Prayer X 3 - James 5:6, 19-20
Pastor Tim Brown, Calvary Chapel Fremont, Sunday June 7, 2009
Sin X 3
James 5:16, 19-20
Our passage has to do w/ confessing the sin (spiritual failure) that’s in you and confronting the sin that’s in other believers.
The word ‘sin’ hasn’t been used much in the book of James, but the reality of sin is all the way through this book. We have seen the sin of unbelief, unconcern, unloving favoritism, uncaring faith, unbridled tongue, unrelenting ambition, unholy passions, unruly greed. These things, and whatever else the Lord reveals, are what we are to confess in ourselves and confront in others.
Sin occurs 3X. When sin is mentioned in James, it’s not something that those outside the church do, it’s something we in the church do. The vast majority of times that sin is addressed in the Bible, it has to do w/ the sin of God’s people. Priests/prophets/pastors are not pointing their fingers at unbelievers, but at believers.
We all know that sin is missing the mark – it’s spiritual failure. And failure is measured against a standard. If you miss the mark, you must be aiming at a mark. And the mark is Matthew 5:48:
…you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Perfect = can’t be improved upon
But here’s the problem: in our spiritual lives, we’re not aiming for perfection – average is good enough. Our attitude is that sin is no big deal, missing the mark is of little concern, spiritual failure is nothing to lose sleep about. And one of the reasons we think this is because the standard that the Lord has set before us, perfection, is so ideal as to be unreal. And since we can never live up to what the Lord we adjust our expectations downward.
It’s too ideal and unreal to think I’ll never sin w/ my mouth. So I will allow a little filth/anger to come out – and I won’t be concerned or ashamed of it. It’s too ideal to strive for a life free of unholy passions. I’ll try to be relatively lust free, but to live a life above unholy passions is just not realistic. So, when I sin, when I miss the mark, when my life is characterized by spiritual failure – it’s no big deal. Therefore, when I sin, since it’s no big deal, I won’t confess my sin nor, since it’s no big deal, will I confront it in you.
“But if I strive for perfection, I will always live in guilt/shame.” God not want U 2 live in guilt/shame, but in brokenness/humility, always leaning.
Here is why sin is so dangerous – sin is like an acid eating away at the soul. Ill. – car won’t start/battery cable clamped tight to post/acid has built up and broken the connection. You can look real good – hand holding tight to the Bible/life connected church – but there’s been a loss of connection between you/Lord. There’s no life/power. Sin has eroded the joy in your life because you have thought it to be no big deal/of little concern. Sin has eaten away at the life of the Lord N U & U wonder why you are not experiencing life as it was meant to be lived.
Called to be uncommon, settling for common, living in compromise. You think that if you can hold the hand of that girl/get that boy to look at you/be the star athlete/get more people in your bed/make more money/be more popular/retire by 30/attain that promotion – you think that if you can attain these things that you will be happy and experience real life. But your present unhappiness and sense of dissatisfaction has nothing to do w/ not attaining these things, it has to do w/ the compromise you have made w/ sin. You were created to know God and redeemed to be holy, but you have allowed the acid that dissolves your soul to remain in you.
V20 - Look at the danger: he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death. James is addressing believers: v19: My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth…
Put the two together and you have a Christian straying from the truth/killing his soul/sending him to hell. Don’t mess w/ sin or sin will mess w/ you. THEREFORE:
V16 Confess your sins to one another/pray for one another/be healed…
What began as the elders praying for the sick in vv14-15 is to break out in all the church in v16. But notice the order: confess sins and then healing. This healing is either physical or spiritual, depending upon the need. No confession - no healing. The obvious implication is that some sickness is connected to sin/some spiritual weakness is connected to sin. Objections:
I only need to confess to God. Then why does James direct us to do this? Some sin needs only forgiveness. Other sin has begun a process of disease that will result in spiritual death – confess and be healed.
This sounds too Roman Catholic. The problem isn’t that it sounds too RC, but that the RCC has taken and twisted it from confession to one another to confession to a priest and added penance to it, which the text says nothing of. When someone confesses their sin to you, you are not to give them something to do – say this or do that. (I could get a lot done around here!) NT: Christ did it all! You are to say, “In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.” You’re not forgiving, you’re announcing.
If I confess my sin and reveal my failures, you might reject me or expose me. This is of real concern because in confession, you strip your soul naked. And many prefer hiding behind fig leaves. This is why v16 states that the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Confess your sin to a righteous man/woman.
Since sin is so serious confess and confront sin in others…
…strays from truth... What is the truth? Cf. 1:18 Life giving/guarding/ guiding word. What is straying? Off the leash – of truth. When I see a stray dog, I wonder where its owner is. Dog off leash is unaccountable and possibly dangerous. Baron off leash – return to his owner. I am on the leash of truth. You better be glad I’m on a leash. Dogs off their leash end up in a cage. Many off leash end up in prison (2.3M population)/hell. Some of you off leash – turn.
Many run from/ignore/shoo/shoot stray dog. Love someone enough to turn them back to Jesus/Word of God. When returning a stray dog to its owner, you have to go out of your way (may get bit). When you do this, you cover, not expose, a multitude of sins.
