I Hear You

Introduction

James: Letter to the church about what matters

Addresses specific things happening in the church not to bust their chops, judge, or give them a list of don’ts but to help them live life as God intends.

Communicating With God

What pastors do

What you do before you eat

At weddings and funerals

Bible: what we read about prayer; who did it, how they did it

God are you there…and do you care?

God invites us to know him; but there’s distance

Soul need: to connect with God, hear from him, talk with him - like we do other people we love.

Is what God gives us to address the distance we feel between us and God

Father...

Communicating with people we love

The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Volumes 1–5 (3) The Prayers on the Cross

Prayer thus expresses our relation to God, to others, to ourselves; our trust, our love, our need.

James 5:13–20 ESV

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. 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. 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. 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.

Circumstances

Good Times

Athletes and Celebrities: I want to thank God...

A potentially horrible situation turns out better than we thought: Thank God.

The Church: Worship - word related to psalm. Describes certain types of songs especially songs of praise. This singing is a form of prayer.

Worship is prayer.

Tough Times

Illness

Third circumstance: illness.

Biblical writers see people in a holistic way. Body, mind, soul all connected as one. A physical need has spiritual implications; a spiritual need has physical implications.

Care for one, have to care for another

Medicine today is catching on to that (Hospice)

Getting Well

Seems James is saying there is a link between sin and sickness (unpack).

Connection between emotional and physical well-being.

Not all sickness is caused by sin nor is sin the reason for prayer to go unanswered.

Not: you did something wrong and were punished with cancer.

If the things James has talked about throughout this letter describe us: Selfish, angry, bitter person - life outside of the way God intends, it can leads to chronic illness. Medical science knows this.

James emphasizes sins that have brought harm to others and hinders health, well being and often the healing of physical problems.

Some see this as restoration to spiritual health (supported by the comments on forgiveness of sin).

Others see it as restoration to physical health (raise up from the sick bed).

Both

The prayer of trust will make the sick person well (and sins which lead to sickness) forgiven. Restoration.

Trust - Leaning into God’s purpose in the situation and ask God’s healing according to that purpose.

Discerning God’s Purpose

Question in all illness, healing, etc: what is God's purpose in this situation?

not what is God's purpose for it - assumes he caused the illness).

Elijah was a human being like us (nature like ours). Elijah was told to do this. Wasn't Elijah's idea. Was God's. God is having Elijah pray is aligning him with God's heart. That's where God wants to work.

Heart behind prayer

Daniel 10. Your prayers have been heard and I've been delayed. 10:12. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and humble yourself before your God, your words were heard and I have come in response to your words but have been delayed. Michael came to help.

Jeremiah 29:12-14

Jesus: come for healing and he says your sins are forgiven. What's more difficult? Jesus was aligned with God's will, heart, purpose, life as he intends.

Purpose: aligning ourselves with the way of Jesus; life as God intends.

Which includes addressing areas of our lives where that is not happening.

Acknowledging that with each other (confession)

Basis for God's Healing

6 - Outflow of the promise that God responds to prayer and forgives sins, believers should be committed to confessing their sins to one another and praying for one another.

Mutual confession of sin is important to the spiritual vitality of a church. What is the necessary environment for this to occur? John Wesley's groups.

When Healing Doesn’t Happen

Look at assumptions:

Healing is promised: God will answer when I pray according to all the guidelines.

Ask anything in my name and I will do it - Jesus (Jn 14:14).

I said, “In your name!” -Doesn't mean to just say his name

I said “If it be your will...”

Someone didn’t believe

Patti’s mom’s: someone didn’t have enough faith.

Lack of faith/not believing because otherwise, God would do it (vending machine, santa clause)

Jesus didn't always heal. Healing in Gospels and Acts went with proclamation of the Gospel. Had a purpose (will)

Paul: God had a purpose for his thorn despite him asking 3 times for it to be taken away/healed.

-Assurance/trust is not in the fact that healing will happen but rather in in the good and generous purpose of God who’s choices are best.

-Seek first his kingdom (purpose) - align your desires with it and ask me anything it offers and I will give it to you. May not look like what we think or come when we think it should.

Pray Together

Elders

Call the elders to pray over you.

Elders were to shepherd or pastor the church.

Spiritually mature people given responsibility for the spiritual oversight of local congregations.

Spiritual leaders recognized for their maturity in their faith.

Able to discern the purpose of the Lord and pray with trust to discern/recognize the restoration that God wants to bring.

Pastors are never mentioned along with elders. The function we know as Pastor or minister was carried out by the elders.

And the rest of us join them.

One More Thing

Up to Now

For James: the way of Christ includes this: correct belief cannot be separated from correct behavior.

What the mind thinks, the mouth confesses, the body must do. Anything else is worldly (selfish), double-minded.

He's been pretty in your face up to now talking about:

sinful speech

Disobedience

Lack of concern for others

arrogance

arguing

selfish

These things lead to strained if not broken relationships

Creates distance between us and God

Creates distance between one another

See These Things, Help

Now: take initiative to restore people to relationship with God and one another where those relationships have become distant, strained or broken because of these things.

Bring any who have wandered from the truth in any of these ways back into relationship with God and the community.

-It's a rescuing act. Rescued from what? Death - being eternally separated from God.

-Covers sin. Your efforts are blessed by God for both you and the person being rescued.

Their need for it may be why they stepped away in the first place. Returning to the way of Christ.