“The Book of James”
Pastor Mike Barnett
13Is any one of you in
trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is
any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him
and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in
faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has
sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is
powerful and effective.
17Elijah was a man
just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain
on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave
rain, and the earth produced its crops. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its
crops. 19My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone
should bring him back, remember this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of
his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. James 5:13-19
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This passage
has been a battleground for interpreters over the centuries as various groups
have been used it as a proof text for their particular beliefs.
IS ANY OF YOU IN TROUBLE?
HE SHOULD PRAY.
·
It would have
been surprising if, in a letter to struggling, persecuted believers, James had
neglected to mention prayer.
·
A strong
commitment to ___________________(prayer) is a perquisite to enduring ______________(suffering)
and affliction.
·
The section
also reflects James compassionate pastoral care for his suffering flock; his
main focus is on the casualties of the spiritual battle, the persecuted weak,
defeated believers.
·
The present
tense of the verb translated, “he should pray”, suggests a
____________________(continual) pleading with God in prayer; it could be
translated “LET HIM KEEP ON PRAYING”. V. 13a
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When life is
difficult, when believers are weak in faith, weary with persecution, and
crushed by affliction, they must continually plead with God to comfort them.
IS ANY OF YOU HAPPY? LET
HIM SING SONGS OF PRAISE. V. 13
Psalm 98:4-5 says:
4 Shout for joy to
the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the
LORD with the harp,
with the harp and the sound of
singing, Psalm 98:4-5
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Those who
manage to maintain a cheerful attitude in their suffering are to sing praises.
V. 13a
·
Cheerful is
from “Euthumeo and describes those well in Spirit, or having a joyful attitude
– not those who are physically well.
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The suffering
and the happy, the wounded, broken spirits and the whole, rejoicing spirits are
both to pray.
·
The one is to
plead with God for comfort; the other is to sing praises.
·
Praise and
prayer are closing related; praise is actually a ____________________(form) of
_____________________(prayer).
Philippians 4:6 says:
6Do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
ILLUS
– pg 311-12 (NIV)
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CHRISTIANS
WILL ________________________(SUFFER) IN THIS LIFE, BECAUSE CHRIST SUFFERED.
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SUFFERING IS
ONE OF ______________________________(CHARACTERISTICS) OF A CHRISTIAN – “CHRIST
FOLLOWER”
Colossians
24Now I rejoice in
what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in
regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the
church. Colossians 1:24
Philippians
10I want to know Christ
and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his
sufferings, becoming like him in his death. Philippians 3:10
NOTE:
When you’re sitting before the Lord, you're not doing nothing, you’re doing the
most important something there is. You’re allowing your soul to grow up. If you
can’t be still and wait, you can’t become what God created you to be”.
·
Both
_________________________
(Thanksgiving) and
______________________(prayer) are essential for the spiritual strength of
those undergoing persecution.
IS ANY OF YOU SICK? HE
SHOULD CALL THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH TO PRAY OVER HIM AND ANOIT HIM WITH OIL IN
THE NAME OF THE LORD. V. 14
·
James
encourages the fallen spiritual warriors, the exhausted, weary, depressed,
defeated Christians that have tried to draw on God’s power through prayer, but
lost motivation, even fallen into sinful attitudes to call on the elders of the
church to pray for them.
·
The elders of
the church are the spiritually strong, the spiritually mature, and the
spiritually victorious.
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Weak,
defeated believers are to go to the elders and draw on their
___________________________(strength).
Galatians 6:1 says:
1Brothers, if someone is
caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch
yourself, or you also may be tempted. Galatians 6:1
Acts 6:4 says:
4and will give our
attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." Acts 6:4
·
This is an
important and largely neglected ministry of the church’s pastors and elders.
·
More times
than not in today’s American church, weak, struggling, believers are often
handed over to so-called expert professional counselors – who often have little
power in prayer.
·
Those who
have been defeated in the spiritual battle do not need to hear opinions of
_____________________ _________________________(human wisdom); they need to be
strengthened by the power of God through their leaders’
_________________________(prayers).
·
The elders’
anointing of weak, defeated believers with oil conveys the responsibility for
elders to stimulate, encourage, strengthen and refresh these people.
·
Through the
righteous prayers of godly men, God will __________________________(restore)
His battered sheep’s __________________________(enthusiasm).
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The Bible
nowhere teaches that all sickness is the direct result of an individual’s sins.
·
Spiritual
defeat, however, is often both the cause and result of sin.
Psalm 32:5 says:
Prov 28:13 says:
13 He who conceals his
sins does not prosper,
but whoever confesses and renounces them
finds mercy. Prov 28:13
Psalm 32:5 says:
5 Then I acknowledged my
sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD "—
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:5
1 John 1:8-9 says:
8If we claim to be
without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us
from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9
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The ability
of Jesus to perform the miraculous has nothing at all to do with the “faith” of
the sick person.
·
Jesus does
not need the faith of the sick person in order to heal, if he requires some
external boost of energy to be effective.
·
Jesus often
did not perform miracles when he discerned that the result would be belief in
his abilities as a wonder-worker, as opposed to belief in his person and
message.
“HE SHOULD CALL THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH TO
PRAY OVER HIM AND ANNOIT HIM WITH OIL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD” V. 14
Two reasons given for the
anointing:
1) Some scholars see it as a symbolic of God’s
___________________________ (Holy)_________________________(Spirit) and
prescence being with that person in their time of need.
NOTE:
To pray with certainty that God will heal every sick person right away no matter
what, seems to contradict one of the prominent themes of Jame’s letter: to
endure difficulties because God can _______________(use) them to bring about
the _______________________(purpose) in our lives – becoming more like Christ and less like the
world.
2) Other scholars see this anointing as practical for
___________________________(medicinal) purposes.
This prayer offered in
faith carries with it two results:
1) The sick person is made well.
2) The Lord will raise him up.
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Many in the
evangelical community are skeptical of healing prayer.
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The New
Testament does not teach that all sickness is the result of sin or that all sin
causes sickness, or God always desires to remove maladies from besetting us.
·
But James
clearly teaches here that sickness caused by sin can be alleviated through
public _________________________(confession) and
_________________________(prayer) for healing.
·
James tells
us to confess our sins to each other and to pray for one another.
James asks Believers to
pray for each other publicly for at least two reasons”
1) To confess our sin to another person makes us ____________________________(vulnerable) to
the point where we must ___________________(trust) God and another believer!
·
The practice
of vulnerability and confession will cool tempers and help heal the divisions
within the church.
·
To admit
wrongs to brothers and sisters in Christ is to bring
____________________(unity).
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James is
advocating the model of Jesus, to become the servant and become vulnerable
before others.
2) Godly men in the Bible like Moses, Daniel, Nehemiah
and others although innocent, _____________________________(identified)
themselves with the sins of the people they led.
Exodus 32:31-32 says:
31 So Moses went
back to the LORD and said, "Oh, what a great sin these people have
committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, please forgive
their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written."
Exodus 32:31-32
Daniel 9:5-10 says:
5 we have sinned and done
wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your
commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who
spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the
people of the land.
7 "Lord, you
are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah and
people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries
where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 O LORD, we
and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we
have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even
though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the LORD our God or
kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. Daniel 9:5-10
Nehemiah 1:6 says:
6 let your ear be
attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before
you day and night for your servants, the people of
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GOD
_____________________(OPPOSES) THE PROUD, BUT GIVES
_______________________(GRACE) TO THE _________________________(HUMBLE).
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Sin seeks to
remain private and secret, but God wants it to be exposed and dealt with in the
loving fellowship of other believers.
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