Principles For Effective Prayer

Transcript

GR 1660
11/27/2012
Principles for Effective Prayer
James 5:16-20
Gil Rugh


We're coming to the end of our study of James so you may turn there, James 5. Interesting letter, we say that about any of the letters of the New Testament but they all have their own character. James' letter, it's warm in its own way but it doesn't have some of the touches that we find like in Paul's letter. It began rather abruptly. He identified himself, he identified those that he is writing to and he's right into the letter. Not like Paul who talks about how he is praying for them, what he desires God to do for them. Then as we get to the end of the letter he'll just quit, no closing greetings, no word from anybody who is with him or those who are serving with him. And as I think about this letter it seems like a letter, too, that you can write to those you are very familiar with. You write to a family member who is gone someplace and you don't spend as much time in building a rapport with them and sharing with them because they know you care about them, you know you are praying for them, they know this. You don't talk about maybe those that are with you because they know them. You sit down and write the letter and say I'll write again or talk to you later and you're done. That's a little bit the kind of letter James has, these are those he probably is very familiar with.

He was the Jewish leader of the Jewish church in Jerusalem. And that's what the church in Jerusalem was of course, a Jewish church, comprised of Jews. Now these Jews have been scattered outside their homeland of Israel and James is writing to them. But he is writing to those who would know him well and he would have a relationship with them.

We're in James 5, the closing verses, and James has been dealing with the matter of sickness and calling for the elders. He's going to deal with the matter of confessing sins in the verses we're going to look at in a moment. And just want to be sure we are clear when he says about the elders in verse 14, is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him. They anoint him with oil and then he'll be restored by the power of God. The elders are not a special class of people like priests. Sometimes a passage like this is taken to establish a special order of people that you go to, that you confess to and so on. These are ordinary men from the church, a local church. Ordinary in the sense that they are just like any other believers. They are to be godly in their character, but they are not of an order that brings them closer to God than someone else.

Just to review a couple of verses, come back to Acts 14. And this is the first reference to appointing elders in churches that have been established. The church was established in Acts 2 and this is the first reference to appointing elders in the churches. This takes place on Paul's first missionary journey. Now in the church at Jerusalem you would have had apostles there as well as elders, but now as Paul has traveled out to Gentile parts of the world and established churches then he revisits them on that first missionary journey. He retraces his steps and we are told in verse 21, after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith saying through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. You see these elders were simply men appointed in each of these churches that Paul had established. They come from within the body, they are appointed there.

Come over to 1 Timothy 3, we referred to this passage, we didn't look at it and you are familiar with it. 1 Timothy 3 speaks about elders and the qualifications of men who would be appointed to the office of elder. And 1 Timothy 3 opens up, it is a trustworthy statement, if any man aspires to the office of overseer, and you have a marginal note, bishop, episcopas. We noted it's used of the same individuals who are called elders, presbyteros, the elders, the overseers, the pastors. We looked at some of the passages that use those terms interchangeably. It is a fine word he desires to do. And this is a man who would desire to be appointed as an elder in a local church. Then an overseer must be, and he gives the requirements—above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine, nor pugnacious, gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money, one who manages his own household well so that he is able to manage the church. That is part of the responsibility he has in oversight of the church. Not a new convert, verse 6, have a good reputation of those outside the church so that he won't fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

What we want to note is these are ordinary believers who demonstrate godly character proven character and so are appointed to lead in the church. Titus 1 gives a similar list of qualifications for elders and their responsibility.

So in James when we're talking about this, just want you to keep in mind we are not talking about a special class of people, that these are higher because of something conveyed to them. They are godly men who have been entrusted with the leadership of the body. Not a higher priestly order, sometimes set aside like in Roman Catholicism, a classic example, and you confess to a priest who cannot be the husband of one wife. We're not talking about that. We are priests, all of us as believers. Hebrews makes that clear and we have our access to God because there is only one high priest and that's Jesus Christ. Some of the structures that have been added cause problems rather than a help.

I say that because there is a major movement among evangelicals to move toward the ancient ways, which is resulting in many who claim to be evangelicals drifting into Catholicism. And whether they are truly saved or not, I don't know, only God knows. But they don't understand the serious issues that distinguish us. So we want to be careful we don't get confused on these matters.

