Prayers of Faith Part 2
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Reading 1 John 1:1-10
Introduction
Introduction
Today was going to be our last day in James but I have decided to break it up into two more sermons. We are going to finish out the the section of scripture we started last week by picking up where we left off in prayer and finish his thoughts on that. Next week we will then explore his final words to the church. Please turn to James Chapter 5 and we will start in verse 13 and read to the end:
13 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? He should 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 The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. 17 Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.
Last week we started we looked at this section that speaks to prayer in the life of the persecuted church. He speaks to the suffering and that if anyone among them is suffering that they should pray and that if any one is cheerful or encouraged that they should sing praises. As James was speaking to the worn down and spiritually defeated believers, he tells them that they are to call the elders and have them pray for them. That when a christian get to the point that they just don’t have the will to pray or keep on fighting that they need to ask for help from those that are strong.
The Confession of Sin
The Confession of Sin
We now come to verse 16
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.
The therefore he transitions from the prayers of the elders with the weary to the life of the congregation. Therefore confess your sins to one another…
Confess - the act of admitting that we have acted in sin. Another part of confession is this idea of stating what is true.
James addresses that weary and then transitions to the congregation the collection of believers and tells them that in order to help brothers and sisters in Christ to stay out of this place of suffering, that they are to openly confess the sins that they have in their lives. And who where they to confess too. Each other.
Let me say that again. Each other. I bet you a case of mountain dew that there are many in here that just got really uncomfortable. What would that look like? To tell people in the church about the things we struggle with. There maybe someone here that right now is thinking, not for a million dollars would I do that.
To be honest that kind of a foreign concept. I was trying to think of a time that I have ever seen this modeled the way James is saying. I remember when there was a youth pastor that I met with that would almost demand that we confess our sins to each other. The problem was I did not trust him with the things I was dealing with at the time. Another time I was a application for ministry that was 24 pages long. On one of the pages there was space to list all of you sins. This was because the person in charge of the ministry believed they had that right and authority to request and receive this list if transgressions.
There are many who have shared their sins with people and people used that information as a weapon, to hurt, or embarrass, or to gain favor with others. We are all born with a sin problem. It is literally one of the very few things in the universe that unify all men and women of all time.
In science, we talk about constants they are variables that never change they are always the same. Gravity and the speed of light are two of them.
Have you ever pondered that
the thing that unites all of mankind separates it the most. Sin
The think that separates mankind will unite it. Christ
Right now on this earth we are united in the fact that we have sinful natures. Natures that desire thing not of God and some of us have been separated and united with Christ. To have our sins forgiven. In the final days everyone will be united. Just not together. There will be the sheep and the goats. the lost and the redeemed. The lost will be united in eternal torment and the redeemed with be united in heaven with our Lord and Savior.
How important is it that we deal with sin? Is it primary or secondary? Is it a taboo topic?
1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—2 that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—3 what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him. 6 If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. 7 If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
If we say we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. The truth of the word will reveal sin to us. It will open our mind to righteousness and to evil. Maybe today it is not so much people saying they have not sin as much as it is that we say nothing about it at all. Or maybe we even believe it is nobody else’s business.
John says that if we confess - God is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Confession leads to forgiveness and cleansing.
If you go backward through 1 John you will see that those that confess and are cleansed walk in the light and are in fellowship with the believers and fellowship with the Father and the Son who has absolutely no darkness in him.
But those that say they have no sin, who choose to ignore. that they need to repent show that the truth is not in them and they will not be in fellowship with the Father and the son.
Fellowship this is a word that has lost some of its potency in our time. We use it in a good way to describe hanging out with one another and enjoying company with each other. There is nothing wrong with that. Here is has a deepened meaning.
The act of sharing in activities or privileges of an intimate association. It is the idea of coming together and coming along side each other in the common pursuit of a mission. Charles Spurgeon put it this way.
1 John Exposition
Fellowship with God was one of the richest privileges of unfallen man. The Lord God walked in the garden, and talked with Adam as a man talks with his friend. So long as he was willing and obedient, Adam ate the fat of the land, and among the rich dainties and “filtered aged wine” (Isa 25:6) of which his soul was a partaker, we must number first and foremost unbroken communion with God, his Father and his Friend.
Sin, as it banished man from Eden, banished man from God, and from that time our face has been turned from the Most High, and His face has been turned from us—we have hated God, and God has been angry with us every day. Christ came into the world to restore to us our lost patrimony. It was the great object of His wondrous sacrifice to put us into a position that should be equal and even superior to that which we occupied in Adam before the fall. And as He has already restored to us many things that we lost, so among the rest—fellowship with God. Those who have by His grace believed, and have been washed by the precious blood, have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord; they are “no longer strangers and foreigners, but … fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph 2:19), and they have access with boldness into this grace wherein we stand.
James and John share that the life of the church has a very intimate and connected association. Because as we confess our sins James says there is something that goes along with it.
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.
We are to be in fellowship in the body and to come to a point of confession and prayer. Here these are linked that James isn’t saying come together sometime and confess and other times pray. Even though there are many times that we pray without confession such as prayers of thanksgiving, but when we confess there should always be prayer with it for James says confess you sins and pray so that you may be healed. There is something that happens when we follows God’s word and we pray the way he command. Spiritual healing comes from the work of the Holy Spirit when we confess and pray.
Because
James 5:16 (CSB)
16 ...The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.
We are to be people of confession and people of prayer and the result is when we come together in this way we will be healed. Because God’s power is displayed in the prayer of the righteous.
I believe that small groups any small group build the foundation and relationship that is necessary for these types of conversations. They are where we get to know each other and to see where people are in life. This is where we build mutual trust. Without trust it is very likely that we will come to a point of confession of sin. It probably won’t work to have a time of confession every group especially co-ed groups. But in small groups you should be able to find that 1 to 3 same gender brothers or sisters that you can start to confess sins and pray with. So that we can have spiritual healing.
James says this type of prayer is very powerful and he then give the example of Elijah
17 Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.
This was a great hero in the Jewish culture and they would recognize this story. They were reminded that he was just a human who’s prayers were answered. See two things were here the righteous man and earnest prayer. He made a petition to God for the rain to start and the rain to start. James says that when we look at the recorded history and truth that God has given us we see that the prayers of his people are a very intimate and important part of the life of the believer. This truth should remind us that we have a powerful God. A God that may not respond they way we want or expect but a good God that when his people pray to him they are spiritually healed.
1 How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! 2 How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit!
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Conclusion
Conclusion
James speaks of the power of prayer. The power of prayer in times of suffering.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.
14 They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
2 Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.
Next Steps
Next Steps
I am going to ask the worship team to come up an play for a little while. I would ask that you spend some time reflecting on today's message. Write down your final thoughts, sit in prayer of worship and repentance, fill out a connection card if you would like to speak with me more.
Pray
Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.