Prayer & One Another

James 5:13-20

Prayer & One Another

Sunday, October 23, 2022

Pastoral Prayer

Church: Odin First Baptist (Roger Lipe)

Nations: Church leaders across Central Asia will gather this week (on October 24-28) to focus on the centrality of the gospel in the missionary task, the centrality of the church in missions work, and the importance of churches cooperating to send and sustain missionaries. Pray for these pastors and the IMB workers facilitating the encounter, and pray for Spirit-filled collaboration for Central Asian churches to send and support missionaries.

Local: Pregnancy Care Clinic (work they do, more volunteers)

Rec. Word:

Introduction

The right tools and knowing how to use them….

As we prepare to look at our last section of the book of James this morning, I want to help give us a running start to dive back in. James has written a letter to a group of dispersed Christians who are most likely young in the faith. And as he writes, he labors to help them understand the purpose of trials, the danger of partiality, the tongue, and worldliness, and above all calling to be not just be hearers of the word, but doers of the word. James wants to equip disciples of Jesus for what it looks like to pursue a pure faith in King Jesus. And in striving for that pure faith, James points us in this final section to two powerful tools to help us along the way. So, follow along with me as I read God’s word from James 5:13-20…

Main Idea: Christian, the Lord has given us two powerful tools to help us as we labor towards a pure and complete faith, that of prayer and one another.

The power of prayer

The power of Christian watchfulness

The power of prayer

Prayer is powerful, as noted in verse 16 of out text. It says there in the 2nd half of the verse, “The prayer of the righteous person has great power as it is working.”

When it says the prayer of a righteous person, the righteous here is referring to the one united to Jesus by faith. For on our own, we have no righteousness. Yet in our union with Jesus by our faith, his righteousness has become ours. And it allows our prayers to be heard by the Father as Jesus himself intercedes on our behalf.

Even more so, not only is prayer heard, it is powerful as it works. In verses 17-18, James points us to the example of Elijah and his prayer from 1 Kings 17 and 18, which Mark read for us earlier in the service. In this passage, Elijah had prayed for the heavens to withhold rains, and it did for 3.5 years. And then, he prayed that the rain would be given, and it was.

James’ point in this example isn’t that we should pray for the heavens to withhold rains and not withhold them, but that by being given persistently to prayer in a right, humble manner, there is great power at work in prayer when it draws our hearts to align with the will of the Lord.

And lest we as hearers of this be tempted to think that Elijah was greater than us, notice again what James writes of him, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.” There is a temptation here that comes when we consider those in the Bible being separated from us. Hear what John Calvin writes about this and the folly of it. He says,

“For we profit less by the examples of saints, because we imagine them to have been half gods or heroes, who had peculiar intercourse with God; so that because they were heard, we receive no confidence. In order to shake off this heathen and profane superstition, James reminds us that the saints ought to be considered as having the infirmity of the flesh; so that we may learn to ascribe what they obtained from the Lord, not to their merits, but to the efficacy of prayer."

Prayer is a powerful tool if we will be given to it, entrusting that if we will be given to prayer, the Lord will indeed move. For in prayer, we are communicating with the Sovereign Lord as we seek him for strength, guidance, and aide. Prayer, as John Piper writes in his book, Let the Nations be Glad, compares prayer to a war-time walkie talkie.

Christian, as we pray, we are able to ask the Lord for artillery support to be sent to our aide as we labor for a pure mind, control of the tongue, not being partial, fighting against worldliness. It is through prayer that we can seek wisdom in how to navigate through life in the midst of our various trials and to understand what is happening.

For it is through the power of prayer that we press back against the kingdom of darkness both externally and internally. For remember that we have a real enemy out there. In Ephesians 6:12, the Apostle Paul describes are enemy like this: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

And while Paul tells us to fight this enemy, we need to put on the whole armor of God, notice how he closes it in Ephesians 6:18: “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”

Paul, like James, emphasizes the great power and need for persistent prayer in the Christian life. And James helps us to understand just how to use prayer in its power both in our individual Christian lives and within the body of Christ, the Church.

Prayer of our individual Christian lives

First, in our individual Christian lives James calls us to prayer. Notice the language used in verse 13, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

By the use of anyone, James here is drawing attention to our individual Christian lives. The expectation here is being set, that Christians are to be regularly praying in the daily rhythms of life. Prayer is to be part of ones spiritual disciplines. Disciplines here is referring to the regular disciplines or habits of life. Surely each of us have the discipline or habit of brushing our teeth daily, some of us of the daily discipline of drinking coffee, some of making the bed, and so forth.

Therefore, prayer as a spiritual discipline is one of those habits that we, as individual Christians should be regularly given to in private. It should not be neglected. We should regularly, I would urge, daily be committed to finding moments to pray in isolation from others to commune alone with God.

