9-29-24 Sermon "Ministry of Healing" - 20 Minutes

James 5:13-20

This morning I'll be reading James chapter 5 verses 13 through 20. And I'll be reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. James 5:13-20 As we continue our study of James this morning,,, we will look at the last verses given to us by him,,, and see,,, how they can help us! James 5:13–20 (HCSB) — 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 should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will restore him to health; 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 urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; yet 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. 19 My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his life from death and cover a multitude of sins. The word of God for the people of God,,, thanks be to God! God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this morning. Let us pray: Dear Lord,,, as we begin this morning,,, with everyone here today and all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen. ___________________________________ Last Sunday we looked at James 3:13-4:3, 7-8,,, and learned that James gave us several steps so that we can be the "Wise Christians" that God wants us to be.

He wants us to see that Jesus is needed to fulfill these steps that he's given us.

Reminding us that we must heed these warnings and remember his advice as we continue our daily walks with God!

Such as,,, remembering to humble ourselves.

Living by heavenly standards,,, not worldly standards.

Being kind,,, thinking of others,,, even those that intend to harm us,,, treating everyone the same without showing favoritism,,, whether they are rich or poor,,, not being a hypocrite,,,

All of these,,, are things that we should be mindful of going forward,,, especially as Christians,,, as we remember these words from James.

That way,,, others can truly see,,, that we are following Jesus' example,,, as the "wise Christians",,, that He wants us,,, to be!

This morning we will look at these last verses in James,,, and see how they will help us,,, in our walk with God this week.

___________________________________ Verse 13 said: 13 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.

We need to speak to God under all circumstances.

James says,,, if we are suffering,,, pray!

If we are cheerful,,, sing praises to God!

This is a fitting ending to James’ letter,,, his emphasis on prayer.

The greatest assistance any believer can offer another,,, is faithful prayer.

Prayer,,, shows that you care.

Prayer,,, is the “hotline” to the One who can fix any need,,, no matter how complex or impossible to fix we might think it is.

To share in prayer,,, a believer must recognize that someone has a need,,, plead humbly for those needs,,, and recognize the significance of those needs.

My commentary says,,, perhaps the two greatest weaknesses in the average church today,,, are the areas of prayer and praise.

And the reason for these weaknesses may be traced to insensitivity,,, we just don't care for others the way that we should,,, and that's hard to hear,,, especially,,, as Christians that attend church on Sunday!

___________________________________ Verses 14-15 said: 14 Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will restore him to health; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Before looking at these verses,,, lets review what the Bible teaches about sickness and healing.

DIVINE HEALING

1. As Christians,,, we all agree,,, that all sickness,,, is the result of sin in the world.

If sin had never entered,,, there would be no sickness.

2. Sometimes,,, sickness is a direct result of sin in a person’s life.

In 1 Corinthians 11:30,,, we read of certain Corinthians who were sick because they participated in the Lord’s Supper without judging sin in their lives,,, in other words,,, without confessing and forsaking it.

3. But not all sickness,,, is a direct result of sin in a person’s life.

Job was sick in spite of the fact that he was a most righteous man (Job 1:8).

The man born blind,,, healed by Jesus,,, was not suffering for sins he had committed (John 9:2-3).

Epaphroditus was sick because of his tireless activity in the work of the Lord (Philippians 2:25-30).

Gaius was spiritually healthy,,, but apparently physically unwell (3 John 1:1-2).

4. Sometimes sickness is caused by satan.

It was Satan who caused Job’s body to be covered with boils (Job 2:7).

It was Satan who crippled the woman in Luke 13:10–17 so that she was bent double,,, unable to straighten herself up:

“This woman,,, Jesus said,,, whom Satan has bound—for eighteen long years” (13:16).

Paul had a physical infirmity caused by Satan.

He called it “a thorn in the flesh … a messenger of Satan to buffet me” (2 Corinthians 12:7).

5. God can and does heal.

In a very real sense,,, all healing is divine.

One of the names of God in the Old Testament is Jehovah-Ropheka—“the LORD who heals you” (Exodus 15:26).

So we should acknowledge God in every case of healing.

It is clear from the Bible also,,, that God uses different means in healing.

Sometimes He heals through natural bodily processes.

He has placed within the human body tremendous powers of recuperation.

Doctors know that a lot of complaints,,, are better by morning.

Sometimes He heals through medicines.

Paul advised Timothy,,, for instance,,, to “use a little wine for your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23).

Sometimes He heals through “deliverance from underlying fears, resentments, self-preoccupation, and guilts, all of which can produce illness.”

Sometimes He heals through physicians and surgeons.

Jesus explicitly taught that sick people need a physician (Matt. 9:12).

Paul spoke of Luke as “the beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14),,, which certainly recognizes the need of doctors among Christians.

God uses doctors in the ministry of healing.

6. But God also heals miraculously.

The Gospels contain many illustrations of this.

It would be incorrect to say that God generally heals in this way,,, but neither should we say that He never does.

