Prayer X7 - James 5:13-18
Pastor Tim Brown, Calvary Chapel Fremont, Sunday May 31, 2009
prayer x 7
James 5:13-18
James: live in openness to God – when suffering/soaring/ sick/in sin. In the depths/heights/hurts of your life – live in openness to God. Ends how he begins - 1:2-4 – God is involved in your life through prayer.
When pray? When suffering/sick/in sin – pray occurs 7 times
Why pray? 16b – prayer will accomplish much – strong/moves things
How pray? W/ faith and perseverance
James was called ‘camel’s knees’ because of habitual praying
Pray – always turn to God in hardship and celebration, for wisdom and worship. Live life in openness to God. Many see this as an unnecessary exhortation. They would say, “God is w/ me like oxygen is w/ me. Whether I’m good or bad, thoughtful or forgetful, God is w/ me.” No. God is w/ you like a spouse is w/ you. He can be grieved and offended. A naturalistic god is a small god and an impersonal god and not the God of the Bible. God is not a force of nature, but the Author of nature. You have a personal God.
Context: 7-12 Living w/ injustice. Christians are not to be passive in struggle against evil. Followers of Jesus are to pray. Prayer is an offensive weapon. We are not to return evil for evil, we are to pray.
Prayer of the sufferER
‘Suffering’ - same word used in v10 – “to suffer evil treatment.”
Pray for patience and endurance. Cf. vv10-11
Endurance = ‘remain under’. Pray for power not run – to hit back.
Job was water boarded by the devil until he began to gag and curse the day of his birth. The devil is water boarding some of you – not to confess, but to deny, to not pray.
Praise of the cheerful
Acknowledge God – out of 10 cheerful lepers who had been healed, only one sang praises. When good things happen, say, “Praise the Lord.”
Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous ordinances. Ps. 119:164
Prayer for the sick
* Sick – physically or spiritually? Why not both? Can you tell if the woman in the picture is sick or depressed?
o It is used for physical sickness in the gospels and for spiritual sickness in the epistles, though it can refer to physical sickness.
* Done quietly w/o fanfare
* Elders are not to go unbidden
* Anointing w/ oil
* Some suggest that the requirement of anointing w/ oil was a known medical practice of the day. The elders were essentially, paramedics. If so, one of the elder requirements of 1T3 and Titus 1 would be EMT training. I couldn’t find one usage of the word where the application of oil was the means of healing.
* Rubbing the body w/ oil brought relief from the effects of the sun – it was refreshment and protection.
* James is referring to the common practice of using oil as a means of bestowing honor, refreshment, and grooming. It was in this sense that the sinful woman anointed (ἀλείφω) Jesus’ feet with ointment (Luke 7:38) and that a host would anoint (καταλείφω) the head of his guest with oil (Luke 7:46). The verb translated, “anointing” is aleipho. It means “to rub, to oil.” A good way to translate this would be: “Rubbing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” It surely can’t mean dotting his forehead with a tiny dab of cooking oil. It means rubbing. It refers to an outward rubbing of the body in this case with olive oil.
* Instead of dragging around in a disheartened and disheveled condition as a result of extreme discouragement, James suggests that the person should be uplifted in faith toward God as the elders applied the refreshing and honored anointing with oil.” 1
* To abstain from oil was a sign of mourning. The elders anointing the sick/weak one w/ oil are saying: The KOG is here. God is not distant from you in your time of need.
* Three results: saved/healed, raised (from lying to standing position), forgiven.
o Always healing? No. Always refreshment and reassurance of God’s love? Should be.
Praying in faith
* Not just ritual prayers of any man, but powerful prayers of a righteous man move the hand of God.
o 16b The energizing prayer of a righteous man is strong, has ability. Elders are to pray prayers meant to lift weight
* Elijah is an example of a righteous man who prayed in faith
* How could Elijah prayer so powerfully and effectively
o 1K17:1 Elijah could stand boldly before Ahab because he had stood confidently before the Lord. I have some challenges in my life, but I can only stand boldly before them when I stand confidently before God. The devil will seek to condemn and shame you so that you will not stand confidently before God and boldly before your challenges.
o 1K18:41-44 Persevering in prayer – he kept asking/seeking/ knocking v44 – the 7th time he saw the working of God
o 17 Prayed earnestly = prayed w/ prayer
* Your prayer life is a test of and a manifestation of your faith.
The elders are to pray in faith and the sick/weak are to be prayed for in repentance and humility – more on that next week.
Heard often in the gym: “How many reps did you do?” One. “One! You’ll never stop looking wimpy w/ just one rep.” James shows us a muscular faith in Jesus Christ. You can only develop a muscular faith through many repetitions – not vain ones, but faith-filled ones.
In our passage, the word ‘prayer’ occurs seven times.
David praised God seven times a day for His glorious Word.
Elijah prayed seven times for the rain showers to come.
