The Effective Prayer

I. The Review of Prayer (16)

A. Confession

To confess means to agree with God's verdict of your failure to meet His standard. When someone hates someone in their heart, they normally justify themselves and think, "It's ok for me to hate them because of what they did to me." Confession then means that understand that God's standard says that anyone who hates his brother has committed murder in his heart, and then says to God, "Yes Father, I agree with you that I have mudered my brother who was created in your image and that offends You."

The verb is in the middle voice which makes it intensive and personal. "You, yourselves, must confess.."

We not only are to confess to God but as it says here, we are to confess our sins to one another especially in relationship to the anointing service. That is to say to another brother, "On last Tuesday, I had hatred in my heart for my brother in Christ, Bob. I agree with God that I have murdered Bob, whom He created in His image. I am a murderer and that is offensive to God."

Point: "one another" not to a priest, or any other person that you hope can give you absolution. the act of confession to others is so that they can be witnesses of your confession and in the anointing service it helps the elders to pray intelligently.

Point: This confession should be a specific fault at a specific instance, not a vague generality.

Point: This does not mean that we are to air our dirty laundry publically. Otherwise we would spend all day on Sunday just confessing our sins. Sin needs to be confessed in the apropriate circle of influence. If it was a private sin, then it should be confessed privately. If it was a public sin, then it should be confessed publically.

Application: The primary application is for the annointing service, bur the broader application is for any time or circumstance. Are their sins that you need to confess to God? To your spouse? To your Brother or sister in Christ? To the Church body? Determine in your heart right now that you will do that ASAP.

Proverbs 28:13

B. Prayer

The second command that is given is to pray for one another. The main purspose of the confession is so that prayer can be offered. Literally it say pray "over" one another and this reminds us that we are taling about an anointing service where someone is sick (probably in bed). It is our practice during an anointing service for the elders to lay our hands on the one who is sick as we pray. So we are "praying over them."

The result of the prayer is that healing takes place. Again this is for the anointing service and it refers to the healing of a sin based sickness. God is not giving a blanket promise to heal every sickness every time we pray for Him to do so. If that were the case then there would still be belivers from the time of James who are alive today! God does not promise to heal all of our sicknesses at the present time. Sometimes it is His will to allow physical suffering in this world even for believers.

2 Corinthians 12:7 - Paul's thorn in the flesh.

2 Timothy 4:20 - Paul left Trophimus sick and Paul had the ability to do sign miracles of healing!

C. Promise

“Prayer,” said Robert Law, “is not getting man’s will done in heaven. It’s getting God’s will done on earth.” Wiersbe, W. W. The Bible exposition commentary

II. The Example of Prayer (17-18)

A. He was Like Us

B. He was Ernest

Deuteronomy 28:12, 23

C. He was Effective

1 Kings 17:1

1 Kings 18:1

Luke 4:25