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[00:00] Yeah, so we are in James chapter 5
[00:02] the plan was
[00:05] When you say was that means the plan has changed I?
[00:08] Was going to do 13 through 18 today, and then we're gonna wrap up next week
[00:14] and as you'll see when we read 13 through 18, it's a
[00:18] Fun passage we'll say that way all right why you know fun passage, so I decided well we're gonna do two weeks
[00:28] It's uh it there's just too much, and it's it's very controversial and everybody has a different opinion of it
[00:36] And so we kind of just want to take it slow
[00:38] And you know kind of see what happens I will just say this right
[00:45] It's very interesting because in the Bible even in this passage just some really easy parts
[00:51] Just says some things and we go okay, then there's other parts really
[00:56] That that doesn't really add up in my mind, and what I have experienced in life
[01:02] And so you know I think what's interesting that the Holy Spirit works as you read the Bible and works in your life
[01:08] And there's some easy things and there's some things you have to really really really wrestle with and either way
[01:15] It is really healthy for us as Christians
[01:17] passages that make us wrestle and
[01:21] look at and think about and try to dig deeper in and pray more about it because it requires a lot of wisdom is
[01:28] Always a good thing although it can be a little frustrating
[01:31] Right at times because there's things in there that you're like well it doesn't really add up you know
[01:37] so what I want to do is read it and
[01:40] kind of
[01:42] Go through the easy things all right the things that we know the passage is saying
[01:48] Point out the things that the passage is saying that we don't understand and then talk a little bit about that and see where we end
[01:54] up all right um I'm gonna read the whole passage, but we're gonna take it in two weeks, and it doesn't really set us back because
[02:01] You know we have fifth Sunday, and then the first Sunday in July
[02:07] Lee is out of town, and so here we he didn't want he wants to be here when he start when we start Genesis
[02:12] And so we said okay, well we'll do something you know
[02:16] But now I got my one off and the last couple verses of James so it works out for us
[02:22] And it works out for him because you know he's not gonna be around anyway, so
[02:26] Anyway, let's read this and then when we read I want you to pick out a couple things
[02:33] I want you to pick out something that is repetitive
[02:35] All right, and then I want you to pick out the verses
[02:39] that you think might be
[02:42] Tough all right that you're like wait a minute
[02:45] And you know maybe it's all tough and you're like I don't understand any and that's okay
[02:50] But there's definitely a verse
[02:52] In here a couple verses that you know it's gonna make us think so
[02:57] Let's read this it says verse 13 is anyone among you suffering
[03:02] Let him pray is anyone cheerful let him sing praise is anyone among you sick
[03:09] Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him
[03:13] Anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick
[03:19] The Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins. He will be forgiven
[03:23] Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed a prayer of a righteous person has great
[03:30] power as it is working
[03:32] 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
[03:38] It did not rain on the earth, then he prayed again and heaven gave rain and earth bore its fruit
[03:43] There you go
[03:48] Anything anything stand out as far as repetitive
[03:50] Pray yeah
[03:55] right
[03:56] And that's the first thing I want to tell you about this passage
[03:59] Whatever else we get out of it whatever else we can dig into and whatever does treasure
[04:04] We can find in it first and foremost this passage is about prayer
[04:08] And the power of prayer because look listen verse 13 every verse is anyone among you suffering let him pray
[04:16] Verse 14 is anyone among you sick let him call the elders of the church and let them pray
[04:22] Verse 15 and the prayer of faith will save them verse 16 therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another
[04:29] Verse 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed fervently and verse 18 then he prayed again every verse
[04:37] has prayer
[04:40] And so as you look as we look at some of the statements here that James is making
[04:45] First and foremost this verse is about prayer
[04:50] So when James is speaking about right off the bat when he says is anyone among you suffering right he's talking about
[04:59] all kinds of suffering
[05:01] Spiritual emotional
[05:05] physical financial
[05:07] Whatever right and I think what James is doing is he's he's talking also right about remember what Raymond talked about
[05:16] Last week or two weeks ago, and if we go in there, you know he talks about
[05:20] Let me make sure I find this here. Yeah, right about patience
[05:28] Patience
[05:30] My oh, that's why I'm on the wrong chapter. Sorry. I was like man
[05:35] I know it's in there
[05:36] No verse 7 be patient there for brother until the coming of Lord see how the farmer waits for precious fruit of the earth and being
[05:42] patient about it and then James goes into verse 13 about suffering and so there's an idea of
[05:47] Suffering with patience in all those things I just mentioned mention
[05:54] But what do we want to do it when we suffer?
[05:56] Right any kind of suffering whether whether it's whether it's you know, emotional or spiritual or physical or financial
[06:03] What's the one thing we want to do when we're suffering? What's the one thing we want to happen?
