James 5:13-18 “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them 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 them up. If they have sinned, they 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 person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. 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.
3 important questions about prayer
1. WHY should we pray?
James 5:16 “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
James 5:17” Elijah was a human being, even as we are. 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.”
2. WHEN should we pray? So if prayer is that powerful then when should we do it?
When you need WISDOM
James 1:5 “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”
b. When you’re weak
James 5:13-15 “ Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well.”
c. When you are WRONG or when you have been WRONGED
James 5:6 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
3. HOW should we pray?
a. Pray with Faith James 5:13-15 “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them 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 them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
James 1:6 "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord..”
Matthew 17:20 “I tell you the truth, if your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. All things will be possible for you.”
b. Pray with Focus
James 4:2 “you do not have because you do not ask…”
c. Pray with Feeling James 5:16b NKJV “the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much…”
d. Pray with Frequency
James 5:16 MSG “make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.”
James 5:17-18 “ Elijah was a human being, even as we are. 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.”
e. Pray with Friends
Matthew 18:19-20 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…”
1. Invitation to change our PERSPECTIVE.
Invitation to change our Perspective
2. Invitation into His PRESENCE.
Luke 8:40-48 ESV “Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.””
Luke 8:45-46 “And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.””
Mark 10:46-52 ESV “And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.”
James 3:1-12… 'Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. ' James 3:1-12 NIV
YOUR TONGUE IS STRONGER THAN YOU THINK ANYONE CAN SPEAK TO YOU BUT NOT EVERYONE GETS THE PERMISSION TO SPEAK INTO YOU.
In proverbs 18:21 it says 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue… in verses 10-11 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? Jesus also echoes this in Matthew 12:33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
James 2:17 CSB “…Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”
MAIN THOUGHT — Faith is shown when we Live it Out.
3 things about faith and how that is lived out.
1. Faith lived out takes TRUST
James 2:25 CSB “In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?” Joshua 6:25 NIV Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day. Hebrews 11:31 NLT It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with all the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. 2. Faith lived out takes OBEDIENCE
James 2:21 CSB“Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.”
3. Faith lived out takes ACTION
James 2:14-18 CSB “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. Faith lived out has to be accompanied by action. James 1:22-24 CSB“But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in the mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was.” Matthew 25:40 says, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
James 1: 2-4 (NLT): “2 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing..”
That’s today’s main idea. Write this down. . .
Problems Present Opportunities What are our opportunities?
Problems present an opportunity to be joyful.
23 After being severely beaten, Paul and Silas were thrown into jail. The jailer was ordered to guard them carefully. 24 When he heard this order, he put them far inside the jail. He pinned down their feet between large blocks of wood. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing songs to God. The other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly, there was a big earthquake. It was so strong that it shook the foundation of the jail. Then all the doors of the jail broke open. All the prisoners were freed from their chains (ICB).” John 13:34 (TLB) “33 I have told you all this so that you will have peace of heart and mind. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world.”
Psalm 16:11 (NIV) says, “. . . you fill me with joy in your presence. . .”
2) Problems present an opportunity to have our faith tested.
1 Peter 1:7 (NLT) “7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
3) Problems present an opportunity for our endurance to grow.
James 1:3-4 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing..”
James 1:12 (CSB): “Blessed is the one who endures trills, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
James 1:5 (TLB) “5 If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it.