So in James 5, James, when he instructs this person who is sick to call for the elders of the church, these are the men he is calling for—the spiritual leaders of his local congregation he is part of. They pray over him, they anoint him with oil. We noted that oil, probably in light of some other passages, refers to joy or gladness. It was referred to that way, the oil of joy, oil of gladness. We looked at passages related to this theme. I think it is connected to the fact there is cause of joy here. And we noted that probably the issue here is sin. And the reason this man calls for the elders of the church is because he is aware of the sin in his life, his rebellion against God. He is a believer because verse 14 said, is anyone among you. James is writing to believers, Jewish believers. So anybody who is a professing believer has gotten into sin, is living in sin. Now he finds himself ill and believes that it is the discipline of God in his life. He calls for the elders because he wants to deal with it, wants to make things right with the Lord and with believers. So they pray over him, anoint him with oil, and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. So it's the prayer here. God responds and the Lord raises him up. If he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Now this is not a guarantee of healing for everyone, and we looked at passages dealing with that. Paul had to deal with physical affliction, some associated with Paul dealt with sickness, bodily problems. They just weren't healed even though Paul had the gift of healing as an apostle. Nor would everybody be healed just because, I don't want to be sick so I'll call for the elders, they should pray for me and God should make me well. That's not what is happening here. I think the context as we've noted is sin and I think that becomes clearer as we move along.

So verse 16 picks up with therefore, so he is continuing in the same vein. Therefore in light of what he has just said, verses 13-15 forming a unit. Now on the basis of that confess your sins to one another. And what he is going to do in verse 16 is deal with what he has just said in reverse order. He's going to talk about sins and he's going to talk about prayer. In verse 15 he talked about prayer and then he talked about if you have committed sins they will be forgiven. Therefore picks up with the sins at the end of verse 15, confess your sins to one another. That word to confess, acknowledge your sin. Intensified a little bit here. The word confess is the compound word, we're familiar with the basic word, homolageo, to say the same thing, to agree with, to acknowledge something. When you confess you are agreeing, acknowledging your wrongness, your guilt. This adds a preposition on the front of that compound word so it's a tripound word, three words really put together. Gives it extra force, if you will. That he makes, some would translate it a full confession. In other words this is not effective if you just say, I don't want to come clean on this but I'll confess this portion at least so they'll pray for me and I can get well. Because there is nothing magical in this. There has to be a willingness to deal with sin. God is not fooled, the elders could be fooled, they can't see the heat. So the confession must be full and clear, not because you tell every detail of your life and these men can now pronounce you forgiven, but it's an indication this man took the initiative. He knows his guilt, he knows his sin, he wants to make things right.

So you confess your sins to one another. I would take it in the context the one another primarily refers to the elders. Who did he call? He called for the elders. They represent the church, they act on behalf of the church in that sense, they are the spiritual overseers of the church. As we have elders in this church and when there is an issue of sin in the life of a professing believer, there is a response—individuals talk to that person and so on. But ultimately it comes to the elders as representatives of the church and that will often result then in discipline if the sin is not dealt with.

So when he says, confess your sins to one another, if we just look at the context the preceding verse would primarily focus on the elders. Now in light of other passages like Matthew 18 where there is the dealing between an individual believer who becomes aware of sin in a fellow believer's life, goes and confronts him, the person acknowledges that sin and ceases. That puts an end to it. So that doesn't rule out here but in the context, confess your sins to one another would seem to be in the context he is talking about primarily with the elders.

The second thing they are to do is pray for one another. And that would again seem to be talking about what he just talked about in verses 14-15. You call for the elders, they pray over him. Then the prayer of faith is honored by God and he is restored. So you confess your sins to one another, the elders you have called for, this is where we are talking about here, to make it right. Similar thing we have in our church. Someone has been placed under discipline and they want to acknowledge their sin and face it, they contact the elders who represent the church. How else, what do you do? That's what the elders do, they shepherd the church. So it's not because they have a unique power, a spiritual power, but they have been invested with the responsibility of acting on behalf of the church in their role of overseeing. And we looked in Acts 20:28 in a previous study, they are to shepherd the church of God which He has made them overseers.