[06:07] Everybody
[06:12] Yeah, I'm Dan got to fix it right away. All right over. I want it over. I want that suffering over whatever it is
[06:19] and yet James is saying
[06:23] Mmm
[06:25] Patience and how do we even get there, right? Cuz I mean that goes against everything we know we believe right over those face
[06:31] I'm not the patient person just in general
[06:34] right
[06:36] But suffering patience patiently
[06:38] So, how do we get there? Well, I think ultimately that's what James is saying here in verse 13 is anyone among you suffering
[06:45] Let him pray. Oh
[06:49] You want patience in your suffering, but we probably don't want patience, but we need patience in our suffering and how do we get there?
[06:55] prayer
[06:58] Prayer and if you hear nothing else today
[07:00] And if you don't walk away with anything else because I'm all over the map because it's a crazy
[07:04] Passage and I've racked my brain and my prayer life and my reading and my listening to messages and my commentary studies and everything else
[07:11] And still at the end of the day that one morning this morning. I still was like Lord I
[07:18] Don't really know
[07:20] So if you get nothing else because I'm all over the place and you know, whatever
[07:24] prayer
[07:27] If you could walk out of here today and say Lord I my prayer life I
[07:32] Just don't talk to you enough
[07:35] Charles Spurgeon said and I put it I I just happened this week and it wasn't anything I sort of or just came up
[07:46] In one of my social media feeds because I follow a Charles Spurgeon account
[07:49] So, you know, that's doesn't surprise you if you know me at all
[07:51] He says this Charles Spurgeon said this if you do not pray you have shut the gates of heaven against yourself
[07:58] You do not pray you have shut the gates of heaven
[08:02] For yourself
[08:05] Prayer are you suffering it anyway?
[08:08] How much are we praying how much are we bringing it before God?
[08:13] Oh
[08:15] James goes on to say is anyone cheerful? Oh things are going good. You're being blessed in life. You're looking at your life
[08:23] Oh, man, my life is good, right? I have a lot to be happy about or maybe your life isn't good, but you're still happy
[08:28] What should we do just walk around being happy? Yes, and what else sing praises, which is a form of prayer
[08:36] Right. We sing praises when we are cheerful when we are happy
[08:41] It's not just wow. My life is going great. I've worked so hard. I've done so many things. It's saying Lord
[08:46] You have your grace goes beyond measure
[08:49] pour it out on my life
[08:52] Right, and I sing to you because you are worthy
[08:54] And in through this joyful heart of mine Lord, let me sing praises to you
[09:01] And I was thinking I think I think
[09:04] Relatively Christians that I know do a pretty good job of this especially in their shower and in the car
[09:10] Alright, right, you know, we may not be great at singing around people
[09:15] We you know, like the church members because we're like, I don't know really I feel like I may not be a great say
[09:19] Unfortunately you guys hear me cuz I love singing and I'm not good
[09:22] But it's just the way it is but not everybody has you know wants to do that
[09:24] I get that, you know, there's different levels of personalities singing
[09:28] Man we'll sing our shower we'll sing in the car. All right, what are my kids? I think it was Ethan
[09:35] I wasn't you said you were singing what time they recorded yourself herself. It just said then you were like
[09:39] oh
[09:41] We sound good
[09:48] Fight that down a little bit. I'll see never told you that you were terrible
[09:56] It is right
[10:04] Yeah, it is, you know, can I listen Jacob records the messages that I was telling him and these guys have to listen this
[10:10] Do this voice all the time like terrible like torture listed at anything like that
[10:15] Anyway, but we are to sing praise when we're cheerful and do we do that? I
[10:19] Hope so. I hope like when you're changing, you don't know man. Just put on some songs and start singing
[10:25] Say thank you Lord
[10:27] We have so much stuff to be thankful for even in it when our lives aren't going a hundred percent
[10:34] The way we think they should go or you know, we're finding some difficulty
[10:37] Is anyone cheerful let them sing praise
[10:42] And I think right off the bat
[10:46] You know as I look at those that that statement anyone among you is suffering if anyone is what if anyone is cheerful
[10:53] Most of us would look at that as opposite suffering and cheerful and I think James is not really doing that here
[11:00] I think James is there's some of that but there's also a
[11:03] Rejoice in your sufferings, right
[11:07] And so
[11:12] Again I go back and I'll say it I'll probably a broken record prayer
[11:16] Suffering pray cheerful pray
[11:21] Don't feel like praying pray
[11:26] Talk to God, isn't it interesting that he wants us to talk to him? Like do you ever think about this?
[11:31] the creator of the universe
[11:34] Right omniscient omnipotent God
[11:39] I'm the present
[11:43] God
[11:45] Desires for his creation to talk to him and yet sometimes we struggle with that
[11:51] And yet there's grace for those moments, right
[11:56] I love that. God is so good
[11:58] He's so good that we get to talk to him and even when we don't which is weird
[12:03] If you think about why we wouldn't want to talk to our creator
[12:06] We don't it's not like he's going. Mm-hmm. And talk to me today
[12:11] Didn't talk to me today. And now we have a problem because this is three strikes and you're out. Okay, all right
[12:17] Okay, you don't to do that
[12:19] There's just more grace for us and more encouragement to come to him to pray
[12:25] We get to verse 14
[12:27] And it starts off starts off easy
[12:31] All right, is anyone among you sick?
