Let’s read James 5:13-20 together.

Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing praise.

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 one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.  Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

How many of you have seen The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy?  Of course now we have The Hobbit - which is how we got into this whole mess.

The basic plot of The Lord of the Rings is what?  There’s this ring - the One Ring of Sauron - that’s given to this innocent and somewhat naïve hobbit Frodo - who’s suppose to take this ring - which is the embodiment of evil - take this ring and destroy it by throwing it into this volcano - Mount Doom - in the dark and evil land of Mordor.

To help Frodo destroy the ring a group is assembled - The Fellowship Of The Ring.  Which is an unlikely fellowship.  Not in our wildest dreams would we ever think of putting these individuals together - 2 humans who really don’t trust each other - a dwarf - an elf - and three other half size hobbitses.

This fellowship is guided by the white wizard Gandalf - who’s a Christ-like figure.  He passes through death into life.  Gandalf guides and preserves Frodo as he travels to destroy the One Ring.

We’re together?

A fellowship of eight individuals who each struggle with their own issues - have their own points of weakness - and yet will stand by each other - give their lives for each other - following the guidance of Gandalf - will sacrifice everything for their common cause.  Eight individuals to whom is entrusted the future of Middle Earth. 

Reading through Scripture - and skimming through Church history - God at work bringing glorify to Himself by His work of redeeming mankind - isn’t it amazing how often God seemingly chooses the wrong people?  Unlikely people.  Seemingly unprepared.  Often outmatched.  People who stumble in their faith.  Not the brightest bulbs in the box.  Not people that we would probably choose.

Because of course we would choose the right people for the task.  Totally capable.  People who have it all together spiritually and in every way. 

All of which points out - God seemingly choosing the wrong people - that just maybe God knows something that we don’t.

Thinking about where we are today as a congregation.  There isn’t anybody here that doesn’t have something going on in their lives.  Whether that’s purely economics or relational stuff or physical or emotional or just our ongoing struggles with sin.  We’ve all got something going on.  And way too often it seems like we’re slipping.

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.  That assumes we’ve got a rope.

It would be easy for us to think that maybe - at least in our case - just maybe this time God really has chosen the wrong people.  But God doesn’t make mistakes.  Sometimes the wrong people are the right people.  Maybe God knows something we don’t.

If we could accomplish God’s purposes on our own who gets the glory?  We do.  To the glory of our own egos.  But God chooses us so that He - God - can display His glory through us.  So that He - God - can use us to bring others to Him.

Hang on to that.  Creekside - God has brought us here together to glorify Him - to use us to reach the world around us with His gospel.

In this letter of James that we’ve been looking at - James has been writing to Jewish believers scattered all over the Roman Empire - who are generally on the lower rung of society - outcasts in Roman society - outcasts even with their own people - Christian Jews who are persecuted - abused - struggling - and if they aren’t yet they can see the persecution coming.  Believers who given all the drama around them struggled to live faithful in their relationship with Jesus.

Point being:  If there’s drama in life these people had drama.

James has been writing to them - and us - about faith - real faith in real time.  Turning to God in the worst drama of life so that God produces in us real stability and love and humility and endurance - lives that testify of who He is and what it means - the awesomeness of going through life trusting Him.

God has called us here together - not to destroy evil - which Jesus has already done - through His death and resurrection.  But to live in faith - living with real faith in real life - trusting in God - standing firm in His victory - intentionally living and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in such a way that others will see Jesus in us - so that others will desire to join us in His fellowship by committing themselves to God through Jesus Christ.

Question:  How do we do that? 

James - as he’s bringing his letter to a close - focuses on one crucial essential for life together as siblings in Jesus.  The Essential Of Prayer.

If we are to live together as siblings in Jesus - regardless of our circumstances and our own hang ups - if we are to help each other to keep moving forward - to support each other - to stand firm together in faith - to move forward together trusting God so that God will accomplish His great purposes in us and through us for His glory - we must be together in prayer.

What can that look like for us?

First - James teaches us that Prayer Is Constant.  Continual.  Ongoing.

Verse 13:  Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing praise.    

When I was kid our house burned.  Picture.  After they’d put out the fire and there was the ruined building.  Basically what was left were the walls.  With the walls standing there - the phone rang.  It was an insurance company wanting to sell my folks fire insurance.

When it comes to prayer - how often do we close the barn door after the horse has left?

Remember the words to What A Friend We Have In Jesus?  What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

Remember how the first verse ends?  Very realistic:  Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.

Doesn’t it seem like most people - when life is coming apart at the seams - unraveling - when things finally get to the really overwhelming part - when we get to the point in our pain and suffering and stress and anxiety and we have no place else to go - when our lives are crashing and burning then we want God to fix the problem and immediately make it all better.