So we pray for one another so that you may be healed. You see the connection here—the confession of sin, the praying for this person and the restoration of this person all goes together. Same things we saw in verse 15, the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. So we've just repeated that in summary in verse 16, therefore confess your sins to one another. You've called the elders, why? I want to make it right before the Lord and before the fellowship of believers because sin among believers affects the body, not just the individual. The individual is under the discipline of God, but sin has its own effect on the body. So things are made right. So that you may be healed.

Now what James is going to do is talk about the importance of prayer, the effectiveness of prayer, the power of prayer, if you will. At the end of verse 16 he gives a statement, then he's going to give an example. The effective prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much. The effective prayer, that word translated effective in our translation is another compound word, two words put together—the word much and the word power basically. So it's effective. Some would translate it is very powerful. The very powerful prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much because prayer is powerful. Prayer is where we come into the very presence of God, before His throne, and present our requests to Him. I mean, think about it, we've been talking about the sovereignty of God as revealed in Scripture over the recent weeks in our studies. And now this sovereign God who controls everything responds to the prayer of His people. So indeed it is very powerful, not because the elders or the individual praying has some kind of power, but he is coming before the God who has power.

Just back up to Hebrews 4. We talk about every believer is a believer/priest, we refer to it. When you become a believer in Jesus Christ you become a priest. The book of Hebrews develops this. We'll pick up with verse 14, therefore, since we have a high priest. Now James has said the effective prayer of a righteous man, we looked in our previous study for the unrighteous. For those who do not listen and obey the Word of God even their prayer is an abomination to God, the book of Proverbs tells us, something He hates. It's an offense to Him to reject what He has revealed about Himself and yet think you can come before Him. That's an offense against God. But for those who have come to place their faith in Christ, experience His cleansing, been brought into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, now Jesus Christ acts as the high priest who has made the sacrifice that makes those of us who have placed our faith in Him acceptable in the very presence of God. So verse 14 says, therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. He passed through the heavens, now He represents us in the very presence of God. Hebrews 7:25 says, He ever lives to make intercession for us. He acts on our behalf in God the Father's presence. Let us hold fast our confession. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, one who has been tested in all things as we are yet without sin. Note, therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

You come back to James 5, that's what these elders are to do, they are righteous men. That doesn't mean they are more righteous than other believers who are not elders, but they have been invested with this particular responsibility and so they are acting, representing the church and standing before God on behalf of this person who is dealing with their sin. It's not their confession to these people that is effective, it's the willingness and readiness of this person who is under the discipline of God to acknowledge the sin and make things right before the Lord and before the fellowship of believers. So these who represent the church can pray for him and their prayer will be very powerful. I mean, that's what prayer is for all of us. We can go and talk to the living God, spread before Him my needs, my desires and have Him act on my behalf. I go to find grace to help in time of need. I mean, what more power could be given.

So back in James 5. The effective prayer, the very powerful prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much, can operate, be effective, work much. He's going to give an example—Elijah in the Old Testament. When we think of Elijah, we refer to him as the greatest of the non-writing prophets. By that we mean Elijah never wrote a book, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah. So he wasn't one of the prophets who wrote but he is sometimes viewed as the greatest of the prophets. We sometimes classify him as the greatest of the non-writing prophets. But he stands out as a unique person. We say, you're going to give Elijah as an example, that's no help to me. I'm no Elijah. Elijah did miracles, and acknowledged by everyone that the forerunner of Christ would come in the Spirit and power of Elijah. He is certainly a unique person.

What James wants to remind us is he was a person just like you and me. So he says, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. It stresses his humanity, a like nature. He was just a human being, just a man, like nature. Come over to Acts 14. Paul and Barnabas have had a great impact, they are on their first missionary journey and they've been used of God to bring healing to a man at Lystra. And the people say, these are gods and they want to worship Paul and Barnabas. And Paul and Barnabas will have nothing of it. So they are running around telling everyone, verse 15, men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature, there is the same expression we have in James, Elijah was a man of like nature, the same nature. Paul and Barnabas say, we're not gods, we're just men like you are and we preach the gospel to you. There is the power, the gospel is the power of God for salvation. This man was made well through the power of the resurrected Christ. Doesn't have anything to do with us. The acclaim of the crowds is fleeting and pretty soon Paul is stoned. But you see the like nature. He is a man just like us.

