Prayer of Faith

The Outline Bible Section Outline Five (James 5)

A. The exhortation to prayer (5:13–16a)

1. Seasons of prayer (5:13): When should we pray?

a. In times of trouble (5:13a)

b. In times of triumph (5:13b)

2. Reasons for prayer (5:14–16a)

a. Prayer will raise up the sick (5:14–15a).

b. Prayer will restore the sinner (5:15b–16a).

B. The example of prayer (5:16b–18)

1. The power (5:16b): A righteous person’s prayer is both powerful and effective.

2. The person (5:17–18): James selects Elijah as his role model here.

a. “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years!” (5:17).

b. “Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured” (5:18).

18 (NLT)

13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

ME:

Sometimes I will flip through the channels on my TV and watch TBN or some other religious channel and come across a preacher who is teaching a doctrine that is contrary to Christ. You know those televangelists that teach that health and wealth prosperity Gospel. “Sow a seed to our ministry and God will bless you tenfold or in their healing services they may say “You are suffering with a disease because you don’t have enough faith! (Bringing shame and condemnation on the person). One verse that a lot of them take and twist is which says God wants us to have an abundant and full life. That doesn’t mean Gods will for all of us is to live a rich and lavish lifestyle.

The Gospel tells us the contrary. We are to live a simple life of obedience and generosity.

There are some situations in which God doesn’t answer our prayers for healing. Take for instance the Apostle Paul. He said that he had a thorn in the flesh and pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away. God’s response...”My Grace is enough for, My power is perfected in your weakness”. So sometimes our physical sickness is Gods purpose to serve our spiritual condition.

“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.

3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.

Unfortunately, there are some traditions that go to the extreme and they believe in the cessation of spiritual gifts. That spiritual gifts stopped after the apostles died and this includes healing. That’s not true either. God is still in the miracle business! But, He heals according to His will, timing, and purposes.

Then there are those of other faith traditions that are complete opposite. They believe in the cessation of spiritual gifts. That spiritual gifts stopped after the apostles died and this includes healing.

WE:

Some of us have encountered times where we prayed and cried out to the LORD in prayer. We asked the church, family and friends to join us in prayer. We did all we could. And we seen the heavens open up and seen God work in a mysterious and miracalous ways!

Some of us have encountered times where we prayed and cried out to the LORD in prayer. We asked the church, family and friends to join us in prayer. We did all we could. And we seen the heavens open up and seen God work in a mysterious and miracalous ways!

Some of us have encountered times where we prayed and cried out to the LORD in prayer. We asked the church, family and friends to join us in prayer. We did all we could. And we seen the heavens open up and seen God work in a mysterious and miracalous ways!

The Outline Bible Section Outline Five (James 5)

A. The exhortation to prayer (5:13–16a)

1. Seasons of prayer (5:13): When should we pray?

a. In times of trouble (5:13a)

b. In times of triumph (5:13b)

2. Reasons for prayer (5:14–16a)

a. Prayer will raise up the sick (5:14–15a).

b. Prayer will restore the sinner (5:15b–16a).

B. The example of prayer (5:16b–18)

1. The power (5:16b): A righteous person’s prayer is both powerful and effective.

2. The person (5:17–18): James selects Elijah as his role model here.

a. “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years!” (5:17).

b. “Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured” (5:18).

A. The exhortation to prayer (5:13–16a)

1. Seasons of prayer (5:13): When should we pray?

a. We should pray In times of trouble (5:13a)

illust.-I remember a time when me and Kim were really struggling financially. It was just a really rough time for us. I’d pray and just say God, you know our need. We really need you to provide for us. Then a couple weeks later i’d go out to check the mail. There was this one envelope that just looked different from the rest. I opened it up and it was a $500 check from someone who we use to attend a small group bible study with. On a note it just said “The Lord put it on our hearts to give this to you”!

b. We should pray In times of triumph (5:13b)

You know a lot of times we pray during our hardships, asking God to deliver us and then he does, he provides for us but then we forget to praise Him for what he’s done! Praise is often a forgotten weapon in the arsenal of the Christian.

Singing is still one of the finest means for giving praise to God. So often, however, one wonders if this is its purpose, as one listens to the uninspired and uninspiring moans of the worshipers. A revival of inspired singing because of good spirits in the Lord would do much for general revival in the Church.

