Sermon 2025/01/11 -BG
James 5:13-18
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
Prayer is a pathway to God’s presence
Too many Christians know a lot about God but rarely experience His presence in their lives. Sometimes, this is simply due to a lack of time spent in prayer. Other times, it stems from an over-emphasis on the transcendence of God—where God is only spoken of in lofty and exalted terms (and rightfully so)—but to the point that He becomes distant or detached from our daily lives. However, as we grow in prayer, we discover that God is close.
When we talk about growing in our prayer lives, we are referring to much more than just the mechanics or methods. The focus of prayer is not the act of praying itself, but God. We pray not simply to go through the motions, but to experience the presence of God. Praying, like climbing mountains, is a challenge, but it is much more than that. We do not pray simply because “it is there.” Instead, prayer is our response to God’s interest in us and His love for us.
Prayer and God’s presence are two sides of the same coin. Awareness of God’s presence comes as a result of spending time communing with Him. Prayer deepens our relationship with God; it is how we learn the mind and will of God. To pray is to become increasingly aware that God’s Spirit lives within us. By bringing us into the presence of God and giving us a glimpse of the eternal perspective, prayer radically changes how we experience life.
To learn to live in the spirit of prayer is to learn to walk in the presence of God. As Brother Lawrence, a seventeenth-century French monk, discovered, we can grow in listening and guidance until we are “practicing the presence of God,” becoming increasingly aware of His presence and gentle leading in all the circumstances of our lives.
Prayer involves grabbing hold of God and living out of a divine center—allowing our faith to permeate every facet of our lives.
When we practice being aware of God’s presence, we begin to pick up His signals throughout the day. Wherever we may be, we start to dialogue with the Lord. We share our hearts with Him, knowing He is listening because He speaks back to us. We can commune meaningfully with the Lord whether in the car, on the job, at home, while working out, while playing with a child, lying in bed at night, or anytime, anywhere, under any circumstance. Prayer is not confined to being in church or on our knees; it is about recognizing God’s presence in and around us.
This kind of living does not happen effortlessly. We must desire it and seek it with all our hearts. It requires choosing a course of action that draws us into constant communion with God. This means practicing disciplines such as prayer, meditation, listening, and seeking guidance that will put us in a position to hear from God.
Communion with God becomes a launching pad for effective service and ministry in partnership with Him. Intimacy brings confidence and peace, affirming that we are indeed in a relationship with the living God. Living out of a divine center allows our faith to take on new significance as we express it in every facet of life.
Prayer changes a person. When we pray, we enter the very presence of God. The amazing reality is that we cannot be in the presence of a holy God and not be changed. Thus, real prayer is life-creating and life-changing. Praying is to change. The closer we come to the heartbeat of God, the more we see our need and the more we desire to be conformed to Christ.
All Christians pray, but not all Christians are effective or skillful in prayer. Being skillful in prayer means getting your prayers answered with a “Yes” every time.
Eph 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
There are different kinds of prayer, each with its own rules and purposes. Just as carpenters use various tools for different jobs, there are different types of prayer suited for different problems or circumstances.
Luke 11:1 Lord teach us how to pray.
No Christian can truly be what God intends for them to be unless they are skillful in prayer, knowing which type of prayer to use in each moment. Prayer is about joining forces with God to carry out His will on earth. Each kind of prayer has specific rules that must be followed. Prayer is not a shot in the dark, nor is it just talking or begging God for something. It is as foolish to think we can reach a specific destination without a map or directions as it is to think we can achieve answered prayer without knowing and applying the right principles. There are rules that govern the operation of successful prayer.
Rule #1 “A Must”: Always know the will of God before you pray.
1 John 5:14,15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
John 15:17 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
(MSG) If you make yourself at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon
“Abide” means, in reference to persons, to survive or live. It also means to remain, in reference to a place, not to depart, to continue to be present, to be held, kept continually. In reference to time, it means to continue to be, to last, to endure. I especially like this: to remain as one, not to become another.
God’s will and God’s Word are the same—they are identical. It is always God’s will to keep His Word.
Did you know that your prayers can also be hindered? God does not listen to the pleas for blessing from those who have broken the covenant of marriage. Here is one example:
1 Peter 3:7: “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”
There is a direct correlation between the way a man treats his wife and the effectiveness of his prayers.
