James has said a lot about the tongue & chapter 5 is no exception

• Mentions some lower uses of the tongue– Complaining - James 5:9– Swearing - James 5:12

• Mentions some higher uses of the tongue– Preaching - James 5:10– Prayer & praise - James 5:13

James mentions prayer seven times in this section

• We should be prayerful in the trials of life• Instead of complaining, talk to God about it• God hears & answers our prayers• Describes four situations when we should

“take it to the Lord in prayer”

1. Prayer for the Suffering

• James 5:13 NIV Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

What should we do when we find ourselves in trying circumstances?

• We shouldn’t grumble about others who are having an easier time of it – James 5:9 NIV Don't grumble against each other,

brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

• We should pray for the wisdom to understand the situation and use it to His glory – James 1:5 NIV If any of you lacks wisdom, he

should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Prayer can remove affliction, if that is God’s will

• It can also give us the grace to endure trials– James 4:6 NIV But he gives us more grace. That is

why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

• God can transform troubles into triumphs – Paul prayed for God to change his circumstances

• God gave him the grace to find strength in weakness -(2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

– Jesus prayed for the cup to pass, but it did not• God gave Him strength to endure the cross & die for our

sins

We don’t all go through trouble at the same time

• The balance of our lives includes both suffering & singing– James 5:13 NIV Is any one of you in trouble?

He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

• Anyone can sing when trouble has passed• Mature Christians can sing while suffering

(Acts 16:25)• God gives “songs in the night” (Job 35:10)

2. Prayer for the Sick

• James 5:14-16 NIV Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. (15) And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. (16) Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

James is not giving a blanket formula for healing the sick

• When we pray for someone who is sick– Sometimes God gives healing– Other times, He does not heal the person

• What are the special characteristics of this case that James is describing?

The person is sick because of sin

• James 5:15 GNB This prayer made in faith will heal the sick; the Lord will restore them to health, and the sins they have committed will be forgiven.

This Christian is sick because God is disciplining him

• Perfect active participle: “If he has been continually sinning”

• He cannot go to church to confess his sins• So he asks the elders to come to him• The elders are responsible for the

discipline of the congregation

The person confesses his sins

• James 5:16 NIV Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Are these “faults” or “sins”?

• KJV “faults” gives the impression that his deeds were not too evil – merely faults

• Gk is hamartia – “sin” – same word as in – James 1:15 NIV Then, after desire has

conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

The person is healed by “the prayer offered in faith”

• James 5:15 NIV And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. …

It is not the anointing that heals, but the praying

• Gk aleipho “anointing” is a medical term• Could be translated “massaging” • May indicate using medical means along

with asking the Lord for His divine touch• God can heal with or without means• In either case, God does the healing

But what is “the prayer of faith”?

• We get insight in– 1 John 5:14-15 NIV This is the confidence we

have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (15) And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

• The elders seek the mind of God & pray according to His will

I don’t always know how to pray for the sick

• Paul had the same problem– Romans 8:26 NIV In the same way, the Spirit helps

us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

• Is it God’s will to heal? • Is God planning to call the sick one home? • I don’t know, so I pray, “If it is Your will, heal” • Those who claim that God heals every time

deny both Scripture & experience

Remember that it is not one individual who is praying

• It is the body of elders — spiritual men — who seek God’s will and pray

• James does not tell us call a faith healer• The matter is in the hands of the leaders

of the local church

Practical lessons from this section

• Sin can lead to sickness– David’s experience when he tried to hide his sins

(Psalms 32)

• Sin affects the whole church– We never sin alone– Sin has a way of infecting others

• Physical & spiritual healing come when sin is dealt with– Proverbs 28:13 NIV He who conceals his sins does not

prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Literal translation: “Make it a habit to confess your sins to each other”

• Do not hide sin or delay confession• This “confessing” is done among the saints• Not confessing sins to a preacher or priest• We confess our sins first of all to the Lord

– 1 John 1:9 NIV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

• We must also confess them to those who have been affected by them

It is not necessary to confess sin beyond the circle of its influence

• Private sin requires private confession• Public sin requires public confession• We should not “hang dirty wash in public”• Such “confessing” might do more harm

than the sin

3. Prayer for the Nation

• James 5:17-18 NIV Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. (18) Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

The background of this incident is found in 1 Kings 17-18

• Ahab & Jezebel led Israel into idolatry• God punished Israel by bringing a drought

– Deuteronomy 28:23 NIV The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron.