And while there is many means for us to pray, I want us to look here at verse 13 in how James is calling us to use the power of prayer. He again here writes, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”

Two different ends of the spectrum are brought to attention and called to draw near to God. In suffering, there is a call to pray. To pray making supplications to the Lord. That is to make requests to the Lord in earnestness and humility. Asking for his relief from the suffering, asking for aide in the suffering, asking for strength in the suffering.

Christian, if in the midst of your suffering you only ask for it to be over, you are missing out on the power of prayer. For while we certainly do not want to remain in suffering, and certainly are free to pray for the end of it; we should be praying for the Lord to reveal himself more fully to us in the midst of it so that our love and dependence on him can increase. Especially remembering how that suffering and trials works for us to be made complete.

But also, Christian, if you are suffering, do not be tempted to think that the Lord has forgotten you or abandoned you. The very fact that we are being called to pray in suffering should strengthen our hearts that God is a God who invites us to draw near to him. Likewise, in our suffering, we can remember that Christ too came and suffered for the purpose of delivering us from sin and death. And the Father did not abandon him, and because you, Christian, are in Christ, God will not abandon you in the midst of your suffering. Therefore, turn and draw near to him in prayer, seeking his arsenal support in the midst of the suffering.

Then, on the other end of the spectrum, James calls us to sing praise if anyone is cheerful. But in reality, this too is a call to pray. A prayer of praise through song.

When things are going well, it is tempting to get lazy and forget God as the one who gives every good and perfect gift. Therefore, when things are well, when things are going smoothly, and we are filled with cheerfulness, let us give thanks to God by giving him praise.

The discipline of singing praise to God in cheerfulness keeps us from becoming conceited. It keeps us humbly dependent upon the Lord. For example, how do we keep from boasting about tomorrow in arrogance? By regularly singing praise to God in cheerfulness. It reminds us of our ongoing dependence of God.

Whether suffering or cheerful, Christian, we are to turn to God in prayer, casting our dependence on the Sovereign Lord as part of our individual spiritual disciplines. And if we need help in our prayers, let us turn to the Scriptures, to the Bible and see how its authors pray. Unsure what to pray? Read and pray the Psalms back to God. Read the prayers of Paul in his epistles and pray those for yourself. But make it the habit to pray in every circumstance as you seek a pure faith.

Prayer of the elders

Prayer is also to be present in the church though. And it starts with the elders of the church. This is where James turns our attention to in verses 14-15 regarding prayer. For while the scenario turns to, “is anyone among you sick.” It is the elders of the church who are being called upon and to pray over the sick.

We need to first give our attention to the sick in this scenario, and then back to the elders. When it says, “is anyone among you sick?”, is it referring to any and all sickness? Or is it referring to a specific sickness?

Let’s let the text help us define who the sick is. First, note that the sick are to call for the elders of the church for the purpose of praying over them, this seeming like a house call. Second, it says they pray over him. Now, while it is possible for the person to be seated in this scenario, in particular, it seems in most cases that these are those likely to be bed ridden and laying down. Especially with the language of raise him up in verse 15. Thirdly, the elders do all the praying here, and then fourthly, it is the prayer of the elders being referred to, not the sick person.

So from what James lays out, it certainly seems the sick here are those who are seriously ill and home or even bed ridden. And these are to call on the elders to come and pray over them. But then not only do these elders pray over the sick, they anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And here there has been much confusion throughout church history about the oil.

Some consider this as something that only took place in the Apostolic age of the church, that is the time while the apostles were alive. But here is why this view shouldn’t be considered, the very audience James is writing too. He doesn’t say call upon the apostles, but the elders of the church to come and pray and anoint him with oil. It’s not just the Apostles being called upon to anoint with oil.

Others wonder if the oil here was a type of medication used in James’ day. We do read in Mark 6:13, “And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.” Even in this example from Mark of the twelve anointing and healing, it doesn’t seem as if the anointing with oil is the source of the healing. Nor was this the thought of the early church. Therefore, it seems that the annoying with oil is the setting apart and the power of prayer that works in the healing and saving. For this is the way that James certainly emphasizes this in saying it is the prayer of faith that will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.

Now, does this mean that when elders come and pray with great faith and anoint that every person they do this for will be healed? No, it doesn’t. Prayers are powerful, but even in our prayers, both individual and corporate, our prayers are subjected to the LORD and his will. Therefore, with the prayers of faith and the anointing to set-apart, we should pray with great boldness that the Lord is capable of healing, and at the same time, never demanding or requiring it of his hand.

For the prayer of faith, by the elders is to be a prayer of trusting on the Lord for dependence both to act and for his Sovereign will to be carried out. And while we have talked a lot about these elders, we need to define who are these elders.

The elders here that James refers to in James 5:14 are not the older members in the congregation, as to referring to an age group. When James, as well as the other authors of the New Testament use the word elder, they are referring to the office of elder within the church. The appointed office that throughout scripture is interchangeable with that of bishop, overseer, shepherd, and where we get the modern day term of pastor from.