Keep asking/seeking/knocking – receives/finds/door opens.
Download | Duration: 00:50:36
prayer x 7
James 5:13-18
James: live in openness to God – when suffering/soaring/ sick/in sin. In the depths/heights/hurts of your life – live in openness to God. Ends how he begins - 1:2-4 – God is involved in your life through prayer.
When pray? When suffering/sick/in sin – pray occurs 7 times
Why pray? 16b – prayer will accomplish much – strong/moves things
How pray? W/ faith and perseverance
James was called ‘camel’s knees’ because of habitual praying
Pray – always turn to God in hardship and celebration, for wisdom and worship. Live life in openness to God. Many see this as an unnecessary exhortation. They would say, “God is w/ me like oxygen is w/ me. Whether I’m good or bad, thoughtful or forgetful, God is w/ me.” No. God is w/ you like a spouse is w/ you. He can be grieved and offended. A naturalistic god is a small god and an impersonal god and not the God of the Bible. God is not a force of nature, but the Author of nature. You have a personal God.
Context: 7-12 Living w/ injustice. Christians are not to be passive in struggle against evil. Followers of Jesus are to pray. Prayer is an offensive weapon. We are not to return evil for evil, we are to pray.
Prayer of the sufferER
‘Suffering’ - same word used in v10 – “to suffer evil treatment.”
Pray for patience and endurance. Cf. vv10-11
Endurance = ‘remain under’. Pray for power not run – to hit back.
Job was water boarded by the devil until he began to gag and curse the day of his birth. The devil is water boarding some of you – not to confess, but to deny, to not pray.
Praise of the cheerful
Acknowledge God – out of 10 cheerful lepers who had been healed, only one sang praises. When good things happen, say, “Praise the Lord.”
Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous ordinances. Ps. 119:164
Prayer for the sick
* Sick – physically or spiritually? Why not both? Can you tell if the woman in the picture is sick or depressed?
o It is used for physical sickness in the gospels and for spiritual sickness in the epistles, though it can refer to physical sickness.
* Done quietly w/o fanfare
* Elders are not to go unbidden
* Anointing w/ oil
* Some suggest that the requirement of anointing w/ oil was a known medical practice of the day. The elders were essentially, paramedics. If so, one of the elder requirements of 1T3 and Titus 1 would be EMT training. I couldn’t find one usage of the word where the application of oil was the means of healing.
* Rubbing the body w/ oil brought relief from the effects of the sun – it was refreshment and protection.
* James is referring to the common practice of using oil as a means of bestowing honor, refreshment, and grooming. It was in this sense that the sinful woman anointed (ἀλείφω) Jesus’ feet with ointment (Luke 7:38) and that a host would anoint (καταλείφω) the head of his guest with oil (Luke 7:46). The verb translated, “anointing” is aleipho. It means “to rub, to oil.” A good way to translate this would be: “Rubbing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” It surely can’t mean dotting his forehead with a tiny dab of cooking oil. It means rubbing. It refers to an outward rubbing of the body in this case with olive oil.
* Instead of dragging around in a disheartened and disheveled condition as a result of extreme discouragement, James suggests that the person should be uplifted in faith toward God as the elders applied the refreshing and honored anointing with oil.” 1
* To abstain from oil was a sign of mourning. The elders anointing the sick/weak one w/ oil are saying: The KOG is here. God is not distant from you in your time of need.
* Three results: saved/healed, raised (from lying to standing position), forgiven.
o Always healing? No. Always refreshment and reassurance of God’s love? Should be.
Praying in faith
* Not just ritual prayers of any man, but powerful prayers of a righteous man move the hand of God.
o 16b The energizing prayer of a righteous man is strong, has ability. Elders are to pray prayers meant to lift weight
* Elijah is an example of a righteous man who prayed in faith
* How could Elijah prayer so powerfully and effectively
o 1K17:1 Elijah could stand boldly before Ahab because he had stood confidently before the Lord. I have some challenges in my life, but I can only stand boldly before them when I stand confidently before God. The devil will seek to condemn and shame you so that you will not stand confidently before God and boldly before your challenges.
o 1K18:41-44 Persevering in prayer – he kept asking/seeking/ knocking v44 – the 7th time he saw the working of God
o 17 Prayed earnestly = prayed w/ prayer
* Your prayer life is a test of and a manifestation of your faith.
The elders are to pray in faith and the sick/weak are to be prayed for in repentance and humility – more on that next week.
Heard often in the gym: “How many reps did you do?” One. “One! You’ll never stop looking wimpy w/ just one rep.” James shows us a muscular faith in Jesus Christ. You can only develop a muscular faith through many repetitions – not vain ones, but faith-filled ones.
In our passage, the word ‘prayer’ occurs seven times.
David praised God seven times a day for His glorious Word.
Elijah prayed seven times for the rain showers to come.
Keep asking/seeking/knocking – receives/finds/door opens.
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