Do Not Walk This Faith-Walk Alone
Reconstructing Faith • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 7 viewsBig Idea of the Message: A God-focused community meets the needs of its people. Application Point: I am not alone in the journey; my community helps me persevere and grow.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Reconstructing faith is way of purging ourselves from bad habits and erroneous theology that we may have picked up along the way of living our lives.
It is a way in which we can come back to the fundamentals of Christianity. It is not only believing the truth of Scripture in what the Scriptures mean what they say but in also living-out those truths. It is pointless to know truth and live a lie. These are incompatible with each other and soon we will believe the lie we live.
Imperative, essential, indispensable for living in the truth of the gospel is that we do not walk alone,
8 Be of sober spirit, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
And we know that the habit of this animal of pray is to separate the weak and confused individual from the herd. There is a danger a very clear and present danger in attempting to live a Christian life in isolation. The Church is the organism that Christ created in order to protect His elected objects of His love. And Satan, understanding this arrangement attempts to create confusion in the body in order to isolate people that He may devour them.
Today we will examine the idea of being a Christian but thinking that you do not need church. We will do this by examining the last few verses of the book of James through the lens of the clear warning “Do Not Walk This Faith-Walk Alone.” (Pray)
Meat & Potatoes
Meat & Potatoes
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must 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 And the prayer offered in faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.
19 My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,
20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
The book of James is filled with practical applications for out faith. James was writing primarily to a Christian-Jewish community in words and illustrations that they would have understood within the context of their cultural distinctiveness. Nevertheless, there are realities that transcend cultural parameters and are true of all Christians everywhere and at all times.
And so he ends his writing by reminding believers to be a strong community that is God-focused. So he begins this last section by asking some questions that then he begins to answer. Are you Suffering? Then pray, but if you are cheerful, then sing songs of praise.
So many of us are suffering because of persecution, evil treatment, disappointing news, or just because tomorrow is Monday. Whatever the reason your antidote, your solution is prayer.
7 “While my soul was fainting within me, I remembered Yahweh, And my prayer came to You, To Your holy temple.
The psalmist asks himself the question,
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
If you are suffering pray, and if your spirit is high sing songs of praise.
1 Praise Yah! Sing to Yahweh a new song, His praise in the assembly of the holy ones.
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker; Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King.
3 Let them praise His name with dancing; With tambourine and lyre let them sing praises to Him.
But in this chapter, James is primarily concerned with suffering. He talks about being patient. He talks about persevering in the midst of adversity as his whole theme and so he asks a third question and proceeds to answer it.
14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must 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 And the prayer offered in faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
There is a great deal of misunderstanding concerning these verses and I want us to examine this closely because once upon a time, the way I learned to interpret these verses put my faith in God in jeopardy… When my late wife was diagnosed with cancer, I had every pastor, elder, self-proclaimed prophet/prophetess laying hands pouring oil and doctors alike. All based on this passage, I covered all of the basis, She still died… I had a bone to pick with God…
As my tantrum began to die out I began to reason that God is never wrong. But I am almost always wrong. What if I had ran with a fictitious promise? what if maybe I was holding God to standards that were foreign to Scripture.
There is no actual reason to consider the word “sick” as referring exclusively to physical illness.
Experience and logic dictate that this interpretation cannot be right as both believers and unbelievers alike can and do die of illnesses, prayer or not. It is simply part of the human condition.
14 Now Elisha became sick with the illness of which he was to die. So Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept over him and said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”
23 No longer drink water only, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.
James 5:14 the word "Sick" (ἀσθενέω)
This word sick, in the Greek astheneō, also means general weakness, fatigue or weariness including emotional exhaustion. Or even weakness of conscience or faith.
35 “In everything I showed you that by laboring in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification.
1 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on opinions.
The word asthenei (present active indicative, 3d person, singular) literally means to be weak. Though this word in the Gospels is used for physical maladies, in Acts and the Epistles it refers to weakness of faith or conscience.
We can be sure that this is the case here for a couple of reasons.