[12:34] Okay, so he's kind of switched here. Maybe that's part of the suffering. But I think as he digs in here
[12:40] This might be something a little deeper
[12:43] Sickness, you know severe maybe sickness maybe
[12:47] Or just sick we'll get to that. We'll get that a little bit but we get that. Okay. Is anyone you're sick?
[12:54] You're like, yeah, yeah, I've been sick. Right? I know let him call for the elders of the church. Okay
[12:59] That's a little different right off that off the bat. I haven't really heard that before so when I that's why
[13:05] Well, we get that but there's a he say either sick. Let them call for the elders of the church
[13:10] This is another reason why I struggle with this passage
[13:14] I'm an elder of this church and I've never encouraged people to call the elders of the church to pray for them
[13:22] Right. I was thinking about
[13:25] Megan sorry Megan. I'm gonna use again. I feel like you've talked about it and we've talked about it. So you're okay with it
[13:32] When Megan in this house right where Gail sitting basically stood up and said I'm not okay
[13:37] She would fall under probably this are you sick, you know
[13:42] Is any among you sick and we pray for her and the and you and the people of the church gathered around her
[13:48] Drought the weeks and months to follow and encouraged her and that and that's part of it
[13:53] And I think next week we'll talk more about that
[13:55] But I
[13:59] Just felt like I was convicted. That was a moment. You should have you should have you know because
[14:04] Calling the elders is is the responsibility of the sick and we'll talk about that and I'm getting ahead of myself
[14:10] But but sometimes the call doesn't look like just a phone call. Hey, can you come over and pray a call is I need help
[14:18] All right
[14:20] So Megan I
[14:22] Apologize for that deeply because I feel like when we get into this this is part of what he's talking about it for anybody else
[14:29] like that
[14:32] We have elders to come and pray over you
[14:35] Sometimes you know we dropped the ball we did
[14:43] Fortunately our church family didn't drop the ball and you know encouraged your heart and I'm thankful for that
[14:48] But it says anyone among you sick let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him or her
[14:56] Okay, yeah, we can do that
[14:59] Then it says anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord
[15:04] Okay, I show up with a thing of oil and Megan's house. There's our Megan
[15:11] You know oil on or whatever. All right, she might be like what is this? All right
[15:17] I mean, I trust you about this is just weird and never get it with
[15:20] All right
[15:23] So we're like we're already starting to get into territory. That's a little odd for us. We don't hear this
[15:28] Or an anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord
[15:36] Then it says verse 15 and the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord
[15:43] Will raise him up?
[15:46] And if he has committed sins he will be forgiven
[15:49] Interesting right because why is there tension in that anybody want to go?
[15:56] Why do you why do we feel when we read that?
[15:58] We feel a certain tension right away. I think the prayer faith will save the one who is sick
[16:03] Right, right. So is that saying that's a thing but yet Christians far better than me
[16:15] Godly men and women have done this
[16:18] over people
[16:20] A hundred percent of the people
[16:23] That's what it's not saying
[16:25] Right, I mean it doesn't say pray over and the prayer of faith, you know could save the one who is sick
[16:33] And could forgive them of their sins or their sins would be forgiven
[16:36] Don't say that
[16:38] says will
[16:40] And so I love it because we all feel that tension
[16:46] You know people
[16:49] So is it the was it the person maybe there was it their sin? Was it an elders didn't you know were?
[16:57] Sinners was it they didn't have used enough oil. Was it you know, what what?
[17:03] What is it and that's?
[17:05] It's wonderful and
[17:07] Difficult about this passage. I
[17:10] Will say this I have listened to messages by John Piper John MacArthur
[17:15] David Platt I have read commentaries by Matthew Henry
[17:20] And they almost all disagree with each other they all have a different point of view R.C. Sproul
[17:29] They all have a different point. The sum is the same
[17:32] But much of it is all different
[17:34] And so which makes it interesting because
[17:37] These are deep some of them and mostly are deep deep theologians
[17:43] godly godly men
[17:46] Who have studied and poured over all of Scripture and yet they disagree
[17:51] What James is saying?
[17:54] All right
[17:56] and so
[17:58] I'm like, well, what chance do I have?
[18:00] But I've made it by peace with God and saying listen Lord I
[18:08] Want I want to approach this with cautious caution
[18:13] But I don't want to leave people astray, you know that you know, we've all talked about that as teachers and speakers, right?