Binding and Loosing (Authority)
Matthew 18:18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
(Cotton Patch) I give you my word that whatever you bind in the physical realm shall have been bound in the spiritual realm, and whatever you loose in the physical realm shall have been loosed in the spiritual realm.
God gave man (Adam) authority on earth (Gen 1:26). He lost it to Satan, but Jesus defeated Satan for us and gave man (us) back the authority on earth—now (Mark 16:15-18).
People often ask, “Why does God allow disasters to happen?” Jesus said that God has given us authority on earth.
Matthew 16:19 is a key passage where Jesus says to Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Here, Jesus is giving Peter a significant role in leading the early Christian church.
Matthew 18:18 extends this authority to the broader group of disciples: “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
James 4:7: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” He didn’t say to pray that God would get the devil off your case.
Ephesians 4:27: “Nor give place to the devil.” (NET: “Do not give the devil an opportunity.”)
Many Christians think the Lord permits disasters, sickness, or trouble for some noble purpose. But, in reality, it is up to us what is allowed, permitted, or forbidden. God will allow or permit anything that you will allow or permit. He will also not allow or permit anything that you will not allow or permit.
Ephesians 6:12: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Luke 10:19: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
We have God-given authority over all the power of Satan because Jesus gives us the power of attorney to use His name (Mark 16:17).
The power of attorney (POA) is a legal document that gives someone the authority to act on behalf of another person. The person who gives the authority is called the principal, and the person who receives it is called the agent or attorney-in-fact. The power of attorney gives us the legal right to use Jesus’ name, in His place, for Him, as if He were personally present—go ye!
About the name of Jesus:
Philippians 2:9-10: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth.”
You have God-given authority to bind (forbid) or loose (allow) here and now on earth, and God and all His power will back you up!
Matthew 28:18: “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'”
You must know what is backing up the name of Jesus and your authority to use His name. This prayer refuses to back down after you have bound or loosed in Jesus’ name.
For clarification on praying in Jesus’ name:
John 16:23: “And in that day you will ask Me (Jesus) nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He (God) will give you.”
Matthew 6:6: “Pray to thy Father.”
Matthew 6:9: “Jesus said, ‘After this manner therefore pray ye, Our Father…'”
Jesus’ name gives us access in prayer to Almighty God, our Father.
Laying on of Hands
Laying on of hands is for all believers
Laying on of hands is a basic doctrine of Christ – part of our foundation – an elementary principle
Mark 8:22-25 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him and begged Him to touch him. (23) So, He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. (24) And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” (25) Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.
Jesus did not pray for the blind man twice; He transmitted the anointing twice.
Progressive Healing: This miracle stands out because it is one of the few in the Gospels where the healing isn’t instantaneous. Some scholars see this as a demonstration of Jesus’ humanity alongside His divinity, showing that even His miracles could involve a process. It might also reflect the gradual nature of spiritual insight or faith in some people’s lives.
Symbolism for Disciples: Many interpret this event symbolically, particularly in relation to the disciples’ understanding. Just before this miracle, Jesus had been teaching about His impending death and resurrection, but the disciples didn’t fully understand (Mark 8:17-21). Like the blind man who saw partially at first, the disciples had a partial understanding but needed further “touch” or revelation from Jesus to see clearly.
The Two-Stage Miracle: The two-stage healing might signify the need for patience and persistence in faith. It could be a lesson in not just seeing the physical but also the spiritual, encouraging believers to seek a deeper understanding of Jesus’ mission and teachings.
Teaching Faith and Perception: This could also be seen as a lesson on the nature of faith and how it can grow. The blind man’s faith might have been in the initial act, but the complete healing required another touch, symbolizing that faith sometimes needs nurturing or further divine intervention to reach full maturity.
Acts 28:8-9: “And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him, and He healed him. So, when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.”
Jesus and the early church used the “laying on of hands” more than any other method for getting people healed.
James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
Suffering: suffer evils, hardships, troubles, enduring affliction
Sing psalms: singing praises, making music or make melody, in the NT to sing a hymn, to celebrate the praises of God in song
James 5:14: “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
- The elders help to settle disputes in the church.
- They are to watch out for the church in humility.
