Calvary Road Baptist Church

“YOU OUGHT TO PRAY” Part 1

James 5.13-18 

This message deals with some final comments from James, our Lord’s half-brother, and the Church’s senior pastor in Jerusalem. His letter is dedicated to encouraging and exhorting Christians to live by faith in their daily lives and talk by faith when they worship and are around other Christians.

My text, James 5.13-18, deals with one of the consummate acts of genuine faith: prayer. Though we cannot get through all six verses at this time, the verses deal with prayer. Let’s read these verses together: 

13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

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:

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. 

It is James’ purpose in the passage to show the child of God that prayer is an indispensable part of the Christian lifestyle, show that prayer is a vital function of living faith, and show that prayer is essential to the well-being of the Christian’s whole person, whether it be physical well-being, emotional well-being, or spiritual well-being.

So, without further delay, let’s examine the first two ways James exhorts his readers to prayer. 

JAMES FIRST EXHORTS HIS READERS TO PRAYER BY SHOWING THEM THAT PRAYER IS RELATED TO A CHRISTIAN’S EMOTIONAL HEALTH 

Verse 13:

“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.” 

James breaks a believer’s emotional well-being into two relative extremes: affliction and a merry heart. First, let’s look at affliction. The word “affliction,” kakopaqá½³w, refers to suffering misfortune or hardship.[1] It is a word that applies to most Christians in James’ day, as it applies to many Christians in foreign lands today. You can well imagine the kind of emotional state you or I might be in as a result of affliction, as a result of oppression and persecution, or mental anguish that seems as though it will never let up. The resultant emotional states that come from being afflicted can range from rage at one end of the spectrum to deep depression at the other end of the spectrum. Depression is the dirty sock of anger turned inside out.

We know that emotional reactions are a natural and God-given part of our lives, but too often, Christians are governed by our emotions rather than our emotions. So, it seems natural to me, considering these people’s already existing spiritual problems, to assume that their emotions were getting the best of them. Remembering at the outset of this letter, James directs his Christian readers to “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations,” James 1.2, with the word “count” ἡgá½³omai, being an imperative, a directive, a command, James shows disobedient Christians how to comply with God’s will that we “count it all joy” no matter our circumstances. No matter our circumstances.

To the afflicted person, the believer who seems unable to muster joy unspeakable and full of glory in his present situation, James does not suggest prayer or advise prayer but commands prayer. What kind of prayer? It depends. Maybe affliction is your lot only until you ask God to take it away. If that’s the case then pray according to Matthew 7.7-11: 

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 

Or perhaps affliction is what God’s plan is for your immediate future. Consider First Peter 4.12-19: 

12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.

16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. 

If this is God’s will for you, then you should pray that God grants you the grace to endure, grace that is no doubt available if you will make use of the means of grace. Or maybe you’re a worrier. Then Philippians 4.6-9 applies: 

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 

Lay your burden at the Lord’s feet and trust Him to deal with the situation as you commit yourself to doing right. Whatever your situation, the prayer of faith, not bellyaching or complaining or feeling grieved, is the answer for you.

But you may not be down and out when you are afflicted. You may feel like you’re on top of the world when an affliction comes upon you like an avalanche. What should you do then? Let’s look at a couple of representative examples of how you should act when you are merry. First, there is Acts 5.41. Here we see the response of the apostles when they had been beaten for preaching Christ and had refused to be quiet: 

“And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” 

Or how about the Apostle Paul? When he and Silas were beaten and imprisoned for the cause of Christ, they responded in the Philippian jail with praise, according to Acts 16.25, which reads, 

“and at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” 

“Is any merry?” James says, “Let him sing psalms.” Psalms are hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God. Psalms extol God’s grace, mercy, wisdom, and omnipotent power. Are you merry? Then, whether you are being afflicted or not, sing psalms. 

This, then, is the response of living faith to emotional challenges, to problems that plague your thought life, and issues related to your attitude. Why does it show faith to pray about such problems as these? Because faith has the Lord Jesus Christ for its object. And when you pray, you go to your Father in heaven through Jesus Christ and in His name to deal with the problems that afflict you.

Maybe it’s God’s will to remove the problem in answer to prayer. Maybe it’s His will to give you the grace to endure the problem in answer to prayer. Either way, the solution is found in going to Him in believing prayer, trusting Him to hear you, believing that He loves you enough to respond to your prayers, and recognizing that He has the power to respond in a way that will glorify Him. 

JAMES NEXT EXHORTS HIS READERS TO PRAYER BY SHOWING THEM THAT PRAYER IS RELATED TO A CHRISTIAN’S PHYSICAL HEALTH. 

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:

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. 

We first have an inquiry from James, after which he proceeds to give explicit instructions. His inquiry is very informative: 

“Is any sick amoung you?” 

What is the practical significance of such a question? It’s this ... James realized that from time to time Christians become physically ill. Much to the chagrin of many television preachers, I might add. How about the doctrinal significance of such a question? It’s this ... For James to ask such a question and to ask it without condemning those who might be sick or have physical ailments, he teaches us a very important lesson which is supported by other portions of Scripture. What it teaches is this: When the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and shed His blood on the cross, He did not remove every physical illness and problem Christians suffer from time to time. Those who teach that He did take away all diseases and infirmities are simply wrong.

