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James: Faith that Works: Effective Prayer
The sermon discusses effective prayer as outlined in James 5:13-18, focusing on the role of prayer in communication with God and the importance of faith-filled praying. It highlights the significance of elders, the use of oil in prayer, and the need for mutual confession in the context of community. Additionally, it emphasizes the example of Elijah as a model for powerful and persistent prayer.
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James: Faith that Works: Effective Prayer
- 1. James: Faith thatWorks
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- 5. What is Prayer? “Prayeris simply intimate communication with God.” – Dr. Tony Evans
- 6. We all needprayer! •Is anyone suffering? •Is anyone cheerful? •Is anyone sick?
- 7. Who are theelders? •They were selected… not elected. •“Elder” is used synonymously with “pastor” and “overseer”. (1 Pet. 5:1-2; Acts 20:17,28) •They exercised spiritual authority.
- 8. What’s the oilall about? •Medicinal? He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. – Luke 10:34: The Good Samaritan
- 9. What’s the oilall about? •Signifying being set apart? • The setting apart of priests (Ex. 30:29) • The setting apart of kings (1 Sam. 10:1)
- 10. •Signifying the presenceof the Holy Spirit? • The Holy Spirit anointing of Messiah (Isa. 61:1) • The Holy Spirit anointing of Jesus (Acts 10:37-38) What’s the oil all about?
- 11. Two extremes toavoid: •A sacramental view of the oil in verse 14. Extreme Unction The Catholic Sacrament of the “Last Rites”
- 12. Two extremes toavoid: •A “magical” view of the Prayer of Faith in verse 15. The “Word of Faith Movement Popular among some Pentecostal and Charismatic groups.
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- 14. Therefore confess your(pl) sins and pray for one another (pl)… Mutual confession vs. “auricular confession” A strange confessor – his name is “One Another” – Martin Luther
- 15. The Example ofElijah •He was a righteous prophet. •He prayed powerful prayers! •He prayed persistent prayers. •He was a man just like us.
- 16. James: Faith thatWorks
Editor's Notes
- #2 Thread running throughout all of chapter 5 is suffering. Last week we looked at the first six chapters of James 5 and we saw how the evil rich had “murdered” the righteous person by depriving them of their earned wages and pushing many over the edge. I shared that in verse six, the phrase “He does not resist you” suggested that this Christian community had been so severely beaten down by their unscrupulous bosses that they had no fight left in them… they were suffering and showing signs of wear. Next week’s passage begins with a question in verse 13, “Is anyone among you suffering”? The topic explored is health and physical suffering. And this week we will see the interplay between suffering and patience, a patience that is rooted in a confidence that the coming of the Lord is at hand. These three sections of James 5 are clearly all about the different facets to human suffering and how we are to meet the challenges that suffering brings our way.
- #3 Sermon Title: Effective Prayer James 5:13-18 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
- #4 Hegesippus (110-180 AD) A Hebrew Christian in the Jerusalem church. Lived two generations removed from James and preserved some of the stories concerning the life of James. Most Bible scholars believe this tradition to likely be a true account. “And he was in the habit of entering alone into the temple and was frequently found upon his knees begging forgiveness for the people, so that his knees became hard like those of a camel, in consequence of his constantly bending them in his worship of God and asking forgiveness for the people.” (Hegesippus)
- #5 First Point: Faith-filled praying James 5:13-15 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
- #6 What is Prayer? “Prayer is simply intimate communication with God.” – Dr. Tony Evans
- #7 We all need prayer! Is anyone suffering? Is anyone cheerful? Is anyone sick? (Word used for sick literally means weakness) Is anyone missing from this list???
- #8 Who are the elders? They were selected… not elected. The term elder is used synonymously with “pastor” and “overseer” "To the elders (presbuteros) among you, I appeal as a fellow elder (presbuteros), a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds (poimainō) of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers (episkopeō) — not because you must, but because you are willing...." (1 Peter 5:1-2) "From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders (presbuteros) of the church.... Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers (episkopos). Be shepherds (poimainō) of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." (Acts 20:17, 28) The elders exercised spiritual authority and leadership in the church.
- #9 What’s the oil all about? Medicinal? He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. – Luke 10:34: The Good Samaritan And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. (Mark 6:13)
- #10 Signifying being set apart? The setting apart of priests Ex. 30:29: You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will become holy. The setting apart of kings 1 Sam. 10:1: Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince[a] over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.
- #11 Signifying the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit anointing of the Messiah (Isaiah 61:1) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. The Holy Spirit anointing of Jesus. In Acts 10, Peter has come to the house of Cornelius. By God’s urging, he preaches to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house. In verses 37-38 Peter says: 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
- #12 Two extremes to avoid: A sacramental view of the oil in verse 14. Extreme Unction The Catholic Sacrament of the “Last Rites”
- #13 A second extreme to avoid: A “magical” view of the Prayer of Faith in verse 15. The “Word of Faith Movement Popular among some Pentecostal and Charismatic groups. “Often we do not pray the prayer of faith out of concern for God’s reputation if there should be no healing. We should remember that God is big enough to handle His own reputation.” – David Guzik
- #14 Second Point: Energized Praying James 5:16-18 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
- #15 Therefore confess your (pl) sins and pray for one another (pl)… Mutual confession vs. “auricular confession” A strange confessor – his name is “One Another” – Martin Luther Confession – J. Edwin Orr Confession should be made to the one sinned against. Public confession must be discrete. Distinguish between secret sins and those which directly affect others. Confession is often made to people, but before God. Confession should be appropriately specific. Confession should be thorough. Those who hear a confession of sin also have a great responsibility.
- #16 He was a righteous prophet. He prayed powerful prayers! He prayed persistent prayers. Effective prayer must be fervent, not because we must emotionally persuade a reluctant God, but because we must gain God’s heart by being fervent for the things He is fervent for. He was a man just like us.
- #17 Let’s Pray