The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Hebrews–Revelation A. The Resolution of Emotional Experiences (5:13)

Singing is still one of the finest means for giving praise to God. So often, however, one wonders if this is its purpose, as one listens to the uninspired and uninspiring moans of the worshipers. A revival of inspired singing because of good spirits in the Lord would do much for general revival in the Church.

2. Reasons for prayer (5:14–16a)

a. Prayer will raise up the sick (5:14–15a).

There is a call for the “Elders” of the church to cover the sick in prayer with anointing oil. The Elders are the ministers and pastors of the church because they have the specific office of Prayer and authority.

You don’t call a Doctor to a Funeral

You don’t call a Dentist to do a Heart surgery

Now we can’t think of the oil as some secret magic potion. The oil is used as symbolism as it represents the Power of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who does the healing. We are good at limiting God’s healing power to our physical bodies but, God wants to heal us emotionally and spiritually too.

It was common when someone was sick to suppose that he had committed some sin that caused the sickness. That's what Job's "friends" supposed.

Jesus heals man born blind

“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.

b. Prayer will restore the sinner (5:15b–16a).

The real healing that we need is not of our bodies but for our souls. It needs to be restored to the untarnished image of God before the fall when sin entered the world through Adam and Eve.

Today our prayers have no backbone to them. We are called to approach Gods throne of grace with boldness and confidence. Yet today we don’t hear many people saying prayers of conviction anymore.

I heard an evangelist tell the story of an older lady coming into a Pastor’s office all upset and very emotional.

The Pastor asked her “whats wrong”?

She said “well my daughter isn’t married and she thinks that she loves a guy and the guy loves her. So she moved out and is living in a trailer with him and this man is just ruining her life and turning her away from God. It’s just a hot mess. I don’t know what to do Pastor”

The Pastor said “The only thing we can really do is pray & pray for conviction. Pray that they will get into many arguments. Pray that they just won’t get a long. Pray that when they are in bed together that she will get hot when he gets cold and that when he is hot that she gets cold. Pray that she will burn dinners and that he will forget to do chores.

The lady responded by saying “Pastor, that doesn’t sound very Christian” then she paused for a moment and said “Well, Okay let’s try it”

Within a couple weeks time her daughter was at the mothers doorstep with bags in hand and ready to move back in.

Now we don’t hear specific, convicting prayers like that anymore do we? We hear more prayers that are about “praying for, instead of praying through”

B. The example of prayer (5:16b–18)

1. The power (5:16b): A righteous person’s prayer is both powerful and effective.

So if a righteous person’s prayer is both powerful and effective than the opposite must be true.

A sinful persons prayer is both weak and ineffective.

Sin is when we know what to do, and don’t do it. It’s also doing what we know we shouldn’t do. It’s willfull disobedience against the known law of God.

There are certain things that are universally known as sin such as gossip, slander, cursing, smoking, and being drunk. If we do any of those things and just deny it then we are quenching the voice of the Holy Spirit. But, if we know it is sin and we just struggle with it, then I believe God will give us grace and show us mercy as continually come to him in sincere repentance.

2. The person (5:17–18): James selects Elijah as his role model here.

a. “Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years!” (5:17).

b. “Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured” (5:18).

Yes. Elijah was as human as we are. Yet ...

Elijah prays and God raises the widow’s son from the dead.

Elijah wins the showdown against the prophets of Baal at Carmel;

Elijah called down fire from heaven; and he struck down 450 false prophets.

Elijah prayed for rain to stop and he prayed for rain to drop.

Yet Elijah was as human as we are.

Yet he was righteous. God heard him when he prayed. He was a man who loved God with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength.

David said, “If i had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. Isaiah wrote “Behold, the LORDS hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have made a seperation between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you so that he does not hear you”

YOU:

Where do you need God’s healing touch? Are you hurting physically in your body? Are you just mentally worn down in your mind and need healing there? Are you an emotional wreck and still have scars and wounds for your past or present that you need an encounter with God to heal? Have you sinned against God and fear that it has distanced you from your creator? Do you need your relationship with him restored to how it once was?

The best place to meet God is at His altar

WE:

(NLT)

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

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