[18:24] And yet I don't want to just be like well meet someone good luck. All right, that's that's not where we're at either
[18:29] So we'll kind of do the best we can
[18:32] With what we know and that's what we're gonna talk about first up first off is what we know
[18:38] all right, and then
[18:40] Next week will mostly next week. We'll be talking about what we don't know or necessarily don't know
[18:46] What we can know even in what we don't know if that makes sense
[18:51] It's interesting enough that the Roman Catholic Church uses this passage
[18:54] That's to give final rights basically
[18:57] right to prepare
[19:00] the person for the next life
[19:02] That interesting because you know if you read the passage, it's about the person not going into the next slide, right?
[19:08] It's like trying to keep them here right not and yet the Roman Catholic Church uses this
[19:13] You know when they know that there's an imminent
[19:19] Death about to occur. They'll use this passage and I know what the person with oil and such not, you know
[19:24] But yeah, it says the prayer offered a faith will make the sick person well, I
[19:29] Don't know. I guess maybe they think well on the other side. I don't know whatever
[19:33] Others have thought that this fits within the time period of miraculous healing
[19:39] That was solely for the church in apostolic days
[19:46] Right meaning the church the Apostles time of the Apostles
[19:49] Right that James is talking in a time when there was specific gifts of healing for that specific time
[19:56] So that when you come to this passage right and you read it you're able to say well that was then and this is now
[20:04] done
[20:07] Others might say it's a the word I've seen written a couple times is ecclesiastical
[20:13] transaction meaning it was entered into as a necessity for a period of time because there was no medical help available and
[20:21] So they say that the ministry now has been basically
[20:24] Taken over right because of advances in our modern medicine, right?
[20:29] We we don't longer have to do the things that they're saying here because we have x-rays and we have MRIs and we have open
[20:35] Heart surgery and you know all that stuff
[20:38] We have you know doctors who have gone to school for long periods of time and studied and understand medicine that we have medicine
[20:44] That supposedly heals we have everything necessary
[20:47] Thank God, of course, of course is the author and of every good and perfect gift
[20:54] So therefore medicine is good doctors are good. We don't need to do this
[20:57] Which is weird and I don't think really is
[21:02] Definitely not what he's saying here because that why would could they not work together?
[21:07] All right. Why does why would have to be one of the other medicine or God?
[21:11] It's just odd to me that that what is odd and then there's the whole idea of the prosperity gospel
[21:19] Name it and claim it baby name it and claim it. All right
[21:24] Man, I spare the gospel love some sickness. Don't think you know, you get healed God's always gonna heal 100% of the time
[21:35] It's weird because you know, we remember we had to study about the garden of Gethsemane
[21:38] And Jesus is suffering in the garden of Gethsemane and he said hey if if it be you will let this cup pass from me
[21:44] Guess he just didn't have enough faith. All right, according to the prosperity gospel. All right, right?
[21:50] Are you terrible right and people buy into it because they want healing and so they buy into it name and claim
[21:57] They gotta name it. Yeah, the promise God I could be healed
[22:03] But I want to remind us that you know, that's just some there there are even more
[22:07] I'm just giving you a couple of the you know interpretations of this scripture
[22:12] There are more I
[22:15] Think Peter second Peter says it best
[22:20] He's speaking about Paul and and how Paul writes and what he's writing but it goes it it applies here to in
[22:27] Second Peter 3 16. He says this as he does. This is Peter speaking about Paul as he does in all his letters when he speaks
[22:35] In them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand
[22:41] That's a well
[22:46] If I was Peter I'd be writing this about James - I'd be like as they I do in their letters
[22:54] As they write in their letters, there are some things that are hard to understand
[22:57] And then he goes on to say which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction
[23:02] As they do to other scriptures
[23:05] So there are some things that are just hard to understand, you know people who say I got all figured out Bible's easy
[23:13] Whatever
[23:16] All right, have fun with that. Let me know then because I don't so come to me and help me out, you know
[23:22] The other thing that's interesting. There are no parallel passages on this like there's nothing else that says this somewhere else
[23:28] So, you know, usually we back it up. We could say well, you know, Paul said this and you know
[23:32] Peter said this or John said this Jesus said this
[23:36] And we can do a little bit of that in some places, but the overall point it's not found anywhere in Scripture
[23:42] You're like
[23:44] Okay. Thanks James
[23:48] James knew what he meant. Maybe the readers the you know readers of that time knew what he meant
[23:53] We ourselves
[23:56] Right kind of have some difficulty knowing exactly what he meant
[24:00] And obviously you talk about you know in the Greek and what that means in the Greek and all this stuff
[24:05] so again
[24:08] It's interesting because there are some people who are okay with that like an open-ended this kind of like okay
[24:14] I gotta figure this out. I gotta pray more about it. And then there's some people what we're not have cut and dry sermon, right?