Elders are to be those affirmed by local churches who meet the qualifications of an elder laid out in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. And here, like Acts 20, there is the presumption that there are more than 1 within the local church. For it says elders, not elder. And it is to this group of elders within the local church who are being called to come and pray over the sick.

It is this group of elders who are to be given to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6) within the church. And it is in their prayers, as seen here in praying for the sick, that they are praying for the spiritual well being of their flock, as well as praying over their congregation in sickness entrusting them to the Lord as a means of ministering the word to them.

Elders are to labor to faithfully minister God’s word to God’s people in the public and private ministry of that word. But they are to be given to prayer for their people. As the elder here at Central City Baptist Church, God help me to ensure that I am given to prayer for each of you who are members of this church on a regular basis. For in doing so, those prayers are capable of working in powerful and remarkable ways.

Prayer of the church

But there is another area that prayer works within the church, and that is prayer among one another. And that is where James turns our attention to in verse 16. It says, “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.” We have already unfolded the second half of that verse, but we now need to turn to the first half as it builds off the second half of verse 15, “And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

And because forgiveness can come if we have committed sins, we need to be quick to confess those sins. For there are some who think that the reason it says in the elders praying over the sick, that their sickness has something to do with their sins, and while that is certainly possible, we must be extremely careful in this line of thought, lest we become like Job’s friends in wrongly accusing people that their suffering and sickness is a result of their sin. It is not for us to comment on, even as elders that sickness and sin are tied. This is only to be considered by the one who is sick as they examine their own lives.

But, back now to verse 16 and our need to confess your sins to one another. As evangelical Christians, we are not like the Catholic Church where a believer must confess their sins to a priest to have them forgiven. But, we do see that it is crucial to confess our sins to one another in helping hold us accountable and to restore broken relationships with one another.

For in confessing sins to one another, we are able to then rightly pray for one another as we share in one another’s burdens, sorrows, and struggles. Brothers and sisters, we cannot rightly support one another and pray for one another if we keep our struggles to ourselves. Nor can we expect others to help hold us accountable if we do not confess our sins and struggles with one another.

When we confess our sins to one another, there is spiritual healing as we bring the darkness of our sins to light. Likewise, when we have sinned against one another and confess that sin to the one we have sinned against, healing comes to the relationship.

Brothers and sisters, what sins are you hiding and failing to share with others that is keeping you from healing? What are you covering up that keeps others from praying for you as you labor in your sanctification?

Prayer is a powerful tool as we pray for one another. This is one reason that our time of corporate prayer is more important than probably all realize. For as we come together to pray corporately, as the whole body of Christ, it is not just to pray our personal prayer lists, it is to pray for the needs of our fellow members, the ministry of the church through proclaiming the works of God, and for building up of our body as we grow in Christ. It is through this kind of intentional praying for one another that the body of Christ is strengthened to stand firm against the enemy.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, commit to attending our time of Corporate Prayer. Likewise, commit to praying for the other members of this church. Pray regularly for them. Pray not just for one another in sickness, but pray spiritually for one another. And if you aren’t sure how to best pray for a member, let that encourage you to follow up with that member soon.

Concluding Point 1

Christian we are to be given to prayer as individual Christians, in our corporate gathering with one another, as well as the elders for the church body. Let prayer define us in the ways we have considered in this first point. But also, let us not neglect the power of Christian watchfulness, where we now turn quickly too.

The power of Christian watchfulness

As James closes his letter in verses 19-20, he gives a final address, with a final, my brothers. And he does so for the purpose of letting us know the crucial role we play in one another’s lives as we pursue a pure faith that walks in obedience to God’s word. As Christians, we have a responsibility for one another. We are to be our brother’s keeper in looking out for one another. Notice the words here in verses 19-20…

The one who brings back a sinner wandering, saves the soul of the one wandering. Christian, we desperately need such friends willing to come after us, to call us out in our sin, to be lovingly honest with us for the sake of our souls. I love how J.C. Ryle put it, he said, “Good friends are among our greatest blessings – they may keep us back from much evil, quicken us in our course, speak a word in season, draw us upward, and draw us on.”

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we can aide one another along the way as we labor to help one another keep the faith until the end. The Christian life is not intended to be lived alone. In fact, the words James gives us here in the close of his letter are part of why belonging to a church as a member is so important. For as we join the church, we are promising that as members of one body, that we will commit to looking out for one another, laboring to help each other keep the faith, and going to seek one another if any of us should stray.

If you have never joined the church, this is why joining matters. Sure, we are thrilled to have you here with us, but there isn’t this mutual commitment to one another if you remain on the outside looking in. But in joining the church, you are saying I commit to this particular body to labor for my brothers and sisters in Christ, and at the same time, I expect them to do the same for me.

But there is one final group that needs addressed here, and that is those who have wandered since the day of their birth, who have never come to the Savior…GOSPEL!!!

Let’s pray…