Today marks our last James Devotional. I trust that this has been a way for you to
be encouraged to dig deeply into the Scriptures. As we have walked through this together, it has
been my prayer that God would "fill you with the knowledge of His will in
all spiritual wisdom and understanding,” as the Apostle Paul did in Col.
1:9. In addition, we know from James 1:5
that God promises to answer this prayer and give you His wisdom! Let’s get into the rest of James 5 and
discover the life-giving Truth that God has for us.
As you read this week's passage, look for these
words or phrases: swear, oath, suffering, sick, anointing,
confess, prayer, and Elijah.
Passage
for the week: James 5:12-20 (NASB)
12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear,
either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes,
and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone
cheerful? He is to sing praises.
14 Is anyone
among you sick? Then he must
call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord;
15 And the
prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will
raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
16 Therefore,
confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be
healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
17 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 earth for three years and six months.
18 Then he
prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the
truth and one turns him back,
20 Let him
know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul
from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Questions for thought: Take a few moments to
answer these questions before you go on to the next section.
What does
James mean in verse 12 when he says “do not swear?” Is he speaking of using foul language or in
general or something specific? Explain
your answer.
James
says that those who do not let their yes be yes and their no, no will fall
under judgment. What does this mean and
how can you avoid being under judgment? See
the words of Christ in Matthew 5:33-37 for help.
According
to verse 13, how are we to deal with suffering?
What should we be doing when we are cheerful?
Read these verses to see the power of praying and
singing to God: Ps. 50:15, Ps. 55:22,
Ps. 100:1-5, Phil. 4:6-7, Col. 3:16, 1 Peter 5:7. Write down what you learn through these
passages.
In verse
14, the elders of the church anoint the one who is sick with oil in the name of
the Lord. What is the significance of
the anointing with oil?
Later in verse 15, James writes that “the prayer
offered in faith will restore the one who is sick.” Is he saying that if someone prays in faith,
he will be cured of a disease? What is
he saying here?
James recounts the prayer of
Elijah. Where is this story found in the
Old Testament? What is the point of
James including this story here? Explain
the power of prayer in light of verse 16.
What is the purpose of
Christians confessing their sins to one another? To what extent should this be
done? How does this command affect your
view of fellowship and the interaction with your brothers and sisters in
Christ?
How do the final two verses
of this chapter relate to Matthew 18 and Galatians 6?
How are you demonstrating the pattern of love for
the brethren that James describes in this passage?
Mediate on this:
James begins this section by stressing the
importance of our words. As he has done
throughout this letter, James shows us that our speech will reveal to others
what our spiritual condition really is.
We should not swear an empty oath or vow; but instead, we should speak
straightforward and honestly to one another.
This means that our words have integrity and can be trusted.
The next section James gives us the antidote to
suffering caused by the evil treatment or persecution that was attacking the
church at this time. We are to seek
God’s comfort through the power of prayer and minister to one another in
singing praises. To those who are sick (could
mean weakened by persecution or in to be afflicted with an unbearable disease),
James directs them to call for the elders or pastors of the church for
strength, support, and prayer. This was
important because many of the people who were sick in the church were being
neglected – just like the poor in chapter two.
The anointing the sick with oil refers to a normal practice of that time
period, although it could have some significance to ceremonial anointing or
medical treatment. The most important
thing here is NOT the oil, but that the elders of the church are praying over
the sick “in the name of the Lord.” The
power to heal does not come through the oil, but through the Lord! We must also keep in mind that the sick
person who is being prayed for has a contrite and repentant heart, for they
have confessed their sins to God and are right with Him.
Likewise, we should also be transparent with one
another by confessing our sins to each other and praying for each other. For
those of you who are wondering, James is not telling us to confess our sins to
a priest. What he is saying is that
mutual honesty, openness, and sharing of our needs will enable us to uphold
each other in our spiritual struggle with sin.
Some of us might feel uncomfortable with this, but we are told that the
end result of this is healing! James
tells us that these effective fervent prayers that we pray to God for one
another will accomplish great things!
And, just in case you think that prayer does not work, James gives us
the illustration of Elijah. As we know,
Elijah struggled just like we do, and yet God still used him and his prayers in
a mighty way.
James concludes his
letter by telling us to watch out for each other. If you and I see someone who is straying from
the truth, then it is our responsibility to seek them out and bring them back
to the truth. Rather
than condemnation, restoration is the goal. And that is what James hopes will happen. For the unbeliever, this person will not just
be turned from the error of his way, but
will also be saved from eternal death. For
the believer, Galatians 6:1 still applies here.
Meekness and love acts through bringing a person as gently as possible
back to repentance. This repentance will be accepted by God, who will forgive
their sins. Then, the forgiven person can continue on the right way, rejoicing
in their tests, for they know that their reward is coming.
Praying for that you would Love Christ
PASSIONATELY, Know Christ DEEPLY, and Enjoy Christ FULLY!!!
Pastor Stephen
No comments:
Post a Comment