Come back to 1 Kings 19, and we're in the account of Elijah. And you see here a man of like nature. Perhaps this is what James has in mind, because you think of all the powerful things Elijah did but he was a man just like us. Verse 1, Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. He had called down fire from heaven to consume the water in a trough and the sacrifice, then had the prophets of Baal executed. Jezebel who has become infamous and her name still represents that godless character. Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, so may the gods do to me and even more if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow at this time. Do you think Elijah is afraid of Jezebel? He just had 400 prophets of Baal executed, he's just called down fire from heaven. Just let this wretched woman try to put her hand on me, I'll turn her into toast.

Look at verse 3, he was afraid and rose and ran for his life. Come on, Elijah, you're Elijah, you don't run from anyone. When the prophets of Baal challenge you, you say, let's have a contest and the God who answers from heaven is the God who is the true God. And now Jezebel says, I'm going to kill you like you killed the prophets the Baal and Elijah is filled with fear and runs to hide. And he doesn't stop running. Verse 4, he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness. I mean, I'm going to go where she wouldn't even think of looking for me. He requested for himself that he might die. It's enough now, oh Lord, take my life, I'm not better than my fathers. Why do you want God to take your life? Why don't you just stay and let Jezebel do it? He's a normal human being, fears like we have. How often have we been blessed of the Lord, used of the Lord and then something comes up and we're afraid, we wonder what's going to happen, what am I going to do. Elijah is just a normal human being, that's the point.

So back in James 5, just to keep the thread going. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, a like nature, human nature. He is a human being, nothing more; these elders are nothing more than normal human beings, fellow believers that we pray for one another. We are nothing more than fellow human beings, saved by the grace of God and by His grace through our Savior Jesus Christ given free access to the throne of God in glory.

He was a man of like nature like us. What happened? He prayer earnestly that it would not rain. It did not rain on the earth for three years and six months, 3½ years. Now you see the point here. Where does the power come from? It comes from God because Elijah is just a man like we are. He couldn't stop the rain, he had no power to do that. But when he came before the throne of God with his request according to the will of God, God responds. It doesn't rain in the land of Israel for 3½ years. I mean, that's a desert area to begin with, now you're not going to have rain for 3½ years. We talk about drought, and what it can do. Now you have the desert taking over. That's power. I mean, you're going to pray, and it won't rain for 3½ years. Interesting, the Old Testament never gives the exact time. In 1 Kings 18:1 it tells us it was about three years. It's the New Testament that tells us it was 3½ years. Jesus refers to that in Luke 4:25, that again Elijah prayed and it didn't rain for 3½ years. That shows the power of prayer.

And then when does the rain come again? Go to 1 Kings 18, and now it's time for the drought to be ended. How is it going to end? Come to verse 41. He has confronted Ahab, Ahab is the king, the husband of Jezebel. They make quite a pair. So Elijah confronts Ahab and verse 41, Elijah said to Ahab, go up, eat and drink, for there is sound of the roar of a heavy shower. I can hear the rain coming. Ahab doesn't hear the rain coming, there is no visible sign of the rain. We know that because 42, so Ahab went up to eat and drink but Elijah went up to the top of Carmel. He crouched down on the earth, put his face between his knees. What is he doing? He is praying, he is praying fervently to God. So he goes up and prays, Lord, bring the rain. He has already told Ahab, there is the sound of the roar of a shower, a heavy shower. Now he prays and he tells his servant, go look for the cloud. Go up now, look toward the sea. So he went up and looked and said, there is nothing. So Elijah said, I guess prayer doesn't work for this and went home. No. Seven times Elijah does this with his servant. I have to pray some more, Lord, bring the rain. We're not told exactly but we know he's praying for the rain to come. Now he has full confidence in God's power, ability to do it, so he doesn't stop. Seven times he sends his servant up there.