After we’ve spent so much time and effort messing things up - when we finally come to the end our whit and wisdom and ability to work things out - then we call on God.

Its almost like we have this idea that praying is a distraction - something that is keeping us from working out the solution.  But prayer brings us to the One who is the solution.  Even before we get to the point of desperation - we need to be praying.

Chuck Swindoll writes:  In every circumstance - sickness - health - joy - hardship - we must go to God in prayer.  Prayer not only reflects an attitude of genuine faith, but it also reveals patient endurance as we turn to God to handle life’s struggles in His timing and according to His promises. (1)  

The instant we go to God in prayer God may not immediately take away whatever the suffering is.  Prayer isn’t about being delivered from suffering but about God taking us through suffering.  Prayer is about walking with God through the drama of life.

James writes about being cheerful.  Cheerfulness is attitude of the heart and mind.  A realization that God is with us as we go through whatever it is that we’re going through.  Joy - the realization of God’s presence -  even in the midst of drama.

Prayer can be worship - honoring God - testifying and thanking Him for Who He is and what He’s done - what He’s doing.  Praising God.

James begins with the bad and the good - some days are better than others  - hard times - good times - suffering - cheerful.  Whatever circumstances we need to pray.  Prayers of request.  Prayers of praise.  If we’re going to move forward together we need to be in prayer.  Prayer is a constant. 

Then James teaches us that Prayer Is Public.  Not a private - keep it to myself - suffer in silence endurance thing.

Verse 14:  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.  

Way too often - in so many churches - it seems like the pastor or the leadership of the congregation are the last people to know if someone needs prayer.  Maybe if there’s some major illness or something that’s gone on for weeks - finally someone calls and asks for prayer.

James writes - when we’re suffering - physically sick - call for the elders.  Get in touch with the spiritual leadership of the church.  Engage the congregation in prayer.

It is great that so many here use our Communication Cards to share prayer requests so that as a staff we get to pray for folks.  Or the Prayer Tree is used to get people praying for specific needs.  People respond to the prayer letter that goes out and the names in the bulletin and on the Creekside Connection and systematically - week by week - folks are getting prayed for by their Christian siblings.  Sharing God stories is amazing.  Being able to praise God together over what God is doing. 

James is teaching that our physical illnesses are not a private personal matter to keep to ourselves.  That doesn’t mean that everyone needs to know all the gross gory details.  But, we do need to know enough to pray. 

We shouldn’t hesitate to ask for prayer.  The spiritual leadership - as representatives of the congregation as a whole - the leadership needs to know so that we can be praying.  Engage the congregation in prayer.

James gives us a description of what that can look like.

James writes that the elders take oil.  In the Bible, oil is used in two distinct ways.

Use number one is medical.  Cleaning wounds.  Oil was even used for toothaches.  The Good Samaritan pours wine and oil on the injured man.  Wine cleans the wound.  Oil soothes and protects it.

Use number two is ceremonial.  Samuel uses oil to anoint David king as King of Israel.  Things dedicated to God get sprinkled with oil.  Consecration.  Meaning spiritual.

With oil there’s both a physical and a spiritual significance.  The leadership takes oil and anoints the sick person - putting oil on them - physical - and notice how... in the name of the Lord - spiritual.

Meaning that there’s nothing magical in the oil or the ritual.  They take oil - in acknowledgement of our Lord’s blessing, presence, and work in the healing process - pour oil on the sick person in a visual - tangible - acknowledgment of the God’s power which can heal a person. 

Notice - the leadership begins with prayer.  “Let them pray.”  How?  Verse 15 - a “prayer of faith.”  The appeal is first to God. 

Meaning there isn’t anything magical in the prayer.  How many times have we heard:  “I felt your prayers”?  Like somehow prayer is us tapping into some cosmic consciousness or power.  Prayer isn’t what works.  Its God who works.

When we work we work.  When we pray God works.  Have you heard that?

The spiritual leadership prays in faith.  Meaning that it isn’t that somehow those praying have extra special faith that is going to heal this person.  But, they’re men of faith.  The point is the condition of their heart before God.  Who they’re trusting in for the healing.

Prayer and anointing with oil brings together both the physical and spiritual.  If God gives us the ability to meet physical needs then - praise God - we need to meet physical needs.  But ultimately - we need to understand that its God who does the healing - not the prayer - not the oil - but God.

Then - in verse 15 - James moves to spiritual sickness and prayer.  And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 

“if he has committed sins” in the Greek it’s a conditional clause - meaning a probable condition.  His sickness is most probably caused by some kind of sin.

Let’s be careful.  Not all sickness is a direct result of sin.  Every time we get a cold or the flu or a hang nail it isn’t because we’re living a life of horrid sin.

