The Prayer Of Faith

MAY 24, 2020 STUDY NOTES JAMES 5:15 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES THE PRAYER OF FAITH Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. The beginning of the verse is, “and” which connects it to the previous verse Connecting the “prayer of faith” with the prayer of the elders in verse 14 It is a specific prayer for the one who called the elders to pray for their affliction “In faith” makes it even more specific, identifying with the faith of the elders who are praying The “prayer of faith” is not a demand upon God, commanding God to do something Which is so often heard by some who identify themselves as “faith healers” today Their theology also has the title of “Name it and Claim it” The basic meaning of the word translated “prayer” in this verse is “wish or vow” It is found only two other times in the NT where it is translated “vow,” Act 18:18 And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. (same word) Paul wanted to show his thanks to God for helping him through a difficult time in Corinth He took a Nazirite vow, a special pledge of separation from the world and devotion to God The word is also found translated “vow” in, Act 21:23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; (Four men are under a vow) Act 21:24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. In the OT, a “vow” was an expression of total devotion or commitment to God In the NT, Christians today are to be committed to a daily life of devotion to God God wants us to live a separated, holy life and to abstain from worldly ways James has in mind that kind of a commitment when he speaks of praying Our prayer is to be a total voluntary commitment to God and to His will for our life The desire for personal purity is the desire for God’s presence in the daily path of our life The word translated “prayer” also has the meaning of “Wish,” a strong wish “Wish” presents an important truth concerning our prayers to God When we pray, we wish for God to intervene and permit our request But the Christian’s wish should be for God’s will to take place in his life At all times and in everything, even in the case of sickness, we are to seek God’s will Our wish is for God to heal, we are free to pray and ask God to heal the sick But once we have prayed and expressed our wish, we must accept God’s decision We will find satisfaction in faith, that is why it must be “the prayer of faith” “Faith” believes that God can heal, “Faith” will ask God to heal A “Faith” motivated prayer will be satisfied with God’s answer “Faith” is the acceptance of God’s plan, purpose, and will for our life “Faith” will also continue to trust God and live for God even if He does not heal James has in mind the faith of those who called the elders to pray over them It is also the faith of those who came to pray Nothing is said about the elders having the gift of healing But they prayed the “prayer of faith” which believes the promise of, Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. The “prayer of faith” gives assurance to the mind; strength to the soul; peace to the heart James said, the “prayer of faith” shall save the sick, The word “save” means “to save, rescue, heal,” the thought of “to deliver and make whole” It is most-commonly used to identify with our spiritual salvation Referring to our being saved and delivered from the guilt and power of sin Which can only take place in the name of Jesus,” Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must “be saved.” It also has the meaning to heal a person from an illness, Jairus ask Jesus to heal his daughter, Mar 5:23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that “she may be healed;” and she shall live. A woman with an issue of blood believed that Jesus could heal her, Mar 5:28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, “I shall be whole.” Jesus healed her, Mar 5:34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith (hath made thee whole;) go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. Jesus heals the sick, Mar 6:56 And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him (were made whole.) Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus, Mar 10:52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath (made thee whole.) And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. Peter used the same word to explain the healing of a cripple man, Act 4:9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he (is made whole;) Paul speaks and a cripple man is healed, Act 14:8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: Act 14:9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith “to be healed,” Act 14:10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. As a result of the “prayer of faith” there will be restoration or deliverance The healing can be physical, emotional, or spiritual, a preservation of mind, body, or soul All of which is needed by those who are “sick” THE SICK In James 5:15, “The Sick” is not the same word that James used in verse 14 The word translated “sick” in verse 15 is found three times in the NT In Hebrews 12:3, it is translated “be wearied,” Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest (ye be wearied) and faint in your minds. The context of this verse is faith in Jesus, we are not to grow weary in faith Regardless of the circumstances of life, including sickness, we must remain strong in the faith If you think you are ready to quit the “Race of Faith,” go back to the cross and consider Jesus The purpose of considering Jesus is to find new strength, encouragement, and healing In Revelation 2:3, the meaning is “fainted,” Rev 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not (fainted.) (same word) The meaning is a weariness of mind, exhaustion, fatigue, which physical sickness can cause The word “sick” in verse 14 referred to weakness because of sickness In verse 15 the thought is the weariness that accompanies physical sickness The mind becomes troubled when a person is sick There can be mental depression due to sickness, one can be mentally fatigued To be discouraged in mind and spirit can hinder a physical recovery When the mind and spirit give up, it is easy for your body to give up physically A right mental and spiritual attitude is a must for a recovery to health The “Prayer of Faith” will give assurance to the mind and comfort to the soul It will give peace to the heart and power to the body Restoration to health includes physical, emotional, and spiritual health All of which is why prayer must be the “prayer of faith,” which gives the assurance of--and the Lord shall raise him up; Pay attention to what James said, he did not say, “the oil will raise him up” He said, “the Lord shall raise him up,” which gives meaning to the words, “to save the sick” The meaning of “raise him up” can be wake up, lift-up, stand up, or to stimulate Which can apply to physical, emotional, or spiritual health, or to all three “Raise him up” identifies or confirms their healing, whatever God has done in their life The main point is that the power to raise up is bestowed upon them by “the Lord” Which is the same power which can forgive sins, which is stated in the last of the verse Compare that with what Jesus said in, Mat 9:6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) (Arise), take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. By the power of Jesus physical or spiritual healing can take place immediately Jesus can immediately heal physically if He chooses to do so Immediate physical healing is found many times in the scriptures, Mat 8:3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Two blind men were healed immediately, Mat 20:34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. Simon’s wife’s mother was healed immediately, Mar 1:31 And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. Jesus immediately healed a paralytic, Mar 2:12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. The woman with the issue of blood was healed immediately, Luk 8:44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she was made well A lame beggar was immediately healed, Act 3:7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. Yes, Jesus can immediately raise the sick up and heal them But there is nothing in scripture indicating that the child of God will always be physically healed Healing is of the Lord, “and the Lord shall raise him up,” it will be according to His will for us The “prayer of faith” will continue to trust Jesus whether God heals or not, that is living faith, Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith. What James is teaching gives meaning to “the just shall live by faith” Why would it be otherwise? Nothing else makes any sense for the “just” Being justified by faith the Christian now lives by faith, why would we “draw back?” Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. To “draw-back” is to back away from your faith, failing to fully trust the Lord God is not pleased with those who “draw-back,” He is pleased with those who live by faith The next chapter, Hebrews 11, is the classic chapter, on the subject-of living by faith The “prayer of faith” accepts God’s will for our life and continues to “live by faith” God is not pleased with us when we no longer live by faith God is not pleased with us when we live in unconfessed sin and if he have committed sins, “If” has the thought of a possibility, the possibility that the sickness is because of personal sins Since all have sinned, the thought is that the illness is from the sick person’s personal sins Referring to a repeated action of sin, sin that has been going on for some time in the past He has continued to commit sins in the past and is now living in the consequences of his sins Sickness can be a result of personal sin, 1Co 11:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. (“sleep” speaks of physical death) They faced the judgment of God because of unconfessed sin They claimed holiness without confession of sin before partaking of the Lord’s Supper Their judgment was sickness and even a premature death for some The answer to the judgment upon them was self-examination and agreeing with God Confession of sin is agreeing with God, 1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Physical sickness can be the judgment of God, but that is not always true The forgiveness of confessed sin is included in the healing that James speaks of Physical healing and forgiveness are often found united in scripture It is found in the account of the men who carried the bed of the feeble man to Jesus, Luk 5:18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. There was healing and forgiveness of sin, Luk 5:20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. The religious leaders questioned the words of Jesus and he said, Luk 5:22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Luk 5:23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? Luk 5:24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. James is also referring to the power of Jesus to forgive sins they shall be forgiven him. So, we have two possible promises, one for the physical body and one for the soul There will be total healing, physical healing, and spiritual healing Some who are sick because of sin may be praying because they are sorry that they are sick But they may not be praying because they are sorry that they have sinned Prayer cannot be a “prayer of faith” apart from a confession of sin True faith will repent of sin, there is always the hope of forgiveness of sin It is more important to have your sins forgiven than to have your body healed It is better to know that your sins are forgiven than to know that you are not sick If we have a true understanding of sin and a true understanding of forgiveness Then we can understand how important spiritual healing is to our overall health Jesus healed the sick in-order to reveal to them that He could forgive sins To be forgiven of our sins is a wonderful truth for us as a Christian, 1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There is no question concerning the faithfulness of God toward us, but what about our faithfulness? How strong is your faith today? Are you fully trusting God? REVIEW JAMES 5:13-15 “Affliction” is a fact of life, all Christians will face afflictions We will go through difficult times, suffer hardships, and experience sickness James tells us what to do when those problems come, we are to “pray” Life’s problems can exhaust you physically; mentally depress you; emotionally stress you They can spiritually defeat you, the path to victory is “prayer” Prayer should be as natural as drawing a breath for the Christian It is alright to pray for deliverance from the problem, God may deliver you You should also pray for the wisdom and strength to endure during the difficult times If God does not deliver you, He will give you the “Grace” to endure He is our “Father” and the “God of all comfort,” He provides, guides, and protects us James indicates that you will be rejoicing after you have prayed You can be facing trials and troubles and still be rejoicing in Jesus You are not happy because of what has happened, you are “Joyful” because of Jesus The days of affliction can be a miserable path, but a cheerful heart will change the day The thought is, “It is well with my soul,” I have a peace of mind, and Joy in my heart So, sing praises to God, you can “Praise God” at any time for all things Do not have a “Pity Party,” have a “Prayer Time” Pray to God until you can “Praise” Him Christians are not healed from every cause of physical death Christians die from physical diseases just like those who are lost do Just as sure as you are going to experience death, you will also experience sickness Christians do get sick, but Christians are not to be defeated spiritually when sick James speaks to all who are weak physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually A state of spiritual weakness often accompanies a time of physical weakness The evidence of your weakness will be a lack of desire to pray and read the Bible James tells us what to do, “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:” The “Elders” represent those who are spiritually strong and spiritually mature They are the ones who are accustomed to praying, those who believe in and practice prayer It is important to have a Church Family that you can call upon A Church Family that can and will pray for us and with us The Elders are to pray “over him,” probably referring to a physical touch in some way The physical touch represents a united purpose and a united faith in God “Anointing with oil” represents a desire to be united with the Person and Work of Jesus A desire to be united with the Presence and Power of Jesus The “oil” is a symbol of the blessings of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit No verse indicates that there is a healing power within the Olive Oil itself The promise of healing is not attributed to the sacred qualities of the oil The power and authority of Jesus is represented in the “Name of Jesus” That is why James said, “anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” “In the name of the Lord” represents the total person of Jesus It identifies with all that Jesus has done, all that He can do and all that He will do To claim the name of Jesus is to believe in the total Person and Work of Jesus It is a declaration of faith in the Person of Jesus James makes it clear that his promises are not based upon the power of man His promise is not based upon the power of the anointing with oil The power for healing was in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ Healing is according to the will of God and by the authority of Jesus Christ When we say, “in the Name of the Lord,” we are saying, “thou will be done” And by faith we accept the will of God for our life