Pt. 7 - Spiritual Formation
Notes
Transcript
Patience & Prayer
For today we will look at the book of James, one of the most practical books in the New Testament.
It is one of patience and prayer.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
We have a promise from God that in our need for wisdom for life, He is giving generously and we ought to ask for it with confidence because we believe Him.
We see James begin to frame his letter as one of patience and prayer by illuminating that life’s trials are no barrier to our walk with God, but appointed for our way to move forward in spiritual maturity.
Therefore the danger is not in the trial, but in the giving up - not having the patience and steadfastness necessary to grow and mature - spiritual formation. So James, to ensure the success of maturity (of having patience and steadfastness - not giving up), calls us to pray.
Here at the end of the book, we will be reading, in verses 7-18, James makes the same references to patience, waiting, steadfastness 7 times. Then in it is matched by (today’s topic), 7 references to prayer in verses 13-18.
James 5:7–18 (NIV)
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 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. 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. 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. 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. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray (in verse 10, in reference to the prophets he uses this trouble as a noun, now its a verb, in other words, it will come your way too, you need to know how to deal with it and what to do).
The word has the basic sense of “experience difficulty”
It is any ill circumstance which may come upon us, any trial, anything of which we or someone might look at it and say, “yea, that’s bad”.
The prayer here is for spiritual strength to endure the trial with a godly spirit, not just for it to be removed.
Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
A reminder to turn to God is needed even more in times of cheer than in times of suffering, so sing songs of praise.
Giving praise to God, like our petitions for sustenance in times of trouble should be a regular part of our lifestyle.
In difficulties, we go to God, in happy times, we go to God - in all things, We go to God.
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. 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. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
Sick can refer to (as many scholars suggest) spiritual weakness, however, the usual view of physical sickness is overwhelmingly likely based on:
James’ vocabulary and theology from the Gospels - refers to physical sickness.
Anointing (physical action with symbolic significance - they being set apart for God’s special attention and care) with oil - Mark 6:13
The verb sozo often refers to physical healing in the Gospels
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
First, and obviously, this is conditioned… “A righteous person”.
Of all the people in the OT he could have used as an example - he uses Elijah who prayed and it didn’t rain, prayed and it rained again.
It symbolizes the dry weariness of the land being made fruitful again. Are you feeling dry? Weary? Pray - you will be strengthened and fruitful again.
And that fruitfulness, is not merely individualistic, in the sense that only you are good, but this changed the nation, this was to bring the nation back to God. So that fruitfulness is not for your sake alone but for the sake of others who will turn to God because he answered your prayers.
Elijah was a human being, even as we are.
Prayer, James wants to make clear, is a powerful weapon in the hands of the humblest believer, it does not require a super saint to wield it effectively. Every believer has the same access to the kind of effectiveness in prayer that Elijah had.
“It is powerful to a great degree… being effective”
The discipline of regular prayer will cause us to persevere in spiritual growth.
God is a praying God because He is a relational God, prayer does not require extravagant knowledge but rather a humble heart that is dependent on Him. It’s simply a dialogue.
A life of disciplined prayer says, I am dependent on God - the source of all life and good. There is nothing we have that has not been given. Not praying says I don’t need God.
Jesus had a disciplined prayer life, and if He had it, how much more us?
John 5:19 “Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”
Luke 5:16 “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” - Jesus prayed often
Leadership begins with prayer - Luke 6:12 “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”
Prayer alters who I am - Luke 9:28 “About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.”
You may be a good sinner, but Jesus is an even greater savior - hope in Him, He will change you.
Prayer can be taught. Our public prayers are a result of our private prayers (We get a glimpse into His private and often times of prayer). Luke 11:1 “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.””
Prayer and fasting in private will lead to power in public.
Luke 4:1 “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,”
Luke 4:14 “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.”
Disciplined prayer leads to a life of prayer.
Structured prayer makes your growth in Christ intentional. Disciplined set times of prayer provides God a posture to change me.
Note - If I only pray about my problems in life, I will have missed it.
When Jesus taught us to pray, He didn’t deny our problems but He did put them in their proper place and perspective.
It’s not the external problems that are the problem - it’s me. I need changing.
If the book of Acts and throughout church history teaches us anything it is that nothing outside of me can take away my joy, my peace, the character of the living God within me. Though I am chained (Paul says) the Word of God is not chained! Though there may be tears and sorrow, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” And as in Esther, “Sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration.”
Remember this with disciplined prayer - What begins as a discipline will end as a delight.
The key to a disciplined prayer life is: You don’t adjust your prayer life to the things in your life, you adjust the things in your life to your prayer life.
Prayer is the gasoline that drives the engine of the spiritual life.
You will never find a man that has been greatly used by God who did not have a deep prayer life.
Are you burnt out, tired of serving, tired of another week of church, another week of giving my time and energy… I can easily conclude, your prayer life is lacking.
Pastor Tom told me about the number one reason for burn out is discouragement.
Discouragement is a normal part of life, everyday, there are countless things that discourage us.
Discouragement is real but one thing that is more real - is that (see below) Isaiah 40:28 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”
Discouragement and burn out has no chance at all with a man or woman with a strong prayer life.
Luke 18:1 “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
Praying God’s Will Makes the Impossible - Possible.
If it’s God’s will, it will happen - I don’t need to pray - This is not a biblical idea.
Elijah prayed and it stopped rain - God’s will/plan.
Elijah prayed and rain came - God’s will/plan.
Daniel read in Jeremiah about the 70 years of exile, had grief for his people, and prayed.
And we note the intent of these prayers: not merely to demonstrate the power and truth of God but most of all to fulfill his purpose of converting Israel back to faithfulness
Prayer is never wishful thinking, for it springs from trust in a personal God who wants us to take him at his word.
1 John 5:14–15“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
The message is clear: prayer works, and when God’s people refuse to depend on self and live for the things of the world, turning to God in prayer - the God of wisdom, power, faithfulness - great things happen.
Psalm 130:5–6 “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.”