[24:19] We want to know the answer and you know, it's just his personality that you know
[24:23] You don't like walking away with like any kind of openness or hmm
[24:25] Well, it could be this or it could be that people lose their minds on those things, you know
[24:29] It's like the people who are note takers you ever have one of those sheets
[24:32] You know that that has like part of the notes for you
[24:35] And you just have to fill in the blanks as you're taking notes and then like the pastor forgets or the speaker forgets one blank
[24:40] and some of you are like, you know, he's going through the other ones and you're like
[24:44] What about the third one, right?
[24:45] You're like and now everything's going by you because you can't even think about it because you're young and it just drives you crazy
[24:50] All right, I say kind of person
[24:53] No, I don't like that open-endedness
[24:56] it's all I
[24:58] Would just pray for grace and clarity and wisdom for all of us
[25:03] Right as we read this and we try to study this passage
[25:07] So the first thing I want to look at
[25:10] Easy start with easy
[25:14] Is the main characters who's involved with all of this? All right, let me read it again
[25:19] Because I think it's you know, we keep talking about the scripture
[25:23] It says we're gonna start with verse 14 this time
[25:25] Is anyone among you sick let him call for the elders of the church?
[25:28] Let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord and the prayer of faith
[25:31] Will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed sins
[25:36] He will be forgiven therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed
[25:43] No, oh wait, I keep going that you may heal the prayer of the righteous person has great power as it is working so
[25:51] First thing we should do is call our friends
[25:56] No elders. Yeah, well call the elder of the church
[26:00] Right, but here's what's interesting if you read that passage
[26:03] James
[26:05] Right takes it for granted
[26:08] That these people who he's writing to will in be involved in the local church
[26:12] You get that right here it's it's
[26:16] It's it's just a part of what he's saying like you're gonna be in the church
[26:22] So therefore you would call an elder and you would confess your sins one another and pray for one another
[26:27] Because you're that's just what you do as good. You're part of this community of believers
[26:33] Right
[26:35] And it's interesting because God never right redeems individuals to live in any kind of isolation
[26:47] But rather to live in community with believers and be in relationship with one another
[26:57] Easy to say hard to do right because first I think there's a couple things that goes against us, right? We're Americans
[27:05] We're individuals. I don't need help
[27:08] All right. I don't need your help. I don't and I'm private so I don't know I don't need your help
[27:13] I don't want to tell you about my problems because I'm private and and I don't want to burden you
[27:18] So it's really just me. Maybe my wife and maybe I'll tell her
[27:23] That's it. I don't need any other help. I don't I don't need to be really fully invested
[27:27] And yet, right
[27:31] That's not really what you find in the New Testament, right I
[27:35] Think based on the New Testament
[27:40] Believers will be in should be in such a close relationship with one another that when the things of life
[27:49] Whether it be sickness or jobs or whatever, you know depression or whatever like just this is weight on you
[27:56] when those things happen
[27:59] and
[28:01] We have to face trouble and difficulty
[28:05] When we have to face even blessings or sickness
[28:09] That we are expected to face those things
[28:14] within the community of
[28:17] believers that we're in
[28:19] and
[28:21] Those of us who have gone through extreme pain and suffering to some degree understand that statement
[28:31] right
[28:34] And I'll use Lori again
[28:36] Because it's it's an easy thing when she was very sick
[28:38] right the doctor said
[28:41] Is she has hours to live?
[28:43] call her family
[28:46] And I call a family and friends and stuff and then they call family and friends and they call family or friends in the hospital
[28:51] just let
[28:53] right people came from
[28:55] you know
[28:57] Texas Florida, Portugal and literally and all flew in they came to the hospital
[29:02] And we had at the time I think Steve was my
[29:08] Mediator because you know, I'm in the hospital room. And so there's a hundred people or more in the waiting rooms
[29:15] They're two separate and they were all packed, you know days
[29:17] And I you know, so and so would like to see you so and so would like this and so he would be my
[29:21] It wasn't okay to send up. Should I not you know?
[29:24] But I remember going back to the hospital
[29:28] right and after she had gotten better we were going for and
[29:33] She was talking to the front desk part of something and I go and I went and sat in the waiting room
[29:39] It was that I want another person in there
[29:41] Hey
[29:43] And I just couldn't help it. I just start sobbing from this hospital
[29:47] People who would have came over to me like right?