Some professing Christians become very upset when such errors are pointed out. They seem to think that it is wrong to point out errors. They think it is unspiritual to be picky and particular about the truth. However, did not John the Baptist strongly condemn and correct the error of the religious leaders of his day? He sure did. And he was filled with the Spirit from his birth.[2] Yet some Church members think it is wrong to address the errors of fellow Church members, that it is wrong to confront their children about their sins, and to point out the errors and dangers or prominent religious leaders.

Did not the Lord Jesus Christ cry out against the sin and rebellion He witnessed in His day? Did He not drive men from the Temple with a whip when He observed them practicing error?[3] And He was God. But some say, “Those men were not Christians who were spoken out against.” In Galatians chapter 2, what about Paul when he publicly rebuked Peter for doctrinal error? And in First Timothy 1.20, when he named Alexander and Hymenaeus? To criticize for the sake of criticizing is to sin. But to humbly correct error so that it will not lead God’s children astray is called being a pastor and is the duty of every Church member, according to Galatians 6.1. I can’t help if some may not want to do their duty as pastors or Church members.

I can’t help it if some parents are afraid to call their children’s sins sin or their spouse’s sins sin. But I can help it in my own life and ministry. So, if you don’t want a spiritual leader or fellow Church member to lovingly but firmly call things the way we see them, if you want a preacher who is more interested in not making waves among the brethren than in faithfully preaching the Word, you have an issue to address.

Having made inquiries regarding sickness and aroused their attention, James now proceeds to give instructions for dealing with sickness in the Church.

Instruction #1 - “let him call for the elders of the Church”   When a Christian is sick, that Church member is to summon the elders of the Church where he or she is a member. Lord, have mercy on the man or woman who will not bring himself or herself to join a Church, who will not make that commitment to serve Christ who loved you and gave Himself for you. Church member, this passage instructs you to call for me. It does not direct me to find out who is sick. The responsibility for taking the first step is yours. Your calling for me shows that you have faith in God, at least enough to follow His instructions. What if a nonmember calls me? I will come anyway, of course. But to be in the perfect place of blessing in such a situation, you will join a Church and serve God there. It is God’s plan for all of His children, without exception!

Instruction #2 - “and let them pray over him”   Once the Christian Church member has demonstrated living faith by calling the elders in obedience to the Word of God, the elders demonstrate their living faith by praying over the sick brother in Christ. The faith of others being honored by the Great Physician is shown in Mark 2.1-5: 

1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.

4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. 

Notice verse 5 again: 

“When Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” 

And the man was healed. Another example is in Mark 9.23-24, where our Lord casts a demon from a boy because of his father’s faith. Still another was the Roman centurion’s servant healed with the Lord commending the centurion’s great faith, Luke 7.9. How can such things as these happen in the lives of people who will not call their pastor to their bedside when they are ill? When you are sick, you are to call the elders of the Church. If you are too sick to reach out, you’d better hope you have loved ones with faith to do what those in God’s Word did for their sick loved ones.

Instruction #3 - “anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”   This final instruction is the most controversial of the three. The question is, “Just exactly what is meant by anointing him with oil?” Some anoint the forehead of a sick person with olive oil in response to this verse, seeing this as a ceremonial observance, while others do not. In this situation, as in every situation, we must let the Word of God speak for itself in the matter. And this the Word of God will do if we are careful students. In the King James Bible there are two Greek words translated into the single English work “anoint.” I’ll simply label them #1 and #2.

Word number 1 is crá½·w. It is the verb from which we get the word Christ, which means anointed one. In the Greek language, word #1 always has either a symbolic or a religious or sacred significance to it. If you were to anoint the high priest of Israel, this would be the Greek word you would use to describe the act of pouring oil on his head.

Word #2 is á¼€leá½·fw. This word is never used in the Greek language, or at least rarely used, in a sacred or religious sense. This word’s literal meaning, and mental picture would fit the following examples: When a woman applies hand lotion to her rough and chapped hands, this is the Greek word describing her act. When a man applies shaving lotion to his face before his morning bloodletting, this word fits what he is doing with the shaving cream.

We must not forget to interpret the Word of God in light of how words were used in the era when the Bible was written. In many illnesses and ailments during apostolic times, applying olive oil or anointing with olive oil was considered the best medical treatment.

Let us draw our conclusions from this information, taking into account the meaning of the word anoint, á¼€leá½·fw, in this passage, and taking into account that the context deals primarily with James’ exhortation to prayer. Plus, what we know about the culture of James’ day, I feel compelled to interpret James’ three instructions in the following manner:

We do all we can with our doctor and then say, “God, it isn’t enough.” Then He begins to work.

We had the inquiry from James, then the instructions. Now, let us take note of the implications of what James instructs us to do. The first part of verse 15 reads, 

“and the prayer of faith shall save the sick.” 

Having just commanded three steps to be taken, James indicates that physical salvation or restoration will occur due to this prayer of faith.

