(James 021) The Power of Persistent Prayer
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
1. Prayer is the natural response to life. (vs. 13-16a)
1. Prayer is the natural response to life. (vs. 13-16a)
We often say: “all we can do now is pray.”
We often only pray when we are desperate…
James 5:13–16 (ESV)
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
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.
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.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed…
The word prayer or a form of the word is used 7 times in this passage.
The word appears in every verse.
1. Prayer is the natural response to life. (vs. 13-16a)
1. Prayer is the natural response to life. (vs. 13-16a)
(1) A. James teaches us when to pray.
(1) A. James teaches us when to pray.
These are imperatives in the greek.
A command not a suggestion.
It is also in the present tense.
The idea is to keep on praying.
Some religions are instructed to pray 3 times a day.
Others pray once a day.
The Bible calls Christians to pray without ceasing in 1 Thessalonians
We serve a God who is near and cares.
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(1) A. James teaches us when to pray.
(1) A. James teaches us when to pray.
Instead of being filled with anxiety about anything
Pray about everything!
I. We pray when we are suffering.
I. We pray when we are suffering.
Particularly from persecution but any kind of adversity.
You could say: pray when we are in trouble.
We should understand by know that trouble is a normal thing for our lives.
Notice James says pray when you are suffering.
Not pray when suffering becomes too much to handle.
Immediately during suffering pray.
What should we pray for?
Prayer could remove the adversity in our lives.
However, I am becoming more and more convinced that we should not be quick to pray for that.
At least not without understanding that the trouble is there for a reason.
What is often the reason we pray for it to be removed?
For selfish reasons…
Because we want to be comfortable.
We also pray for others because we want to be comfortable.
We need to be careful how we pray.
We should pray according to God’s will because only then will He answer.
So in each of these we will look at how we should pray.
How to pray biblically when suffering:
- Pray for wisdom. (James 1:5)
- Pray for wisdom. (James 1:5)
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
- Pray for wisdom. (James 1:5)
- Pray for wisdom. (James 1:5)
Ask God to give you the wisdom you need to see your adversity the way God sees it.
Ask God to give you the wisdom to understand how to properly react and have the right attitude.
Ask God give you the wisdom to navigate the trial faithfully and correctly.
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 37)
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 37)
Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 37)
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 37)
- Pray Paul’s prayers. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
- Pray Paul’s prayers. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
- Pray Paul’s prayers. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
- Pray Paul’s prayers. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
II. We pray when we are cheerful.
II. We pray when we are cheerful.
Sing praises to God.
The command is direct worship and communication with God.
Paul told us in Philippians to pray with thanksgiving.
It is easy to forget we need God when things are going well.
Moses warned Israel about this.
“And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build,
and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full,
then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
II. We pray when we are cheerful.
II. We pray when we are cheerful.
It is too easy to neglect prayer, Bible reading, and the gathering of the saints when things are going well.
We can’t forget the blessings God has given us and we have a responsibility to thank Him continually.
David knew he was prone to struggling with this as well.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
II. We pray when we are cheerful.
II. We pray when we are cheerful.
I hope when we are singing you are praying!
How to pray biblically when cheerful:
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 100)
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 100)
A Psalm for giving thanks.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 100)
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 100)
- Sing songs.
- Sing songs.
Sing good biblical songs.
III. We pray when we are weak.
III. We pray when we are weak.
When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.
How to pray biblically when weak:
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 121)
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 121)
A Song of Ascents.
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.
III. We pray when we are weak.
III. We pray when we are weak.
- Pray Paul’s Prayers. (Colossians 1:9-12)
- Pray Paul’s Prayers. (Colossians 1:9-12)
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
- Pray Paul’s Prayers. (Colossians 1:9-12)
- Pray Paul’s Prayers. (Colossians 1:9-12)
- Ask others to pray for you. (Ephesians 6:18)
- Ask others to pray for you. (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,
- Ask others to pray for you. (Ephesians 6:18)
- Ask others to pray for you. (Ephesians 6:18)
You need to let your church know you are struggling.
There are times we become so overwhelmed we struggle to pray.
IV. We pray when we are sinning.
IV. We pray when we are sinning.
Confess your sins to one another and pray about it.
We should pray anytime we sin, but the here is constantly sinning.
Living in a pattern of sin in our lives.
Remember we have learned that when we don’t handle adversity correctly then it causes us to sin.
Paul talked about people sinning and being unworthy of the Lord’s supper.
That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.
IV. We pray when we are sinning.
IV. We pray when we are sinning.
Because of a pattern of unconfessed sin.
James says when you are sinning continually, confess it to each other and confess it to God.
Why each other?
Accountability.
Sin has power in darkness.
How to pray biblically when sinning:
- Pray God’s promises. (1 John 1:9)
- Pray God’s promises. (1 John 1:9)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- Pray God’s promises. (1 John 1:9)
- Pray God’s promises. (1 John 1:9)
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 51)
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 51)
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 51)
- Pray the Psalms. (Psalm 51)
Jonah prayed the Psalms from the belly of the fish when he could do nothing else.
(1) B. James teaches us how to pray.
(1) B. James teaches us how to pray.
James 5:13–16 (ESV)
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
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.
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.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed…
I. Pray for yourself.
I. Pray for yourself.
Our prayers should be personal.
If anyone is suffering or cheerful.
Pray about the things that are happening in your life.
Don’t be generic.
Speak your heart. God already knows it.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
I. Pray for yourself.
I. Pray for yourself.
God knows us already.
James is clearly speaking of personal prayer.
We see examples of praying for self all through scripture.
Jesus even prayed for himself.
II. Pray with others.
II. Pray with others.
Call the elders so they can pray.
We will talk more about this later.
The idea is we need to be praying corporately.
We need to pray with other Christians.
Open up. Let them into our lives.
Make time to pray with them.
Praying with others builds them up.
We have become so independent in our lives.
Simply showing up and praying with other people builds them up.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
II. Pray with others.
II. Pray with others.
Can I encourage you to think about this…
Attending prayer with others is different than praying with others.
III. Pray for others.
III. Pray for others.
We should be others focused.
James says: pray for one another.
Not everyone will go through trials at the same time.
If they are, the weight of the trials can different.
So get help from others.
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
II. Pray with others.
II. Pray with others.
How do we know what to pray for?
D6 Time!
What is one thing you are having a hard time with that you will pray about this week?
What song can you sing to praise God this week?
Who is one unsaved friend you can pray for this week?
We are to pray when we are struggling. When something is hard in our life.
What is one thing you are having a hard time with that you will pray about this week?
We are to pray and praise God when we are cheerful!
What song can you sing to praise God this week?
We need to pray when we sin and for those who are sinning.
Who is one unsaved friend you can pray for this week?
Questions for the week:
In what circumstances do I find myself praying the most? Why?
How often do I pray with my church family?
How often to do I pray for my church family?