Verse 44, and it came about at the seventh time that he said. The servant comes back and you know what he said? Behold, a cloud as small as a man's hand is coming up from the sea. That's a big help. We haven't had rain for 3½ years, now I've been praying intently for this extended period of time and all I've been able to call up is a cloud about the sign of a man's hand. That's not going to be a big help. But he said, you go tell Ahab, prepare your chariot and go down, get back home because it's going to rain so hard. You know they didn't have paved roads. So if you don't get back you're going to be stuck in the mud. So prepare your chariot so that the shower of heavy rain doesn't stop you. In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind and there was a heavy shower. Ahab arose and went to Jezreel. The hand of the Lord was on Elijah, he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel. And then we read in 1 Kings 19. After all that's going on, this event we just read took place after the confrontation with the prophets of Baal.

Elijah is just a man, he has his fears. All of a sudden he takes his focus off God and his power, his protection and he is reduced to jello. He's afraid. So the power of prayer. The prayer of a righteous man, he's a righteous man, he's a godly man.

So you come back to James 5:18, he prayed again, the sky poured forth its rain, the earth produced it fruit. You know the point of this is we are like Elijah. We are not Elijah. He had his unique role but the power that God displayed in response to Elijah's prayer is the same power available to God's people who come to Him in prayer. That's the point, not that God's will for us is the exact same thing as Elijah. Of course not, but we have the same opportunity in prayer, the same power.

Now back in James 4 James reminded his readers in verse 3, you ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives so you may spend it on your own pleasures. We're talking about coming with a desire that God's will be accomplished. Prayer isn't just a blank check for me to avoid things I don't like and to get things that I would like. Diligence, persistence in prayer.

Let's move on here, I was going to take you to some other verses but let's leave that off for right now. So what does he say? James 5:19, my brethren, if any among you. So he's talking to believers. My brethren, any among you, fellow believers. Same thing he said in verse 13, is anyone among you suffering? Verse 14, is anyone among you sick? We're talking about fellow believers. So my brethren, if anyone among you strays from the truth. Here is a wandering believer, wandering from the truth that God has revealed, that James has talked about. James 1:18, in the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth. James 3:14, if you have bitter jealousy, selfish ambition in your heart do not be arrogant and lie against the truth. So any believer strays from the truth, this word to stray, to wander, it's used in Matthew 18 of sheep who wander. I'll read you Matthew 18:12, what do you think? If any man has 100 sheep and one of them has gone astray, that word gone astray, that's what we're talking about, same word. Peter uses it as well in 1 Peter 2:25. So believers can wander, stray from the truth, get off the track, the path, if you will. The truth of God is something to be believed, it is something to be lived. I can stray from the truth doctrinally, I can stray from the truth in my conduce in practice. Either one gets me in trouble. I can have great doctrine but I'm not obeying it, I stray from it in my practice.

In 2 Timothy 2:18 Paul writes about Hymenaeus and Alexander, men who have gone away from the truth. In 1 Corinthians 5:11 he talks about believers who get into sin. They, too, have wandered away from the truth. Oh, I still hold to the doctrine but I'm not living it. Well, that puts me in trouble with God.

So he says, if any among you strays from the truth, that would include doctrinally, it would include in practice. And one turns him back. An individual used of God, a fellow believer who confronts him and tells him, you are off the track, you are in disobedience to God, you are not obeying what He has said. That's what we're talking about, to turn him back. This was used of Peter by Christ when Christ told Peter in Luke 22:32 that he was going to deny Him three times. Then He says, when you have turned back, you'll be used to restore others and so on. That's the word, believer turned back from his error, from his sin. And someone is used for that. I mean, that's the way God does.

Matthew 18, if any of you sees a fellow believer overtaken in sin, you spiritual one, go and talk to him. Try to turn him back. If he doesn't listen, take another person with you. I mean, that's the goal, we want him restored, we want him back.

And one of you turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. Let him know who turns a sinner, we're talking about a fellow believer who has been taken up in sin. We're talking about my brethren, any among you, a fellow brother in Christ, fellow sister in Christ strays from the truth and one turns him back. Let him know one who turns a sinner, he's used of God to bring that erring believer back to where he should be, from the error of his way will save his soul from death. That ties back to what we have here, back in verse 14. If any of you is sick, let him call for the elder. Perhaps what motivated here, a fellow believer went and talked to him. I see, I've done, I want to make it right with the Lord. I see the problems that are pressed in on me, my physical health is broken down, I want to make it right with the Lord. God has used him to spare him because if he persists in sin, it can result in his physical death. That's the chastening that God could bring in a life.

