t lose it?¡¦
- well- actually- you¡¦re eternally secure (if that¡¦s how you want it)(
- but: ¡¥be careful lest you fall¡¦ (1 Cor 10:10)
o here this has happened to ¡¥one of you¡¦- ie ANYONE
o test yourself to see if you are in the faith
- experience shows people do fall. Sometimes from a great height
o these people HAVE (apart from God¡¦s grace)
WHO is my brother¡¦s keeper?
So- who¡¦s supposed to act, respond, here?
- hear the silent cries of this person
o (unlike the audible cry for healing- these people respond in silence and with their shoes)
Heb 13:17- leaders are to keep watch
Acts 20:28 leaders: 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30
- note: it¡¦s always pleural. (leadership IS pleural, I reckon)
o it¡¦s shared out
But here, where James has mentioned ’calling the elders¡¦ for healing prayer
- AND specified you can ALL pray for each other
¡K the responsibility lies with ¡§SOMEONE should bring him back¡¨
- ¡§WHOEVER¡¨ turns a sinner
- in other words with US, YOU, ME
o WE are our brother¡¦s keeper
EVERYBODY wanted the job done. NOBODY wanted to do it, but EVERYBODY wanted SOMEBODY to do it. SOMEBODY got angry with NOBODY. In the end NOBODY ended up doing the job.
- here it¡¦s ANYBODY. You are SOMEBODY
HOW?
Gal 6 gives us some ideas how
GAL 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should carry his own load.
Restore
- go seek them out. Aim is to restore them to
- the Lord
- the love of His fellowship
- understanding. So- there is a place for ¡¥correcting belief¡¦ (as it says in 2 Tim 3:16)
Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, in a recent interview told of his most memorable occasion to share the gospel. ?I remember as a young believer I felt impressed to call on a man who was a CEO of one of the great fortune 500 companies. As presumptuous as it sounded he was very responsive and agreed to see me. I asked for 15 minutes of his personal time, and when I was ushered into his big beautiful office there was nothing on his desk... He was seated there waiting for me. He asked "What can I do for you?" I said, "Sir, I¡¦ve come to talk to you about your relationship with Jesus Christ." On the surface one would expect for him to call for a bodyguard and escort me out. He instead began to cry. Then he stopped and told me that at the age of 8 he had become a believer. He had become so ambitious, however, that he did not have time for God. Even though he had become one of the leading businessmen in the world he had not been to church in 30 years. He said, "God sent you. He sent you to help me. I¡¦ll be in church Sunday."
SOURCE: SermonCentral Staff. Citation: Crosswalk.com, April 3,
Gently
- again- in mercy
JUDE 1:22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
- (words by another of Jesus¡¦ brothers)
Here ion Jas- the sin is ¡¥covered over¡¦ by their turning back to God
- love can be the thing that leads to this
1PE 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
A young man once described going astray from God ¡§like he was at sea in deep water, deep trouble, and all his friends were on the shoreline hurling biblical accusations at him about justice, penalty and wrong ¡Kbut there was one Christian brother who actually swam out to get me and would not let me go. I fought him, but he pushed aside my fighting, grasped me, put a life jacket around me, and took me to shore. By the grace of God, he was the reason I was restored. He would not let me go¡¨ (Swindoll 195). from www.sermoncentral.com Bringing the Wanderer Home Text: James 5.19-20 by Chris Hodges
Watch yourself
- lest you, too fall! Be wise. Feel some circumstances.
Elie Wiesel, the eloquent Jewish author, once told this story: ¡§A just man comes to Sodom hoping to save the city. He pickets. What else can he do? He goes from street to street, from marketplace to marketplace, shouting, ¡¥Men and women, repent. What you are doing is wrong. It will kill you; it will destroy you.¡¦
They laugh, but he goes on shouting, until one day a child stops him. ¡¥Poor stranger, don¡¦t you see it¡¦s useless?¡¦
¡¥Yes,¡¦ the just man replies.
¡¥Then why do you go on?¡¦ the child asks.
¡¥In the beginning,¡¦ he says, ¡¥I was convinced that I would change them. Now I go on shouting because I don¡¦t want them to change me.¡¦"
SOURCE: Rodney Buchanan in "Starting the New Year Right." http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=42344. Edited by SermonCentral staff. Citation: Ephesians 4:11-14.
