3. The Hot Line…
•During the ColdWar, there
was a “hotline”, or direct
connection between Russia
and theWhite House
•I imagine there is talk of replacing it now…
•We have a different kind of HOT LINE as
born-again Believers—
•PRAYER!!
4. “13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he
must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing
praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then
he must call for the elders of the church and
they are to pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the
prayer offered in faith will restore the one
who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up,
and if he has committed sins, they will be
forgiven him. 16Therefore, confess your sins
5. to one another, and pray for one another so
that you may be healed.The effective
prayer of a righteous man can accomplish
much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like
ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would
not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for
three years and six months. 18Then he
prayed again, and the sky poured rain and
the earth produced its fruit.”
19 My brethren, if any among you strays
6. from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let
him know that he who turns a sinner from
the error of his way will save his soul from
death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
James 5:13-20, NASB
7. A. A few facts about prayer…
1. Prayer is NOT ritual
•NOT a “thing to do” so that we keep
some sad “connection” to God
•Tinkling symbols, clanging gongs…
2. Prayer is NOT mandatory
•To be a Christian one is not required to
pray a certain number of times daily, or
facing certain directions– it is a privilege of
communication with our Father.
8. A. A few facts about prayer…
3. Prayer is NOT “911”
•Why do people only call on
God when they’re in trouble?
•Prayer should be more than that
•Constant communication with God
•Regular times and intervals
•Asking not only for needs, but
interceding for others, and LISTENING
9. B. Results: Prayers of the Righteous
•Vs 13-15, this part of scripture
doesn’t deal with structure of
prayer– we do that onWed.
•This is about results
10. “13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he
must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing
praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then
he must call for the elders of the church and
they are to pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the
prayer offered in faith will restore the one
who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up,
and if he has committed sins, they will be
forgiven him.” James 5:13-15
11. B. Results: Prayers of the Righteous
•We are quick to come to Him when
everything is crashing
•Nothing wrong with that–
but we need to remember to
praise Him and give thanks
when we have the mountain
top experiences too
•Nothing wrong to ask for healing--
12. B. Results: Prayers of the Righteous
•But He doesn’t always do it the way
we want…
13. “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient
for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness.’Therefore most gladly I will
rather boast in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
14. B. Results: Prayers of the Righteous
•But He doesn’t always do it
the way we want…
•Paul is an example
•So is Joni EricksonTada
•He has the power, but s
sometimes chooses not to
heal physically, for His own glory
16. “14 Is anyone among you sick? Then
he must call for the elders of the
church and they are to pray over
him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord…”
James 5:14
17. “14 Is anyone among you sick? Then
he must call for the elders of the
church and they are to pray over
him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord…”
James 5:14
18. “14 Is anyone among you sick? Then
he must call for the elders of the
church and they are to pray over
him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord…”
James 5:14
19. C. Anointing with Oil…
•WithinV14, 2 steps here
•The sick must ask
•Episcopos must obey
•Understand that James is
NOT telling men to for-
give sin– just that the
obedience through this process is
something that God will bless!
21. 16Therefore, confess your sins to one
another, and pray for one another so that
you may be healed.The effective prayer of
a righteous man can accomplish much.
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours,
and he prayed earnestly that it would not
rain, and it did not rain on the earth for
three years and six months. 18Then he
prayed again, and the sky poured rain and
the earth produced its fruit.” Jm 5:16-18
22. D. Illness and Sin; connected?
•Vs 16-18, in truth, all sickness
is a result of sin– Adam’s
•Hangovers, STDs, etc.
•True strength in Christian
life comes from daily prayer
and daily Bible reading
•Starve the flesh of sin, and
feed it with theWord of God
24. “19 My brethren, if any among you strays
from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let
him know that he who turns a sinner from
the error of his way will save his soul from
death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
James 5:19-20, NASB
25. E. Eternal Security
•Vs 19-20, this verse is used to
argue both security, and the
lack thereof
•We looked extensively at this
concept in our Hebrews study,
so I won’t belabor the point
•Abide in Christ– its covered!!
26. Take Home!
1. It’s God who makes
the difference
through prayer
2. We need no special
intercessor on
Earth– we have Jesus!!!
3. Repent first, then come!!
