The Prayer of Faith (God Hears the Prayer of the Righteous, Part 1)

16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Series - God Hears the Prayer of the Righteous

Background

Misunderstandings about prayer

“Prayer is powerful.”

“God answers all prayers.”

Part 1 - The Prayer of Faith

James 5:13–16 NKJV

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 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. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

The Main Point

God hears the prayer of the righteous because it is the prayer of faith.

What is the prayer of faith?

Sermon Points

Are all prayers “faith”?

Faith is the meeting point between God and man

God meets man at the point of faith, not just in prayer.

Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

James 1:5–8 NKJV

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

let him ask in faith

double-minded = instability

God meets with a man whose faith acts.

James 5:13 NKJV

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

Pray - prayer itself is action

James 5:14 NKJV

14 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.

call for the elders - involve people who are themselves believers of God, and be willing to be prayer over

James 5:16 NKJV

16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

confess your trespasses to one another - be willing to recognize any in that may have caused the problem

Faith is more than just believing

Faith must become your way of life, not just a belief that you bring out in time of need.

Psalm 34:15–17 NKJV

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.

God is “watching” over our lives, not just discerning what we believe in our heart

John 9:31 NKJV

31 Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.

God does not hear sinners

Proverbs 28.9

The righteous is the person who lives according to what is right or acceptable before God.

Noah, the righteous preacher

Genesis 7:1 NKJV

1 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.

Genesis 6:9 NKJV

9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

Lot the righteous

2 Peter 2:7–8 NKJV

7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—

Abraham

Galatians 3:9 NKJV

9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

believing - indicates a continuing practice or exercise of faith

The righteous are especially favored by God

Psalm 5:12 NKJV

12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Psalm 34:15 NKJV

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.

God’s eyes are on them

Psalm 34:16–17 NKJV

16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.

the righteous cry out and God hears them

Psalm 34:19–20 NKJV

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. 20 He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.

God delivers the righteous

Psalm 34:21 NKJV

21 Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

God defends the righteous

Psalm 37:17 NKJV

17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the Lord upholds the righteous.

God upholds the righteous

Faith is the substance behind the prayer of the righteous

James 5:16 NKJV

16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Faith makes the prayer of the righteous “effective”

James 5:16 NASB95

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.

Faith makes the prayer of the righteous “work”

James 5:16 NIV

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Faith makes the prayer of the righteous “powerful” and “effective”

Conclusion

If you want to pray “effectively”

become a believing person - don’t just believe, live your faith!

live righteously - according to God’s standards

seek God’s will and follow them

do not conform your life to the world you live in

do not entabgle your life with the world (warning - Lot)

Song -

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