[29:50] But I because of what I remembered right of
[29:55] all the prayers of all the people of all the encouragement of all the words of wisdom of
[30:02] People just trying to help in any way they could
[30:06] And that was empty. I mean completely empty those like you could hear crickets and
[30:12] yet I remember standing there just thanking people for coming, you know in the sorry state that I was in and
[30:18] People hugging me praying with me, you know
[30:23] Singing over Lori coming and singing over Lori
[30:27] So when I say this about this idea of community of believers I
[30:35] Speak from experience and I say man, I don't know
[30:41] What I would have done without it
[30:43] You know, I had kids their mom was sick and they were taken care of they were fed right they were cared for they were prayed for
[30:51] so as we look at this section, right the James has this expectation that we are in this community of believers and so when he
[31:00] Says call the elders of the church. He's saying you are a part of this church. And then when you disengage from that
[31:06] It's problematic
[31:12] And so first and foremost, we should be fully invested in the community of believers some of you long for that
[31:19] Your desire for that you've tried you've invited people you've done things you've texted people and called them and you get either no response or a negative response
[31:27] And I said don't quit don't give up
[31:32] Community of believers is too important
[31:36] Too important keep on keeping on with that. And if you're not doing that that goes against your the grade of your personality
[31:44] Right, just you don't have to invite the whole church
[31:47] Start with one person
[31:50] Just trying to skip build some relationship within the church of one person outside of your family
[31:56] There's a lot of lines in here, right? So it's easy for me. You're so it's easy for you to say have to have to group
[32:02] Is your family? All right, and I get that but I mean it's important that I and Lori and I talk about this like because it's easy
[32:08] For me just to talk to my family even when I'm here and I we have to be very intentional to say no
[32:12] Right. No, I
[32:15] Want to know what other people are going, you know going through what their happy what's happening in their life and talk to them
[32:20] And so when you say you struggle, I get it. Believe me
[32:23] But we have to
[32:26] We have to James is just saying listen. I
[32:31] Take it for granted that you're part of this
[32:33] So be a part of it. I
[32:36] Mean we even see in a Paul when he gets saved right on the road to that Damascus
[32:42] He doesn't just go wandering around by himself
[32:44] Right. Yeah, I guess I'm safe now. I guess I go start telling about people about Jesus, right?
[32:49] He was immediately joining himself to the fellowship of believers
[32:53] Right away, even the people who are like whoa. All right, seriously this guy
[32:59] Barnabas kind of comes along and helps them right, you know because people are like basically killing Christian. So why is he here?
[33:05] So be be involved fully right be involved fully so that you know the church
[33:13] so
[33:14] Who's involved the church secondly the elders he should call the elders or she should call the elders of the church
[33:21] And you know your elders, right? It's me Lee Raymond and
[33:27] And
[33:29] We want to be used
[33:31] We want to be called to pray
[33:34] We want to be able to say no, I must drop this because this is more important
[33:40] You know Hebrew says you ought to obey those who are your leaders talking about church leaders so that their work will be a
[33:50] Joy and not a burden
[33:51] Because that would be of no help to you because they keep watch over you as men who must give an account
[33:57] that
[33:58] Last part. I'm just gonna tell you it's a heavy heavy burden
[34:02] All right
[34:04] There watch over you spiritually as men who must give an account
[34:10] And it is I don't say it's a heavy burden so you people feel bad because you know
[34:18] It's a volunteer position. All right. It's not like the people are forcing me into this position or whatever
[34:23] but because
[34:25] We understand the weight and most of you understand that way because you have responsibility to your families or whatnot
[34:31] And we have to give an account as husbands as dads as mothers
[34:37] as individuals
[34:41] And so the responsibilities of this this prayer over the sick
[34:48] Falls on the whole church. Yes, but specifically elders to come privately over
[34:54] the sick
[34:56] And I want you know, we haven't done a good job of that
[34:59] You know, we haven't done a good job of that partly because people don't want to tell us you know
[35:05] I don't know partly because we haven't preached on this. That's it. This is something that we do
[35:09] And so I want you to know we do this we would do this
[35:14] To call us
[35:18] So we have the church we have the elders and then who else is involved man or woman who was sick
[35:24] Is that any of you sick?
[35:26] Now interestingly enough the word sick the the the word sick here in Greek is like I don't know it's called like
[35:35] I don't know how to pronounce it. Athan ethan in I or an eye or something like that
[35:40] But it means to be without strength and it's commonly used basically to describe like bodily weakness, but not exclusive
[35:49] right, there's more definition than that meaning that like
[35:53] area of weakness in terms of
[35:55] morality or spiritually or mental capacity and I tell you the definition because
[36:01] John MacArthur who I love
[36:04] right
[36:06] Would argue that this passage is talking to those people
[36:09] So people who are feel overwhelmed
[36:12] Right, that's you know, if you take chapter 5 beginning chapter 5
[36:16] He remember remember James lights into the unsaved who are you know
[36:21] Basically killing and picking on and you know giving hardship to the saved to Christians and he's like your day is coming
[36:27] Right and then he goes, you know
[36:29] He continues about suffering and then patience and you know all this stuff and now he you know talking about praying if you're sick
[36:34] And so John MacArthur would say
[36:36] This is what he's talking he's talking about those who are just worn down beat down
[36:42] You know in terms of spirituality or even morality because he's given up in their faith because of everything that's going on
[36:50] you know, and
[36:52] I'm gonna lie when I listen to his metronome
[36:55] Right, but I think there's more do it even than that
[36:58] and so, you know, I'm just one of those areas where we'll get into more next week, but
[37:03] Regardless, I think the definition is is quite helpful
[37:06] Of what that word means of what the word sick means because listen
[37:11] Some of us will get very sick
[37:16] But others all of us will feel beat down at some point and I think it is a reminder that word
[37:22] right
[37:24] That the all of us are under the care of the church, right?