But each of us is part of a fallen race of sinners.  Yes?  Sickness - in general - is a result of sin.  Some sickness is a direct result of sin.  Persistent sin can lead to emotional or physical or psychological illness.  Maybe even cause death.  That kind of sin and sickness is what James is writing about here.

Verse 16:  Therefore - because we need to be honest with ourselves and with each other about what’s really going on in our lives - whether physical or spiritual - and especially because we need healing - therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

That’s pretty public.  Isn’t it?

Intellectually we know this.  If we don’t confess our sins we can’t pray for each other.  If we don’t open up to each other the healing that we need - physical - emotional - spiritual - that healing won’t take place.

But, we accommodate sin - acquiesce to unholy behavior - put up what is self-destructive and harmful to the body - because we cannot get ourselves to the point of honesty required by those six little words:  “Confess your sins to one another.”  Are we together?

It is seemingly way easier to avoid mutual accountability - to keep people at a distance - to only participate in a church to the degree that we feel safe - and to switch congregations as necessary - way easier to be careful with our church involvement rather than to expose ourselves to potential hurt.

There are obvious reasons why.  We know what kind of people we are.  So we have a pretty good idea of what other people are like.  And let’s face it, a lot of wounding over the years teaches us to be very careful about what we confess and to whom.  Which is all very real.

But James writes:  Confess and pray so that you will be healed.  Meaning if we don’t, we won’t.

Paul - in a really familiar passage - writing about a similar situation - underscoring the seriousness of what James writes - Paul warns the Corinthian Church about sin there that had led to sickness and even death.  Grab the seriousness of what Paul writes.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.  Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.  That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.  But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.  (1 Corinthians 11:27-31)

To judge rightly means to deal with it honestly.  This is hugely unavoidably serious.

Some here may be about to get sick.  Some here may be sick.  Some may be dying.  Its possible there are problems we face as a congregation.  Individually and corporately - present and potential - suffering because of sin.

While we may have a ways to go yet in learning how to have this kind of honesty and accountability with each other - if we avoid what James is teaching us - our moving forward together encouraging and supporting each other through the drama of life - our growth and effectiveness as Christians - as a congregation - God’s purposes at work within us and through us - His plan of redeeming mankind - to His glory - all of that becomes sickly - weakened - potentially dead.

Let’s be clear.  James is not writing about dumping our sins and dirty laundry out in front of the whole congregation.  Whew!

What James is telling us is to deal with the disease and guilt and garbage and crud that’s clogging our relationship with God and others.  Make amends with those we’ve wronged.  Forgive those who’ve wronged us.  Deal with the bitterness and anger and issues.  Clear the air.  Seek accountability.

Get people praying.  Why?  So that you may be healed.

Who does the healing?  God.  James writes that God raises us up - physical healing.  God forgives sins - spiritual healing.  To God be the glory.  But God wants us to engage each other in His process of healing.

Its how God takes the wrong people - like us - when we’re willing admit our struggles and together to trust Him with our lives - He will heal us and use us for His glory.

James goes on - giving us the example of Elijah.  Point being:  Prayer Is Possible.  What James is writing about really is doable.

Verse 16:  The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.  Go public and there’s astounding opportunity here.

Verse 17:  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.  Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

Let’s make sure we’re all up to speed on the event behind what James’ writes.  Some background.

After King Solomon died the Kingdom of Israel was divided and many evil kings ruled over Israel and Judah.  Probably the most evil was Ahab and his wife Jezebel.  In fact, the Bible says that Ahab did more to anger God than any other of the kings of Israel before him. (1 Kings 16:33)

Ahab and Jezebel worshipped Baal and led the people into tremendous sin.  It was an absolutely evil time in the history of Israel.  Elijah was a prophet of God during those days.  Talk about drama.

As Elijah is in prayer before God - God gives him a message for King Ahab - a message of judgment.  So Elijah goes to King Ahab and says that there isn’t going to be any rain - or even dew on the ground - until I - Elijah - say there will be.  Then Elijah goes and hides from Ahab because - of course - Ahab is not too happy about this.

For 3 plus years it doesn’t rain.  There’s a famine.  No rain - no crops - no food - dying cattle - and lot of hungry upset constituents.

Finally - again while Elijah is praying - God gives Elijah another message for Ahab - “Go show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain.” (1 Kings 18:1)

What does James mean, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours?  How can that be?  This is God’s man.  Elijah the prophet.  Elijah prays and things happened.  Kingdoms are brought to their knees.  Drought happens.  God used him powerfully.  End of comparison.