Jesus came to Israel/humankind: STOP! Turn!
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Sin X 3
James 5:16, 19-20
Our passage has to do w/ confessing the sin (spiritual failure) that’s in you and confronting the sin that’s in other believers.
The word ‘sin’ hasn’t been used much in the book of James, but the reality of sin is all the way through this book. We have seen the sin of unbelief, unconcern, unloving favoritism, uncaring faith, unbridled tongue, unrelenting ambition, unholy passions, unruly greed. These things, and whatever else the Lord reveals, are what we are to confess in ourselves and confront in others.
Sin occurs 3X. When sin is mentioned in James, it’s not something that those outside the church do, it’s something we in the church do. The vast majority of times that sin is addressed in the Bible, it has to do w/ the sin of God’s people. Priests/prophets/pastors are not pointing their fingers at unbelievers, but at believers.
We all know that sin is missing the mark – it’s spiritual failure. And failure is measured against a standard. If you miss the mark, you must be aiming at a mark. And the mark is Matthew 5:48:
…you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Perfect = can’t be improved upon
But here’s the problem: in our spiritual lives, we’re not aiming for perfection – average is good enough. Our attitude is that sin is no big deal, missing the mark is of little concern, spiritual failure is nothing to lose sleep about. And one of the reasons we think this is because the standard that the Lord has set before us, perfection, is so ideal as to be unreal. And since we can never live up to what the Lord we adjust our expectations downward.
It’s too ideal and unreal to think I’ll never sin w/ my mouth. So I will allow a little filth/anger to come out – and I won’t be concerned or ashamed of it. It’s too ideal to strive for a life free of unholy passions. I’ll try to be relatively lust free, but to live a life above unholy passions is just not realistic. So, when I sin, when I miss the mark, when my life is characterized by spiritual failure – it’s no big deal. Therefore, when I sin, since it’s no big deal, I won’t confess my sin nor, since it’s no big deal, will I confront it in you.
“But if I strive for perfection, I will always live in guilt/shame.” God not want U 2 live in guilt/shame, but in brokenness/humility, always leaning.
Here is why sin is so dangerous – sin is like an acid eating away at the soul. Ill. – car won’t start/battery cable clamped tight to post/acid has built up and broken the connection. You can look real good – hand holding tight to the Bible/life connected church – but there’s been a loss of connection between you/Lord. There’s no life/power. Sin has eroded the joy in your life because you have thought it to be no big deal/of little concern. Sin has eaten away at the life of the Lord N U & U wonder why you are not experiencing life as it was meant to be lived.
Called to be uncommon, settling for common, living in compromise. You think that if you can hold the hand of that girl/get that boy to look at you/be the star athlete/get more people in your bed/make more money/be more popular/retire by 30/attain that promotion – you think that if you can attain these things that you will be happy and experience real life. But your present unhappiness and sense of dissatisfaction has nothing to do w/ not attaining these things, it has to do w/ the compromise you have made w/ sin. You were created to know God and redeemed to be holy, but you have allowed the acid that dissolves your soul to remain in you.
V20 - Look at the danger: he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death. James is addressing believers: v19: My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth…
Put the two together and you have a Christian straying from the truth/killing his soul/sending him to hell. Don’t mess w/ sin or sin will mess w/ you. THEREFORE:
V16 Confess your sins to one another/pray for one another/be healed…
What began as the elders praying for the sick in vv14-15 is to break out in all the church in v16. But notice the order: confess sins and then healing. This healing is either physical or spiritual, depending upon the need. No confession - no healing. The obvious implication is that some sickness is connected to sin/some spiritual weakness is connected to sin. Objections:
I only need to confess to God. Then why does James direct us to do this? Some sin needs only forgiveness. Other sin has begun a process of disease that will result in spiritual death – confess and be healed.
This sounds too Roman Catholic. The problem isn’t that it sounds too RC, but that the RCC has taken and twisted it from confession to one another to confession to a priest and added penance to it, which the text says nothing of. When someone confesses their sin to you, you are not to give them something to do – say this or do that. (I could get a lot done around here!) NT: Christ did it all! You are to say, “In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.” You’re not forgiving, you’re announcing.
If I confess my sin and reveal my failures, you might reject me or expose me. This is of real concern because in confession, you strip your soul naked. And many prefer hiding behind fig leaves. This is why v16 states that the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Confess your sin to a righteous man/woman.
Since sin is so serious confess and confront sin in others…
…strays from truth... What is the truth? Cf. 1:18 Life giving/guarding/ guiding word. What is straying? Off the leash – of truth. When I see a stray dog, I wonder where its owner is. Dog off leash is unaccountable and possibly dangerous. Baron off leash – return to his owner. I am on the leash of truth. You better be glad I’m on a leash. Dogs off their leash end up in a cage. Many off leash end up in prison (2.3M population)/hell. Some of you off leash – turn.
Many run from/ignore/shoo/shoot stray dog. Love someone enough to turn them back to Jesus/Word of God. When returning a stray dog to its owner, you have to go out of your way (may get bit). When you do this, you cover, not expose, a multitude of sins.
Jesus came to Israel/humankind: STOP! Turn!
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