[37:29] And so if you're worn down if you're spiritually discouraged if you're hurting
[37:34] Right you have every legitimate right
[37:43] Call the elders to come to pray over you
[37:46] It's not just those who are sick and dying in bed
[37:52] To say pray for me
[38:00] Right because I am weak to the point of failure
[38:03] I'm overwhelmed. I feel oppressed. I find myself burdened in a way that
[38:08] I can't even free myself
[38:12] Right
[38:14] Call the elders and let us pray over you
[38:19] And so we saw who's involved we see the church the elders and the sick
[38:27] That was easy. All right, that's not bad
[38:30] We can all see that in scripture and we can all get down. Okay, that makes sense. Who's involved those those three parties and
[38:37] Obviously God is involved when we talk about prayer, right?
[38:41] I
[38:43] Know who was involved like obviously that I probably should have said that, you know, God was the board most involved in all of this
[38:51] Well, the next question is what is involved and we kind of it's a kind of easy in one way
[38:57] right
[38:59] What is involved? Well, if any of you sick, you should call the elders of the church, right? Someone is sick
[39:04] Some sort of sickness
[39:07] But what's interesting and I kind of mentioned is already right it is the sick person who is responsible to call the elders
[39:14] And you say well, why is that important but I think there's some expectation in churches maybe not our church
[39:22] I'm definitely not I will definitely say in our church but in churches, right that
[39:26] Elders or church leaders should be on should be kind of on a mission to find those who are sick, you know, we need prayer
[39:34] Now we should be praying as elders and people of the church for our church and for the people in our church
[39:39] when we see that in this passage
[39:41] all right, but
[39:43] Not it's not the responsibility of leadership to go out and try to find those of you who are sick or beat down
[39:48] Now we may see it. I may ask about it, but it is definitely according to James is any among you sick
[39:54] Let him call the elders
[39:56] Right make sense
[40:03] There's no
[40:05] Obviously if I know somebody sick just by you know
[40:08] Talking to their wife or their friend and that you know, I could still call and see how they're doing and they may say then
[40:13] Hey, can you come and pray for me?
[40:14] That's not like well, I don't know I don't even gonna talk to them because they haven't gone. That's all I mean
[40:19] If you we're talking specifically praying over them over you
[40:22] Right in the privacy of your home, right? That's what we're talking about here
[40:27] Hi, and this is this is there's no indication that this is public. It's a pretty private affair
[40:32] Between the person who is sick and maybe their family and the elders now
[40:37] I know churches and I've read this since I was looking at this
[40:40] there are churches who will make an announcement that they have prayed over after they have talked to the person and and
[40:46] Went there and prayed over them anoint to them and prayed over them and then they came back to the church and said hey
[40:51] We as elders have prayed over them and we seek your prayers also
[40:54] right
[40:57] But the praying over is private
[41:02] And so
[41:04] The person should call the elders that's the first thing that's involved the second thing that's evolved
[41:10] Let them pray over him
[41:14] Anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord
[41:19] so
[41:22] First off
[41:24] right
[41:25] We're annoying with oil for that first off. We're calling the elders the elders are gonna come and
[41:30] Annoy it with oil
[41:32] Have any of you can I ask have any of you ever been in this situation? Have you ever been annoyed with oil?
[41:37] You want to tell me about it?
[41:40] You don't have to really yeah
[41:42] Okay, Chris was in Germany and was in crisis
[41:48] That's the way I grew up right our elders right did that on a regular basis, right
[42:00] Yeah, and obviously the church in America has gotten away from that overall overall
[42:05] There's some churches who are very still committed to it, but I will tell you looking at you
[42:10] But all this this passage has been extremely convicting for me in that regard
[42:13] And so if I'm speaking like kind of passionately about it kind of repeating the same thing
[42:20] it's because that's how I feel about right that this this passage has been kind of ignored or
[42:24] Just kind of like gone over kind of quick and then we don't really know it's kind of weird and also
[42:30] You know, and I I don't want them
[42:32] Because I truly believe and and I know that Raymond's in agreement with me
[42:38] I know that leaves an agreement is that I we truly believe
[42:41] That when James says is anyone among you sick
[42:44] Let them call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him that person or any of them with oil
[42:49] But that's not really an optional thing
[42:58] But when we hear about oil
[43:00] Port over if you come from a church like that, it's common, right?