There is nothing in the Bible to discourage us from believing that God can heal miraculously today,,, and we know that He does heal today.

7. Yet we must also be clear,,, that it is not always God’s will to heal.

We know from scripture that Paul left Trophimus sick at Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20).

That God did not heal Paul of his thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7–10).

If it was always God’s will to heal,,, some would never grow old or die!

8. God has not promised to heal in every case; therefore,,, healing is not something we can demand from Him.

In Philippians 2:27,,, healing is spoken of as a mercy,,, not something which we have a right to expect.

9. While it is true in a general sense that healing is in the “Atonement,” yet not all the blessings that are in the Atonement have been given to us yet.

For instance, the redemption of the body was included in Christ’s work for us,,, but we will not receive it until Christ comes for His saints (Romans 8:23).

At that time,,, we will also be completely and finally healed of all diseases.

10. Also,,, we must remember,,, that it is not true that failure to be healed indicates a lack of faith.

If it were,,, this would mean that some would live on indefinitely; but no one does.

Paul,,, Trophimus,,, and Gaius,,, used as earlier examples,,, were not healed,,, and yet their faith was strong and active.

Returning to James 5, we see how it fits in with what the rest of the Bible teaches about healing:

James tells us that if we are sick we should call the elders of the church and through their prayers that are prayed over them after anointing them with oil,,, the prayer of faith will save the one that is sick,,, and he said that if he has committed sins,,, he will be forgiven!

We have seen this in action,,, and we know this to be true!

Jesus sent the disciples out two by two,,, in Mark 26:7-13,,, and it says in verse 13,,, that they anointed many with oil that were sick, and healed them.

So we have examples that we can rely on to show that "anointing" works!

It reminds us that this is a physical reminder that the Holy Spirit is alive and functioning through the prayers of the faithful elders!

God heals,,, through the Holy Spirit!

At the same time,,, we must also acknowledge the words,,, if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

These words are significant,,, because this type of healing is so important when it comes to our future,,, actually,,, this to me,,, is the most important "healing" that can take place!

Because of God's forgiveness of sins,,, we will experience the joy of eternity in heaven,,, and,,, our physical bodies will never bother us again!

___________________________________ Verse 16 said: 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

James reminds us,,, to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other.

A mutual concern for one another is the way to combat discouragement and downfall.

The cure is in personal confession and prayerful concern.

Then,,, it is the powerful and effective … prayer of a righteous person,,, that brings the needed cure from God.

They don't have anything to do with the "healing",,, they just bring it before God,,, so that He can heal!

___________________________________ Verses 17-18 said: 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; yet 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.

James gave an example well known to his Jewish audience.

James identified Elijah as a fellow sufferer.

A man with a nature like ours;,,, could be translated “a man of like feeling” or “of similar suffering”.

Elijah knew all the frailties of human nature but “in prayer he prayed”,,, that is,,, he prayed earnestly,,, and rain was withheld and later restored.

You can find that information in 1 Kings 17:1-18:46.

Earnest and persistent prayer,,, of course,,, is essential,,, whereas halfhearted prayer is self-defeating,,, as seen from James 1:6–8.

James 1:6–8 says: “But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways.”

We should pray with belief and conviction,,, trusting God to answer!

___________________________________ Verses 19-20 said: 19 My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his life from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Verse 19 describes a Christian brother who has wandered away from the truth,,, either in doctrine,,, or in practice.

Another brother makes this a matter of fervent,,, believing prayer,,, and thus lovingly turns him back to fellowship with God,,, and with his brothers and sisters in Christ.

How huge is the importance of this ministry!

First of all,,, he will save his wayward brother from dying prematurely under the chastening hand of God.

Secondly,,, he will cover a multitude of sins.

They are forgiven and forgotten by God.

Also they are forgiven by fellow believers,,, and as a result,,, they are kept from being viewed,,, or seen by unbelievers,,, hurting their chances of coming to Christ,,, if this falling away,,, had been seen!

We need this type of ministry today.

In our excitement to lead the lost to Christ,,, maybe we don't give enough attention to our brothers and sisters of Christ,,, who have wandered away from the church today.

___________________________________ So we can see that James had some very important words to say to them,,, and us today,,, in this part of the letter.

We must remember to bring everything to God,,, whether that is a prayer of suffering,,, or a prayer of praise!

Bring it all to God!

If we are sick,,, bring it to our attention so that you can be brought before God,,, prayed for by the elders of the church,,, anointed with oil,,, and healed by God.

And,,, if you have sinned and in need of confession,,, know that God will forgive you,,, and that will be the most important healing that you can receive since that affects your eternity!

Then,,, watch out for those that have gone astray so that they can be shown the way back,,, and remain,,, in the family of God!

And as usual,,, it's through the help and strength of the Holy Spirit,,, that makes all of this possible,,, and allows us to participate,,, successfully,,, in this "Ministry of Healing"!

___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Hymn: 337 - Oakdale Hymn: 337 - Seminary Benediction -----------------------------------------------------------