The context of the paragraph: in vs 15:
15 And the prayer offered in faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
This word which is translated as the same word “sick” in English is actually a different Greek word kamnō
James 5:15 the word “sick” κάμνω
It is translated here as “sick person” but it literally means “to be weary” It is used again in Hebrews
3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary, fainting in heart.
Grow weary here is kamnō again.
2. The context of the whole Epistle
Chapter 1:2-4 is about endurance in trials which sets the tone for the entire letter which is primarily about how believers respond to difficulties and suffering, not necessarily physical ailments.
Chapters 2-4 are warnings against worldliness. James is concerned with practical righteousness and spiritual integrity in the face of worldly challenges. This includes controlling the tongue, avoiding favoritism, and having an active faith. This is is focussing on spiritual health
Chapter 5:7-11 is about patience in suffering. he calls for patience and perseverance in suffering, using examples like the prophets and Job. Again, these are figures whose trials were not primarily physical sickness but intense spiritual and emotional struggles.
• Chapter 5:13-20 is about spiritual weariness. spiritual weakness and weariness that result from enduring suffering and trials and then the emphasis on prayer, confession of sins, and forgiveness in these verses strongly suggests a focus on spiritual healing and restoration. The mention of sin and forgiveness in connection with "raising up" points to restoration of the soul, not necessarily the body.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary 5:14–15
James was not referring to the bedfast, the diseased, or the ill. Instead he wrote to those who had grown weary, who had become weak both morally and spiritually in the midst of suffering. These are the ones who should call for the help of the elders of the church. The early church leaders were instructed (1 Thes. 5:14) to “encourage the timid” and “help the weak” (asthenōn).
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
The conclusion “therefore” a mutual concern for one another is the way to combat discouragement and downfall.
Mutual honesty, openness, and sharing of needs will enable believers to uphold each other in the spiritual struggle.
The cure is in personal confession and prayerful concern. The healing here is not bodily but healing of the soul.
15 For the heart of this people has become dull, And with their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Lest they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’
13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.
24 Who Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that having died to sin, we might live to righteousness; by His wounds you were healed.
And so the praying over these conditions.. so the fervent, heartfelt prayer brings the needed cure from God.
again if the preceeding verses were about physical healing then the verses before and after seem disjointed.
Next James gives an example of the power of prayer.
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.
The whole idea here is how powerful prayer is and it is not to be neglected
The energetic, passionate prayers of godly people have the power to accomplish much.
You cannot do all of this without being part of the local church. Being grounded, bound together with other believers that will watch over you as to watch over them.
19 My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,
20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
James last words to his readers has a touch of tenderness and a clear note of encouragement to those who have helped others who have grown weary and have fallen from the way.
He is also appealing to all to consider what is at stake here. If we are in tuned with one another we can save one another from atrocious decisions that come as a result of weariness.
Those who have lost their way or are in error are the “sick ones” of the church family.
Wandering ones need to be brought back to the fold. This is not about evangelism but about restoration. This is not as much about redemption as it is about revival.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Sometimes when we are in the midst of great turmoil we forget the goodness of God, we forget all that we are and all we can do in Christ Jesus.
As you are reconstructing your faith you must remember that you need the church in as much as the church needs you.
A strong community will be built if we can create space in our lives and our churches to truly understand and connect with one another. It is this sort of authentic community—whether churchwide, with our small group that can sustain us through our wanderings, doubts, and hurts.
I saw an illustration of this in the movie The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King. In the story Frodo must destroy this great evil that is concentrated in a ring. He has traveled a great distance the with world against him including friends, and right when victory is within his grasp. The volcano that can destroy the evil is only a couple of miles if that he collapses in fatigue and discouragement.
But then Sam, his companion, who cannot carry Froto’s burden for him does the only thing he can do.
https://youtu.be/BKIgv8AhffA?si=JHqzh6OUYFLvhOjz (video 0:26-end).
A community can help us remember that even when things are murky in our faith, God has been faithful. One of the greatest gifts of long-term Christian friendships is that we have another person to bear witness to the good things God has done in our lives. When we feel hopeless, they can remind us of how faithful God has been to help us persevere through the ups and downs of life. They help play the highlight reel for us when all we can see is the struggle.
You cannot walk this alone. That is a horrible mistake.