You may think, “But not everyone I’ve prayed for was raised back to health again.” “Does that mean that I didn’t have enough faith?” The answer to that question is “No.” Don’t begin to convict yourself of some horrible sin should someone you pray for not recover from an illness. We must understand that God will do what He chooses, regardless of what we ask in prayer. That’s where the term “prayer of faith” comes in. It refers to a prayer for someone in accord with God's will. God is not going to raise someone off of a sick bed when He has determined that a person’s time to pass on to eternity has come. The prayer of faith realizes that. For this reason, a Pastor will sometimes be reluctant to pray for the physical healing of someone until he is satisfied God is leading him to pray for that person’s recovery. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit leads you to pray, not that they will recover, but that they will be a great testimony during the final hours of life in the flesh. But when God comforts you with the assurance that it is His will for that sick person to recover, you can rest assured God’s answer to your prayers will come through. 

I know I’ve addressed some side issues, but let’s not avoid the main thought of this passage being a directive to pray. Do you know why the emotional health of many Christians is out of whack? Because they don’t pray. Because they choose to worry instead of asking God to carry their burdens. Because they’d rather grumble about their afflictions than seek a Christ-honoring solution through prayer.

The way Christians grumble about our problems, hold on to grudges, and fret rather than seeking a God-honoring remedy reminds me of a saying my Dad used to say to me when I’d gripe about something. He would say, “You’d complain if you were hung with a new rope.” You bet I would. I was a professional complainer.

But when things get good in our lives, even though we may stop complaining, we too often forget to praise God for His mercy. We’re too busy, you see. That’s the emotional aspect of our lives. Prayer is vital in this area. And it’s vital in the area of our physical health, too.

We’ve seen in the Word of God that prayer is God’s primary avenue of healing for the Christian. It is at least the first step to be taken. But did you realize that many Christians forget entirely their prayer life during these times and rarely call for me to come to their side.

With a few exceptions, it is rare for a Church member facing distressing physical problems to comply with James 5.14 and call me to come and pray for relief. Although it is a free country, I think such neglect is wrong. Asking the whole Church to pray for you is a different course of action than is urged upon us by James. When you are sick, your pastor should be the first person you call.

If you wonder why I do not initiate contact with a sick Church member, keep in mind that it is not my faith that is key in this situation but yours. This is a step of faith you are directed to take, not me.

Before I close, allow me a few moments to answer some questions in advance that you ought to have on your mind. Let me ask myself the question that you might be thinking about yourself. “Pastor, what about faith healing on TV?”

Let me say that the Bible is our only guide to answering such questions as these. We know and realize that God gave certain men the power to heal others, but we also know that this occurred for a very short period in human history.

I am a cessationist and am convinced that sign gifts such as the gift of healing, and the gift of tongues is no longer given to Christians by the Spirit of God. Not since the 70 A. D. destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.[4] At the close of Paul’s life, he remarked about Epaphroditus being sick unto death.[5] And then Trophimus, who he had left sick at Miletus.[6] How could this happen unless Paul’s miraculous powers had ceased? Then, there was his physical malady that God refused to heal.[7]

In addition to this, James specifically instructed Christians on what to do when they are sick. They are not instructed to go to a faith healer. They are directed to call for the elders of their Church. To do otherwise is to sin. 

“He that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” 

God’s plan for a sick Christian is not a healing line. “But what about the people who are healed in those things?” Three possibilities for you to analyze yourself:

  1. The individual’s ailment was psychosomatic and wasn’t really a physical problem. The great M. R. DeHaan, a doctor before entering the ministry, estimated that 85% of all physical problems were psychological. This might explain many so-called healings.
  2. The second reason for these healings can be found in Second Thessalonians 2.9. In this verse, Paul ascribes supernatural powers and wonders to Satan. Satan does have the power to heal people if it helps his cause. And I am persuaded Pentecostalism and the Charismatic Movement is Satan’s cause, not God’s.
  3. Third, people are healed in response to the prayers of sincere but ignorant Christians. They want God to receive the glory, but they do not realize that He is glorified when His people pray and when they are obedient, such as being obedient to James 5.14.

So, you have a choice as to how you will respond when you are sick and maybe even right to death. You can respond to the personal magnetism and appeal of a dynamic television personality who appears to have tremendous results, or you can, with simple childlike faith, obey the infallible Word of God.

Where are you at today, Christian? Does preaching the Word of God like it is rankle your pride? Does it make you mad? Are you grieved by a preacher who dares to rock the boat for God?

If so, could you possibly be the one the Holy Spirit wants this sermon aimed at? Maybe you are the one who has a faulty prayer life. Maybe you are the one who needs to begin working on obedience as a way of life.

__________

[1] Rogers, Jr., Cleon L. and Rogers III, Cleon L., The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key To The Greek New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: ZondervanPublishingHouse, 1998), page 564.

[2] Luke 1.41

[3] Matthew 21.12; Luke 19.45; John 2.15

[4] I am persuaded sign gifts of the Spirit, most especially the gift of tongues, were warnings of God’s impending judgment of the Jewish people.

[5] Philippians 2.25-30

[6] 2 Timothy 4.20

[7] 2 Corinthians 12.8-10

 

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