Come back to 1 Corinthians 11:30. And here is where a believer sins and doesn't deal with the sin. He talks about the discipline of the Lord, for this reason many among you are weak and sick and a number sleep. Sleep is the word used to refer to the death of a believer, where he leaves his body, his body is unused for a time, he is departed to be with the Lord. But the discipline of the Lord has come upon him—weakness, sickness, even death. If we judged ourselves rightly we would not be judged, but when we are judged we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the Lord. I mean, it's the blessing of God to experience His discipline. Someone who professed to be a believer and persists in their sin and nothing happens, that's not a good thing. That raises the issue, do they belong to the Lord, because the Lord disciplines His children, and a person without discipline is evidencing the fact he doesn't belong to the Lord.

Come to Hebrews 12:5, for the context and quotes from the Old Testament. My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord nor faint when you are reproved by Him. For those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines and scourges every son He receives. It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with sons, for what son is there whom his father does not discipline. But if you are without discipline if which all have become partakers, all of God's children, then you are illegitimate children and you are not sons. And we had earthly fathers, we disciplined our children. We discipline our children, why? Because we love them, we want them to stay on the right path, so to speak. So God' disciplines His children. Well, I sin and nothing happens. Well, then maybe you ought to consider whether God is really your Father. He will judge those who don't belong to Him, but the discipline to correct the erring believer. And all of us who have been believers for a very long can thank God for His discipline. And we've experienced it to one degree or another because all of us need discipline. Every son, every child of God experiences His discipline, it's just part of life. Just like every child raised. Discipline,

There were three boys and one girl in our family. All the boys were disciplined, the girl not enough. No. It's just part of being in the family. So praise God for His discipline.

So what happens is if we see a believer in sin, we go and intervene in his life. Why? We love him, he is a fellow believer and we want to turn him from the error so that the Lord doesn't have to discipline him more severely. Because if it doesn't stop, it could even go to the point, God will take his health, ultimately take his life. So that's the point, I take it, when you come to James.

And James ends rather abruptly, like I said, this letter when he says, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way, he will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. I mean, God is a gracious God. None of us are perfect, none of us are without sin, none of us have lived a perfect life. I have been blessed of God to have been a believer for many years, but I can't say I've lived my life without sin. God has been gracious and that's why we need the fellowship of believers, they help keep us on track. That's why we titled the book on church discipline, Discipline, an Evidence of Love, because Proverbs says if you love your child you will discipline him diligently. So we want to be a parent in the biblical sense in one another's lives to help one another, keep one another on the track so that God does not have to bring His discipline, which can be very severe.

1 John 5, I take it this is a similar kind of thing we are talking about. If anyone sees his brother, so we're talking about a fellow believer, committing a sin not to death, he shall ask and God will give him life to those who commit sin not to death. There is sin leading to death, I do not say he should make a request for it. All unrighteousness is sin and there is sin not to death. Then we're told, we know no one who is born of God sins, present tense, persists in sin. The point here is, this is what James would be talking about, the one in sin indicates his willingness and desire to deal with his sin. But he's going to pray for that person, God will restore him. But there are those unwilling to deal with their sin, that's a sin to death.

We've had situations like that. There is a letter in my file from a person who wrote, was dying. He had persisted, he was not open to restoration and now they made things right with the Lord but they had crossed the line where the Lord was going to restore them. That's their testimony, not mine. We persist in sin. It's not a game that I can play brinkmanship with God. I know I always have this out because I'm sure I'm a believer. If it looks like it is going to get to the point where it is serious, then I'll make it right. We don't play games with God, we function as He says. He is gracious, gives us opportunity, but there is a sin that will lead to death. We see a believer persisting in sin, you'll see his health break down, going to pray that God will restore him. No, it says here, I don't say you should make requests for this. We pray discerningly. Not because we want to see him suffer, but we know it is in the hands of God and I can't ask God to do what would be contrary to His character. God's discipline has come.

