INTRO.
A. Sometimes things happen in life that cause you to question beliefs you’ve always held to be true, causing some
questions which force their way into our comfort zone.
– These thoughts were based in James 5:13-16. – READ
- The Catholic church uses this passage as the basis for their sacrament of Extreme Unction.
– Proponents of modern-day “faith healing” believe that if the proper conditions are met, God guarantees that
the sick person will be healed.
– Admittedly, this text brings a myriad of questions to mind.
– It has been a battleground for interpreters through the centuries.
- I must admit to some concerns about the traditional interpretation of this section of scripture:
– One of the things that immediately comes to my mind- If this scripture is an absolute promise saying that
“When a person is sick and he gathers a group of elders (righteous people) together to pray on his behalf, that
he’s going to get well… then I’M NOT GOING TO EVER DIE! … because every time I feel sick, I’m going to follow
these instructions! – AND… if that’s what it’s teaching, why don’t we practice it? - So, I’d like to shine a spotlight on this scripture from a different angle:
I- My first scene that I’d like to highlight is the CONTEXT OF THIS ENTIRE LETTER:
A. Jas. 1:1 – Written to Jewish Christians who have been scattered into the various parts of Roman Empire because
of persecution in Jerusalem.
– Guess what they encountered when they “got where they were going”? – PERSECUTION
– First thing he says to them -v.2 – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…”
– They have two strikes against them in the Gentile world: They are Jewish and they’re Christians. - They’re struggling… Facing disdain and ridicule from society… Temptations from the world and divisions in the
church!
– These are struggles every Christian faces.
– It’s hard to not become cynical and angry and rebellious.
… James is encouraging them to “endure it all!”
– In his closing, summarizing words: “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” – 5:7-9
– Then he says, v.10f “Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
- So you have a feel for why he wrote this letter, right?
– They are living under continual stress – persecution and temptation and problems within the church.
– It wears you down! …It makes you weak! …You get tired! …You get discouraged!
– NOTE: v.10 – word for “suffering” –[kakopatheo] – [lit.] – “suffer evil”
… So is it any surprise that when we come to v13, he begins: “Is any among you in trouble…?
– Guess what the word for “trouble” is… same word as v.10 – “suffering evil”
II- Now I’d like to swing the spotlight around to show you the EMPHASIS ON PRAYER!
A. Prayer becomes the focus in every verse between v.13-18:
– Do you know what the antidote for discouragement is? … anger? … fear? … temptation? – PRAYER!
– Do you know what is the power that enables us to endure? – PRAYER!
– If you’re not praying, you’re trying to “make it on your own.”
- “Is any among you suffering evil…?” – PRAY!
– v.13 – individual believers – PRAY
– v.14-15– church leaders – PRAY
– v.16– entire church family – PRAY
– This is a passage about THE POWER OF PRAYER! - Your prayer life depends on three things :
1. Believe God is real
2. Believe that he can do something about your situation
3. Believe that he cares
III– Now I want to spotlight [what I believe to be] the PROGRESSION OF SUFFERING …WHICH LEADS TO A “DIFFERENT LEVEL” OF PRAYER:
- v.13– addresses someone who is “suffering evil” [kakopatheo] – What should he do? PRAY!
v.14 – addresses someone who is [in most translations] “sick” [astheneo] – lit. “without strength” - Sometimes, this word is used to denote someone who is physically sick:
– Lu. 7:10 – (story of Centurion who came to Jesus begging him to heal his sick servant)- “And those who had been sent,
having returned to the house, found the sick servant in good health.”
– Jn. 11:1 – John begins… “Now a man named Lazarus was sick.”
– Acts 9:37– (Regarding Dorcas- whom Peter will raise from the dead) – “In Joppa there was a disciple named
….Dorcas, who as always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died…”
… These are all examples of the word being used to denote physical illness.
- However, when we come to the epistles, the word is often used to denote spiritually sick:
– Ro. 4:19– (Regarding Abraham)- “And not being weak in the faith…”
– Ro. 14:1– “Accept him whose faith is weak without passing judgment on disputable matters.”
– I Cor. 8:9 – “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the
weak.”
– I Cor. 11:30 – [regarding their abuse of the Lord’s Supper] – “This is why many among you are weak and sick,
and a number of you have fallen asleep.”
… These are all examples of the word being used to denote spiritual illness/weakness of faith.
- Back to James 5…
– So I’m suggesting that v.13 depicts someone who is suffering persecution, trouble and struggles in our life
And v.14 depicts someone who has been overcome by those struggles.
– They have lost their strength/become weak- are in danger of losing their faith!
– That person need additional help.
– They need some strong Christians to “come along side” to help them!
– “… he should call the elders of the church and let them pray over him…”
- Have you ever been so discouraged that you just couldn’t pray… Your struggles were so deep that you didn’t
know if you could continue? Feel like you can’t fight anymore?
– That’s where this Christian is. He’s a “fallen soldier.”
– He needs to “call for help!” – [proskaleo] – “call to one’s side”
– He needs a “faith iv!”
– v.15– The RESULTS- “And the prayer of faith will save the [… are you ready for this…] exhausted/weary one…”
– [kamno]- Not the word for “sick”; but rather “tired/exhausted/weary.”
– Word used only 2 other times:
– Heb. 12:3 – “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary
[kamno] and lose heart.”
– Rev. 2:3 – [To church in Ephesus] – “You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name and have
not grown weary.” (KJV- “fainted”)
CONCL.
A. I realize that I have a number of “gaps” to fill in:
– “Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.”
– “anoint him with oil…”
– “If he has sinned, his sins will be forgiven.”
– In our next lesson, we’ll consider how those fit into this context… but until then, here’s what I want to leave you
with…
- These Christians to whom James is writing are living in very difficult, discouraging circumstances.
– James writes:
– “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown
of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
– “If any of lacks wisdom [don’t know how to handle a situation] should ask God… and he will give it to you.”
– When you are struggling/suffering – PRAY!
– And when/if your struggle intensifies and you get tired and discouraged and think you can’t continue…
– Don’t give up! YOU NEED HELP!
– Call for those who have a strong faith to come and pray with you.
- Now let’s look at HIS PROMISE in this new light…
– v.15– “And the prayer of faith will save [“deliver”] the exhausted one; the Lord will raise him up [egeiro] –
“energize/rouse him up.” - Let me be clear about something:
In no way do I intend for this to be a discouragement to someone to pray or to seek prayers from others when
you are physically sick.
I believe in prayer.
… Whether he is addressing physical or spiritual sickness, we can agree that the thrust of this section is
v.16– “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” – IN ANY AND EVERY SITUATION!
– I believe God hears and responds to every prayer of faith!
– My problem is, frankly, I have difficulty with this passage being an absolute promise from God that, if these
instructions are followed, he will “make the physically sick person well.”
… but I’m still studying it.
Ken Stegall