• The drought lasted 3½ years – heavens as bronze & ground as iron

Elijah challenged the priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel

• All day long the priests cried out to their god, but no answer came

• At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah repaired the altar & prepared the sacrifice

• He prayed once & fire came from heaven to consume the sacrifice

• He’d proven that Yahweh is the true God

But the nation still needed rain

• Elijah went to the top of Carmel & prayed• Sent servant seven times to look for rain• Seventh time, servant saw a little cloud• Before long, a great rain ended drought

“But Elijah was special – we can expect God to answer his prayers!”

• Wrong!– James 5:17 NIV Elijah was a man just like us.

• He was not perfect– After Mt. Carmel, Elijah became afraid & ran

• But he was a “righteous man” – I.e. obeyed the Lord & trusted Him

• God’s promise of answered prayer is for all Christians, not just the “spiritual elite”

Elijah prayed “in faith”, because God promised to send the rain

• 1 Kings 18:1 NIV After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land."

• “Prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven. It’s getting God’s will done on earth.” – Robert Law

Prayer is the greatest power in the world today

• James 5:16 Phillips Tremendous power is made available through a good man’s earnest prayer

• Elijah prayed for his nation & God answered his prayers

• One responsibility of the church is to pray for government leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

4. Prayer for the Straying

• James 5:19-20 NIV My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, (20) remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

James does not specifically name prayer, but the implication is there

• If we pray for the suffering & sick & nation, we should pray for a brother who strays

• These verses deal with our ministry to a Christian who strays into sin

• Planao means “to stray” –gradual departure– Sometimes we’re “caught in a sin” (Galatians 6:1)– Usually the result of gradual spiritual decline

• Outcome of straying is “sin” & maybe “death”

What should we do when we see a believer wandering from the truth?

• We should pray for him & try to help him• He needs to be “converted” — turned back

into the right path again• Consider Peter

– Luke 22:31-32 CEV Jesus said, "Simon, listen to me! Satan has demanded the right to test each one of you, as a farmer does when he separates wheat from the husks. (32) But Simon, I have prayed that your faith will be strong. And when you have come back to me, help the others."

It is important that we try to bring them back

• We must have an attitude of love– 1 Peter 4:8 NIV … love covers over a

multitude of sins

• James & Peter learned this principle from – Proverbs 10:12 NIV Hatred stirs up dissension,

but love covers over all wrongs.

• Love doesn’t “sweep dirt under the carpet” – Helps the offender confront & deal with sins– Assures that forgiven sins won’t be dredged up

This brings us to the end of our study of James

• His emphasis has been spiritual maturity• A good time to examine our own hearts to

see how mature we really are

Here are a few questions to assist you:

• 1. Am I becoming more & more patient in the trials of life?

• 2. Do I play with temptation or resist it from the start?

• 3. Do I find joy in obeying the Word of God, or do I merely study it and learn it?

• 4. Are there any prejudices that shackle me?• 5. Am I able to control my tongue?• 6. Am I a peacemaker rather than a

troublemaker?

Here are a few questions to assist you:

• 7. Am I a friend of God or a friend of the world?• 8. Do I make plans without considering God’s will?• 9. Am I selfish when it comes to money? • 10. Do I naturally depend on prayer when I find

myself in some kind of trouble?• 11. Am I the kind of person others seek for prayer

support?• 12. What is my attitude toward the wandering

brother? Do I criticize and gossip, or do I seek to restore him in love?

Don’t just grow old — grow up!