The point is that when Elijah put on his toga he put it on one sleeve at a time - just like us.  Elijah was created out of the dust of the earth - just like us.  Elijah struggled in life - just like us.  Elijah had his failures while trying to live trusting God - just like us.  And hear this:  Elijah had a sin nature - just like - us.

And yet God used Him just as God desires to use us.  Maybe not as visibly - but certainly - and in prayer for each other - perhaps with even greater effectiveness than Elijah’s.

When James writes, “the prayer of a righteous person” - verse 16 and “Elijah having a nature like ours” - verse 17 - He’s not writing about a standard of holiness that we common people can never reach.  It’s a reminder that righteousness is something that’s produced in us by God.  God who seemingly chooses the wrong people for the right reasons.

Just as with Elijah - our ability to have a relationship with God - to live rightly before Him - to be a part of this fellowship and God bringing glory to Himself - all that is because of God’s grace - not our merit.

That’s encouraging.  Isn’t it?  Share that with the person next to you, “That’s encouraging.”

There’s no room for pretense and pride and self-focus in the kind of prayer James is writing about.  It’s the prayer of people of like nature - being mutually honest about their relationship with God.  That honesty - especially as it comes out in our prayer together - strengthens the bonds of fellowship.  Enables us to go deeper together in Jesus.  Makes us more able to stand together against Satan - to endure together the crud he throws at us in life.

James’ final point comes in verses 19 and 20.  Prayer Is A Privilege.

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Not too many years ago - when I was in college - I took a Water Safety Instructor class - learning how to teach swimming.  Which involved - surprisingly - a lot of pool time.  Swimming laps.  Treading water.  Learning rescue techniques.  Learning about the various ways people drown.

One day we were all out in the pool treading water - seemingly endlessly.  It was timed.  “How long can you tread water.”  As we we’re treading water one of the students collapsed and had sunk to the bottom of the pool - almost drowning in a class of potential life guards.  It was an amazing privilege to be a part of saving the life of my fellow student.

One of the weird things about rescuing people is that a lot of rescuers get drowned by the people they’re trying to rescue.   A drowning person will see a rescuer as a flotation device - something to climb on to to keep their head above water.  Trying to pull themselves up they pull their rescuer under with them.  We’d think that they’d get it.  If the rescuer goes under I’m going under.  But - someone who’s drowning usually isn’t thinking too rationally.

Same is true of someone who is wandering spiritually.

Howard Hendricks told of a young man who was wandering away from the Lord who was helped back by a friend who loved him unconditionally.  Dr. Hendricks asked him what it felt like to wander away from God.

The man answered:  “It seemed like I was being pulled farther and farther out to sea, into deep water.  And all my friends were standing on the shoreline hurling accusations at me about justice, condemnation, and sin.  But there was one Christian brother who actually swam out to get me and he wouldn’t let me go.  I fought him, but he withstood my fighting.  He grasped me, put a life jacket around me, and managed to pull me to shore.  By the grace of God he was the single reason I was restored - the man refused to let me go.” (2)

“Wander” in Greek is word used to describe planets in orbit out there traveling through space.  Think direction through life.  The Jews identified two.  One was a path of death.  The other was a path of life.  Everyone of us is on either one or the other of those paths.

Truth is what we believe.  Its also how we live based on what we believe.  The direction we travel.  Rational or not.

“Bring back” is about doing a 180 degree reversal of direction.  Going down one path - one direction in life - and turning completely around to travel in the opposite direction.

Theologians can argue over the implications of what James writes - what is means to save his soul from death - and what all that means about someone’s salvation

But James’ point is clear.  It is a crucial privilege that God gives to us to intervene in the life of a sibling in Jesus - to help them do a 180 degree back to God and save them from death - maybe due to physical illness - for sure meaning to turn them back from wandering around in a multitude of sin - down a path slowly dying - a privilege to lead them back to God’s forgiveness and restoration and healing.

Bottom line:  We need each other.  God has created the church so that we need each other.  That’s the way a body works.  That’s what fellowship in real time looks like. 

We need to be constantly in prayer for each other - with each other - confessing and honest with each other - bringing each other before God who heals and restores.  Prayer is an essential.  Confession is an opportunity.  Being used by God to lead a brother or sister back to God is an amazing privilege that God gives to us - the wrong people - so that He gets the glory - so that those around us can see Him on display in us and through us - and be drawn to Him.

That is what fellowship in real time is all about.  What a privilege to come alongside each other in prayer - to pray with and for each other - to help each other through issues that have life changing implications and eternal consequences.

_____________________________

1. Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on James, 1 and 2 Peter - Zondervan, 2010,  page 123

2. Cited by Chuck Swindoll, ibid, page 125

Additional reference:  Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on James, 1 and 2 Peter - Zondervan, 2010