Restoration Through Prayer: Bringing Back the Lost

Bible Passage: James 5:13–20

Big Idea: Effective prayer is a lifeline that not only restores individual hearts but also unites the church in the mission of bringing back the lost, reflecting God’s love and commitment to redemption.

Charles Spurgeon wrote “The great cause of a Christian’s distress, the reason of the depths of sorrow into which many believers are plunged, is simply this — that while they are looking about, on the right hand and on the left, to see how they may escape their troubles, they forget to look to the hills whence all real help cometh; they do not say, “Where is God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night?”

Where do you turn in times of trouble when you need help? Where does your help come from?

Psalm 121 “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.”

1. Power of Collective Prayer | Healing Through Confession | Fervency and Faith | Redeeming the Wanderer

James 5:13–14 “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.”

Suffering - means to suffer distress, withstand trouble or endure a hardship. to suffer greatly might be compared to labor pains.

the word refers to enduring evil treatment by people—not physical illness. John MacAuthur

Paul suffered the thorn in his flesh and he prayed.

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Jesus suffered and prayed

Hebrews 5:7–10 “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.”

And Peter tells the suffering church,

1 Peter 4:12–13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

James addresses not those suffering from physical diseases, but those being persecuted, abused, and treated wickedly. James say when we suffer, we are to pray!

We are to pray to 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 “ the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, “

Looking back in our passage James asks another question, “Is anyone cheerful?”

Cheerful - means those well in spirit or having a joyful attitude, not those who are physically well. In context James is talking to those who are suffering and taking heart. Those who find courage, hope, or encouragement, often in a difficult or discouraging situation.

Paul in the midst of a storm at sea tells the crew, Acts 27:22 “Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.” taking heart gives us a good picture as to what James means when he talks about the cheerful and to those who are cheerful who find courage an hope, James says to sing praises.

As our passage continues, James asks yet a third question, “Is anyone sick?”

Here is the most misunderstood and disputed portion of this passage. At first glance it appears to be teaching that sick believers can expect physical healing through the prayers of the elders. But such an interpretation is out of harmony with the context. And as noted in the previous point, the suffering James has in view is evil treatment, not physical illness.

Translating astheneō “weak” here in keeping with its predominant usage in the epistles allows us to view this verse in a different light. James moves beyond the suffering believers of the previous point to address specifically those who have become weak by that suffering. The weak are those who have been defeated in the spiritual battle, who have lost the ability to endure their suffering. They are the fallen spiritual warriors, the exhausted, weary, depressed, defeated Christians. They have tried to draw on God’s power through prayer, but have lost motivation, even falling into sinful attitudes. Having hit bottom, they are not able to pray effectively on their own. In that condition, the spiritually weak need the help of the spiritually strong (cf. 1 Thess. 5:14). - John MacArthur

Those who are spiritually weak need the spiritually strong.

Galatians 6:1 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Paul gives us a picture of how to accomplish this task. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”

The idol are those out of line paul says to admonish or correct them, the fainthearted are those who are depressed and defeated and they need encouragement, the weak are those who lack any spiritual strength. They have lost motivation and need help!

James say to call the elders to pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

This idea of anointing him with oil is a metaphor, in conveys the elders’ responsibility to stimulate, encourage, strengthen, and refresh these people who are struggling and suffering.

Summary: If you’re suffering? Pray! If you’re cheerful? Sing Praise. If you’re weak, call for the elders. Suffering is a normal part of being a christian. 1 Peter 3:17 “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” Jesus gave us the church to encourage us including the elders and its members as we suffer by bearing with one another burdens and holding one another before the Lord in prayer as we struggle through the suffering often found in this life.

2. Healing Through Confession

James 5:15–16 “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.”

Continuing with the idea of prayer and faith says that the prayer faith will save the sick. Again with the context of this passage weak contains a idea better in the context of this epistle.

If we look back to James 1:1 we see James writing To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:” James wrote his epistle to Jewish believers who had be forced to flee because of the persecution we find in Jerusalem.

Acts 8:1–4 “And Saul approved of his(Stevens) execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. ”

Acts 12:1–3 “About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.”

They were scattered weak and wounded and calling the elders, their prayers were to encourage help and strengthen those who were weak where the Lord would encourage and raise him up.

Take a look at vs 15 where James says James 5:15 “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.” The Bible nowhere teaches that all sickness is the direct result of an individual’s sins. Spiritual defeat, however, is often both the cause and result of sin and there fore we need to confess and ask for forgiveness, praying for one another that we would be healed of our sins.

Intercessory prayer of both elders and Christians for those who are spiritually weak is effective. The idea in effective means to accomplish much or is very strong. Strong prayers come from strong people to restore the weak in their time of need.

Summary: Those who are weak in faith often need confession of their sins. Confessing our sins and praying to one another in the trials of life is a normal part of being a believer.

3. Fervency and Faith

James 5:17–18 “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.”

Further demonstrating the strength of righteous prayer James uses Elijah as an illustration of a “man with a nature like ours” who prayed and petitioned God “that it might not rain for three years and six months and it did not rain.” Then he prayed again, and it began to rain. Don’t miss this and “the earth bore its fruit.”

James showing “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” When the spiritually weak come to those who are spiritually strong seeking confession and intercessory prayer restoration like the earth in Jame’s illustration of Elijah occurs and in time the weak will again bear fruit. The parched ground from James illustration of Elijah perfectly illustrates God’s outpouring of spiritual blessing on the dry and parched souls of those who are spiritually struggling.

Summary: Men of faith often accomplished Gods will through fervent prayer and faith.

4. Redeeming the Wanderer

James 5:19–20 “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

Wander means to go astray or to apostatize. Its often used of the unsaved.

The Sadducees asked Jesus a question Matthew 22:24–27 ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died.”

Matthew 22:29 “But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.”

The word used for wrong is the same word James uses for wanders. Matthew 22:23 The people asking the questions were the “Sadducees who say that there is no resurrection, “. Sadly there will not be one of them in heaven because belief in the resurrection is required for salvation.

Romans 10:9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead (resurrection), you will be saved!

The wandering James is talking about those who have apostatized the faith walking away from the truth of the Gospel. They do not believe and have no eternal life and are wandering further and further from the truth. What is truth?

Jesus helps us to understand truth in the midst of a world where you might here you believe your truth and I will believe my truth by defining truth as John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

James says if someone brings him back, notice James doesn’t define who but rather uses someone showing us it is the responsibility of those who claim the name of Christ to share the gospel with the unrepentant and in this case this is likely to be someone who is in the church. Maybe they have sat in the pew week after well or said a prayer or walked an isle. Maybe even they have been baptised but they do not show fruits of righteousness but rather evidence of an unconverted heart. They chose not to be obedient to the truths the gospel teaches bearing good fruit.

Matthew 7:18 “A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.”

The result of a fruitless life, Jesus says..

Matthew 7:21–23 ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Continuing in our passage, James says “whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” James continues to fill out the finality of those who wander as being death. The death that James is talking about here is not physical death but rather the second death which is spiritual death. God speaking to the prophet Ezekiel says, Ezekiel 18:4 “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.” Our souls are the Lords, and for those who sin they shall for ever be separated form God.

Are you wandering from the truth? Have you chosen you own will over Gods will? Do you have fruit in your life in keeping with repentance?

Summary: James 5:13–20 emphasizes the transformative role of prayer within the church community, illustrating its life-giving power in times of suffering, joy, and spiritual struggle. It presents a holistic approach to prayer—addressing individual ailments, community support for restoration, and the necessary action of reaching out to those who have wandered from their faith, showcasing the essentials of intercessory prayer.