August 5, 2018
James
James 5:13-20
How do the other letters of the New Testament end?
- 14 of the 21 NT letters end with a personal greeting: Romans, 1/2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, 1 Peter, 2/3 John.
- 1 of the 21 NT letters ends with a doxology: Jude.
- 6 of the 21 NT letters end with a warning: Galations, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, James, 2 Peter, 1 John.
Galations 6:15
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.
1 Thessalonians 5:19-21
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
1 Timothy 6:20
Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge
2 Peter 3:17
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.
1 John 5:21
21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
These are pretty serious warnings, and I believe that the warning in James is just as serious… but with this one, we often write it off. Why? It’s about prayer. In actuality, this section is the strength available to us to actually be able to pull off the rest of what we just read.
James 5:13-20
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
James 5:13-14
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
In this section, James is calling out a few different types of prayer:
- Praying in a time of trouble
- Praying in happiness
- Corporate prayer in sickness
Trouble - kakopatho: the inner experience of having to endure misfortune
Happy - euthymeo: deep-rooted contentment of the heart
When you are feeling like everything is going wrong - take it to God. When you feel like everything is going right - take it to God. Ultimately, all of the power we need to make it, is made available to us in the person of Jesus. THAT is why we pray.
James 5:14-16
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Not only does the power to do these things come from God and God alone, but the power of God is much greater than you think. He has the power to make the sick well!
Disclaimers:
1. It sounds like praying for the sick will always make them well. Not true.
2. “If they have sinned, they will be forgiven” almost sounds like salvation can come from someone else praying for you. Not what this is saying.
3. It also sounds like the church forgives sin through confession. Not true. Anyone who says that accepting the free gift of salvation from Jesus is not enough is directly challenging the truth of the Gospel.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
This does not say that a righteous person is powerful and effective, the PRAYER of a righteous person is powerful and effective because God in all of His glory and grace chooses to give his power to righteous people who are willing to humble themselves and pray.
James 5:17-18
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
The main point that James is bringing up in this book is calling people to start really living out their faith and stop faking it. He spends the whole letter condemning people who are living as cultural christians. In this last section, he shows his pastoral heart:
James 5:19-20
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Communication Card
- I will commit to a lifestyle of prayer.
- I will seek righteousness, so my prayers are powerful and effective.
- I will pray for people who have turned away from God.