- They are to watch out for the spiritual life of the flock.
- They are to spend their time praying and teaching the Word.
- They pray for the sick.
Since the elders must meet specific qualifications, their lives are godly and therefore the sin in their lives is minimal and is confessed regularly; therefore, they are used to pray for the sick. One of the necessities in prayer is praying for the Lord’s will to be done, and they are expected to do this.
The initiative lies with the sick person in sending for the elders, who are the officers of the church (1 Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9), and whose faith the sick person is trusting to release healing. Their qualifications characterize them as men and women of personal uprightness and spiritual maturity, having special ability, particularly in the areas of discernment. As overseers, they hold positions of authority and presumably are people of faith and prayer.
The “anointing with oil” prayer is for those who have not been able to receive healing on their own. The elders have received authority from God to anoint with oil for the sick to receive their healing. The person being anointed with oil and prayed for has exercised their faith by calling on the elders.
Psalm 23:5: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.”
Anointing means to lift the burden and destroy the yoke, or simply, God’s ability on man. Sickness, disease, poverty, and trouble in the life of a family or loved one are enemies.
Call – Get anointed.
Prayer of Faith: In Greek, this is literally “the prayer of the faith,” referring to the gift of faith the Holy Spirit gives. Here, the faith is granted to one or more of the elders to believe in healing. “Save” in this instance refers to physical restoration rather than spiritual salvation.
The prayer of faith is for you, those under your authority, or it can be offered for those young in the Lord.
Mark 11:24: “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
Simply stated: To believe—trust and be confident—that it is granted to you, and you will get it.
Faith is believing God’s Word to the point that the Word of God is the only thing you will speak in line with, agree with, and act on.
Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
What is faith? It is that which gives substance to our hopes, convincing us of things we cannot see. Faith is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us.
Bible Hope: is in the promises God’s Word says are ours because of the redemptive work of Jesus.
The prayer of faith, when offered up to God, our Father, believes that they have the answer when they say “Amen” to the prayer. The person praying the prayer of faith believes they have received their healing, their needs met, their problem solved before they see it come to pass, feel healed, or have the money to meet their need.
Faith always knows the Word of God (The Scriptures) that cover what they are praying for.
Faith is a law:
Romans 3:27: “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.”
Faith, when put into motion, it works every time. Just like the law of gravity or the law that causes things to reproduce after their own kind.
You are full of the God-Kind of faith—faithfulness.
Ephesians 3:12: “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.”
Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Faith Principles:
- Find God’s Word that covers whatever need you may have.
Matthew 4:4: Jesus said, “It (God’s Word) is written.”
- God has spoken – It is impossible to be otherwise.
Mark 9:23: Jesus said, “All things are possible to him that believeth.”
Matthew 4:4: “All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
Mark 11:24: “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
- God’s Word must be your final authority.
Hebrews 8:6: “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.”
Jesus is the Mediator of the new and better covenant; He is the one who has the final say.
Your speech and actions must agree with the Word of God.
James 1:22: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Don’t only hear the message but put it into practice. The Word of God must inspire you, like a flame of fire, moving you to act only on God’s Word!
God wants us with the AMEN that never knows anything else than AMEN, an inward AMEN, a mighty moving AMEN, a God-likeness AMEN! That which says, “It is because God has spoken. It cannot be otherwise.”
It is impossible for us to doubt in our spirit because we have God’s nature (ZOE – the life of the Eternal God). God’s life is absolute life, absolute love, and absolute faith. There’s not a speck of doubt in the God-Kind of Faith that is in us!
Romans 12:2: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Renew your thinking. We all should become experts in praying the prayer of faith.
James 5:16 (NKJV): “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Amplified: “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Phillips: “Tremendous power is made available through a good man’s earnest prayer.”
The fervent prayer of a righteous man is characterized by earnestness, fervency, and energy to release results, as illustrated in the next verse. What about “continued”? Did you know the Word of God tells you to “pray without ceasing”?
The concept of “without ceasing” is crucial to understand. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the command to “pray without ceasing” consists of three simple words, but it holds a profound meaning.
It is indeed possible to cultivate a spirit that is habitually devotional, keeping our hearts attuned to the transcendent.