Carry each other¡¦s burdens
But
Let them carry their own load
- in the end there is only so much you can do¡K and we are EACH individually responsible before God
- we should not (and cannot) carry other¡¦s loads.
o God doesn¡¦t
o If we try to, we find ¡¥we are on our own¡¦ and using up our resources, not God
o (my burden is easy and my yoke FITS)
Prayer
And here¡¦s the exciting bit¡K and the emphasis in Jas
- we have a mighty weapon. The very first & foremost we should use: PRAYER
o often we turn to it too late
A mother was convinced that her wayward son would become a Christian. She lost no opportunity in telling him that one day he would come to the faith. She pleaded with him to mend his ways, to see the light; she sent him little cards with verses on, spiritual books, tapes of powerful sermons- all to no avail. One day, she fell on her knees and prayed fervently that God would totally remove the obstacle to her son’s conversion. There was a blinding flash and she vanished!
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective
- righteous: oh no! That¡¦s not me
o but Elijah was JUST like us: up, down, faith, depression, brave, fearful, self-less¡K overcome with self-pity
o but according to James¡¦ criteria- his faith was active in works- therefore his faith WORKED
- powerful
o implies strength, potency, power waiting to be released (Cf North sea covering the power of Gas)
- effective
o lit ¡¥energeo¡¦. Power to get things done
Illustr: Prayer brought me back.
Mum praying for Dad for 40 years
It¡¦s the most powerful weapon we have
- JUST prayer. ¡¥he prayed with prayer¡¦
o Emphasis is not on frequency or fervency
o But on the power of petition to a personal God
Elijah¡¦s prayer packed a mighty punch. So does yours. Have more faith!
WHY?
You may ¡¥bring them back¡¦
People CAN be restored, turned back
"Longing to leave her poor Brazilian neighbourhood, Christina wanted to see the world. Discontent with a home having only a pallet on the floor, a washbasin, and a wood-burning stove, she dreamed of a better life in the city. One morning she slipped away, breaking her mother¡¦s heart. Knowing what life on the streets would be like for her young, attractive daughter, Maria hurriedly packed to go find her. On her way to the bus stop she entered a drugstore to get one last thing. Pictures. She sat in the photograph booth, closed the curtain, and spent all she could on pictures of herself. With her purse full of small black-and-white photos, she boarded the next bus to Rio de Janeiro.
"Maria knew Christina had no way of earning money. She also knew that her daughter was too stubborn to give up. When pride meets hunger, a human will do things that were before unthinkable. Knowing this, Maria began her search. Bars, hotels, nightclubs, any place with the reputation for street walkers or prostitutes. She went to them all. And at each place she left her picture - taped on a bathroom mirror, tacked to a hotel bulletin board, fastened to a corner phone booth. And on the back of each photo she wrote a note.
"It wasn¡¦t too long before both the money and the pictures ran out, and Maria had to go home. The weary mother wept as the bus began its long journey back to her small village. It was a few weeks later that young Christina descended the hotel stairs. Her young face was tired. Her brown eyes no longer danced with youth, but spoke of pain and fear. Her laughter was broken. Her dream had become a nightmare. A thousand times over she had longed to trade these countless beds for her secure pallet. Yet the little village was, in many ways, too far away. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes noticed a familiar face. She looked again, and there on the lobby mirror was a small picture of her mother. Christina¡¦s eyes burned and her throat tightened as she walked across the room and removed the small photo. Written on the back was this compelling invitation. ¡¦Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn¡¦t matter. Please come home.¡¦ She did."
Max Lucado, No Wonder They Call Him the Saviour, pp. 158-159
You may save them!
It¡¦s almost worded, here, as though YOU save them from death
- and in one sense you do¡K as your action, compassion, may be what brings them back to Jesus who saves them
We certainly should act as though WE are the answer (in one sense)
Sins may be covered over
- You know the meaning of this term: ¡¥there. That¡¦ll cover it¡¦
- Blanket of snow covering
IN OT the word was ¡¥atonement¡¦- it literally meant ¡¥to cover over¡¦
- the effect = ¡¥at-one-ment¡¦
o reconciliation with God and self
YOU can be involved in making all things new for this wanderer
Silence- think as to how/who we might act
¡§I cannot tell¡¨
Open prayer ¡V for the prodigals
¡§These are the days of Elijah¡¨