We need to take these matters seriously. Easy for us as believers to become rather, well, sin for us is not so serious. And it is. By God's grace we are not going to hell, but God takes sin in His family seriously. My father took discipline in our family very seriously. And his correction could be very severe. In those days they believed in physical punishment. What a gruesome idea. But I can understand, my brothers needed it. But it was good, it was for our good. God's discipline can be very, very severe. That's why when things go wrong I want to say, Lord, is there something in my life. He'll make me aware. God is not bringing something into my life and I don't know what it is, but He has brought this. I may be like Paul, I may be sick because it's the will of God for me to be sick. Timothy struggled as we saw, with his health. It was God's will for him. Paul didn't say, there is sin in your life, he said, take a little wine for your stomach's sake and your often ailments. It's what they had for a medicinal kind of thing. There are those situations. But if I have sin in my life and I'm having physical problems, I want to start there. So here this is a rather public matter.

Come to Matthew 18 and we'll be done. This is the pattern set down, just to remind you. And it's not God's will that any of these little ones would perish. He has His will for His, so His discipline is a sign of His preparing us. If your brother sins, Matthew 18:15, go and show him his fault in private. I mean, it's just something we go and talk about. But if he won't listen you take one or two more with you, the desire is to restore the brother, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses the fact may be confirmed. The end of verse 15, if he listens, it is over, you've won your brother. That's all we want to do, we want to stop the sin, we want him to stop that which is harmful to him and harmful for the body.

If he refuses to listen, verse 17, continues to refuse, you tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, you let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax gatherer. I mean, he's cut off from the fellowship of believers. And this is the context, whatever I say to you, you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. I say to you if two of you on earth agree about anything they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in heaven. Where two or three have gathered in My name, I am there in their midst. We sometimes just quote this verse. He's talking about in the context of discipline and sin and the dealing with it. Now as we've noted in our other studies, this is not the end of the matter. Believers have made clear that the behavior is sinful and wrong and we want that to be dealt with because if we're not open to God using fellow believers and the church in our lives, then we're turned over to the realm of Satan.

Come back to 1 Corinthians 5. We do this because the Lord said, now they're in the Lord's hands but we want them to be restored. And that's where the man in James comes in. He calls for the elders because I finally want to deal with this. Maybe it's a sin that he hasn't been aware of, we don't know. God has made him aware. Here in 1 Corinthians 5, I referred to it earlier when he said you don't associate with immoral people. Verse 10, I did not at all mean with immoral people of the world, the covetous, the swindlers, the idolaters. Then you would have to go out of the world. Actually I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, covetous, idolater, reviler, drunkard, swindler, not even to eat with such a one. What do I have to do with judging outsiders, nonbelievers? Do you not judge those who are within, part of the fellowship of believers, the church. Those who are outside God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves. Earlier in the chapter he says you turn him over to Satan, verse 5, for the destruction of his flesh so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

So you see Paul realized the physical discipline of the Lord will come down harder and harder and it may result in his physical death. But we are ultimately looking for His ultimate salvation and so we function and do what is biblical.

Interesting letter, isn't it, James to end on that note. He has said some harsh things, some firm things, the letter has been filled with commands. But it is out of concern and love for the people and that they might function in a way that God can bless, that they can grow and we can appreciate all that God has said He will bless us with.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the riches of your Word. Lord, thank you for your grace, thank you for the provisions you've made even when we as your children stray and wander. Lord, how true it is we are prone to wander, but Lord in grace you won't let us go. You made provision even to have fellow believers that we love, that love us come alongside to help us see the error, sin and to get things right. Thank you for the way you work, the way you use us in one another's lives, the way you work in our lives. Thank you, Lord, for the power of prayer. How awesome it is that we come before you, the God who is sovereign over all, the God who has created all, who has all power. And we can come before you with confidence because of Jesus Christ and His work as our Savior. We are accepted, you hear us and you respond and provide the grace we need, whatever the situation, whatever the circumstance. Lord, may we indeed be men and women of prayer so that we might experience your power in our lives. We pray in Christ's name, amen.