The Greek word for “without ceasing” is adialeptos, which doesn’t mean non-stop but rather constantly recurring prayer. Just as it is possible to love without ceasing, adoration for God can enable you to be continuously aware of His presence, creating a desire to punctuate your days, hours, and minutes with communion and fellowship through prayer. This adoration can transform sporadic and stammering prayers into a constant and characteristic attitude of reverence and dependence on God.
It is possible to keep your mind consciously in God’s presence.
Psalm 34:1 declares, “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Similarly, Isaiah 26:3 promises, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
In spite of his greatness, Elijah was subject to the same feelings and liable to the same weaknesses we all experience. Effectual, miracle-producing prayer is not limited to a certain few. All believers can “pray for one another” with the same results. The power of prayer is unleashed in the lives of those who spend time in God’s presence. This power resides in the One who has invited us so often and so urgently to pray, the One whose death has given us access to the throne of the God of the universe—our Savior, Jesus Christ.
1 Kings 18 tells the story of a duel between Elijah and 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah on Mt. Carmel. After spending all day in frantic prayer, dancing and slashing their bodies, the 850 prophets received no response. Then, Elijah prayed a simple and direct prayer, and God immediately struck the altar (which had been saturated with water) with His fire. Hundreds of years later, the apostle James wrote about Elijah and how his prayers produced remarkable displays of God’s power.
Thus, James contended, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (v. 16). This same awesome power of God is still available to believers today. When was the last time we saw God’s power unleashed in response to our prayers?
God’s power released in answer to Elijah’s prayer was indeed remarkable, but the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel is not an isolated event. The Bible reports numerous occasions when the power of God was unleashed in response to the prayers of His servants, including Abraham, Moses, Hannah, Samuel, David, Hezekiah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, Peter, John, Paul, and James. Down through the ages, God has answered the prayers of His people. God’s enemies prosper when Christians fail to pray.
Prayer precedes revival, renewal, and signs and wonders. Prayer is the difference between doing things for God in our own strength or carrying on His ministry by the power of the Holy Spirit. Anything truly great is accomplished “not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6). When we cooperate with the Spirit, we can accomplish so much more for the Kingdom.
The story in 1 Samuel about Hannah and prayer should inspire you. Through intense intercession for a child, Hannah was moving in concert with God. Not only did He give her the desires of her heart, but it also brought about the will and blessing of God for an entire nation. Think about that for a minute—the burden, deep distress, and cries of a woman brought about the will and blessings of God for an entire nation. Our individual voices do matter. They matter to God especially because it is a heart issue.
A few key points are:
- Hannah entrusts the longings of her heart to God.
- The burden on her heart was in alignment with a burden on God’s heart.
- God tells us to “Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
This is divine revelation and spiritual warfare, Faith’s warfare. God promised Jeremiah that if he would call to Him, not only would He answer him, but He would reveal to him great and mighty things that could not otherwise be known. The suggestion is that God would give Jeremiah revelation and insight, revealing things that otherwise would be inaccessible. Such revelational insight has always been essential for clear understanding of victorious spiritual warfare. One cannot pray effectively without insight into how to pray, as well as into what things God truly longs for us to seek after in prayer.
The New Testament Divine Healing Covenant (James 5:13-18):
Just as Exodus 15:26 is called the OT Divine Healing Covenant, James 5:13-18 is viewed as the NT Divine Healing Covenant. The inspired apostle affirms that those sick persons whom the elders of the church anoint with oil and for whom they pray will be healed. Some critics of healing today contend that oil was a medicinal remedy with which the sick were to be massaged, but it is clear the oil is intended as a symbol of the work of the Holy Spirit, who is present to glorify Jesus in healing works (John 16:14-15). The text plainly states that “the Lord [not the oil] will raise him up” (v.15). This practice was probably intended to be a sacrament, even as baptism and the Lord’s Supper are continually observed today.
Here is an abiding healing covenant to be held as such and practiced today:
- The sick are to exercise faith in calling for the elders.
- Confession of sin and heart preparation are important since our physical well-being is never separated from or made primary above our spiritual health.
- Healing may come as the result of corporate, group, or personal prayer.
- The anointing with oil is a prophetic action—declaring the present dependence upon the Anointed One, Christ Jesus, whose power is ministered by the present work of the Holy Spirit in our midst.
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