[43:03] It's not you don't think of it as necessarily strange or weird per se
[43:06] Yeah, well different people different churches have different things, right?
[43:11] So I don't know if they did they sometimes they rub your forehead with it, you know things like that
[43:15] Yeah, so but there aren't some churches that will literally, you know, you know, you kind of have it kind of run down your face
[43:21] All right
[43:23] But some people then point to the oil
[43:28] Is that what it says
[43:29] Does poor oil over the head and they will be healed?
[43:32] No, right or rub oil on their forehead or whatever with oil and they'll be no, that's not what it says
[43:38] Right. So I I don't want us to get it hung up on the oil the oil
[43:42] Again, people have all different views on what the oil represents, right? And I'm not gonna go into each one
[43:49] All right, but we all know the story of the
[43:52] Parable the Good Samaritan, right?
[43:57] Well, then he gets you know, he gets beat up
[43:59] He gets robbed all this stuff and all these religious leaders come by kind of step over him
[44:02] You know him and then when some guy comes by and had eyes out them and it says there he went to him and bound
[44:06] Up his wounds pouring on oil and wine
[44:08] All right, so there's some people said well, it's medicinal oil is medicinal
[44:13] So maybe he really means medicine because back then they use some oil blah blah blah blah
[44:17] So he's talking about medicine and prayer, you know, we heal the person. Okay, so I'm say it's sacramental or
[44:26] Physical man you think of think of David being anointed with oil right when he was when he was elected as king
[44:31] I mean selected as king. Sorry when he was selected as king, right?
[44:35] They poured that, you know, Samuel poured oil over him right? That's more of a sacramental and then they're symbolic
[44:41] That the oil itself is a symbol that represents a healing presence of God
[44:47] And then some other ones that people think about
[44:53] And I'm gonna just tell you I don't know
[44:56] And I don't think I need to know and just regards. I'm not trying to be cop-out. You know me. That's not my style
[45:02] right, I
[45:04] think at the end of the day he says
[45:06] use oil and pray and
[45:09] For me because it's a prayer of faith, right? So there's all of this requires faith
[45:14] And so maybe it's a symbolic, you know, maybe it's this idea of being set apart
[45:21] While we pray for somebody like the oil has a representation when we like David he was being set apart for King as a king
[45:27] All right, or maybe he you know truly meant medicinal it back then
[45:32] All I know is it says that the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well not the oil as
[45:42] symbolic or the oil that is
[45:46] You know sacramental or the oil that is medicinally added will make the person well, but the prayer
[45:53] Right, we'll make the sick person well
[45:56] And so
[46:00] We a sick person calls the elders
[46:05] There's oil
[46:08] Right, and then there's prayer
[46:10] Maybe tied together, but those three things
[46:15] and
[46:16] It says this
[46:18] The great passage really
[46:23] Difficult right in the prayer of faith a prayer of faith
[46:29] The kind of an important statement will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up
[46:34] And if he has committed sins he will be forgiven and that's where we stop
[46:43] That's where we stop
[46:45] What I would love for you to do is
[46:48] Ping me this week on text if you you don't have to do this someone
[46:52] Love to hear your thoughts not because I I I know what I'm gonna preach on next week
[46:58] I've you know not that God can't change my mind and show me new things
[47:01] But I want to know where your thoughts are on that passage
[47:05] especially verses 14 and 15
[47:09] Right. I love it because you guys maybe I love talk to you just because your church had done it
[47:13] Katharina and I don't know if Chris if your church if you grew up in a church like that or if that was
[47:17] With our church. Oh the same. Okay. So yeah, I love to hear just because that you know
[47:22] I know I've never been a church that I've never been to a church that has done that but I know people and no
[47:29] Churches that do it, but I would love to you know hear from you guys on this
[47:38] But part of it is also I just I want to like I want you to look at this passage
[47:42] And that gone. This is the worst
[47:45] Right. I want you to look at this path and say man
[47:49] I don't I may not know but I know God is good. I want to do what God says. All right. I
[47:54] Want to have faith that whatever God is telling me here that
[47:58] He knows what he's talking about and all things
[48:02] Right that in his sovereignty all things are for my good and his glory
[48:08] all
[48:10] things
[48:12] And so you may say oh well, you know
[48:14] I've seen oil thing I've seen elders pray over people and I've seen them die
[48:18] Matter of fact, I read a story about a missionary and the golly golly people all the elders that prayed over her
[48:26] She was a missionary and I thought it was gonna be a story appealing. So I'm reading the story. I'm like, oh wow
[48:31] And then it was like and at the end it goes and she died
[48:35] And the point was it's a difficult passage
[48:39] But they did everything you're supposed to so did they not have enough faith?
[48:42] Right. Did they not did they not you know?
[48:46] Did they have too much sin in their life, you know, I
[48:51] Saw I read one thing and it says this
[48:55] right
[48:58] That people I think you you mentioned this let me see what do I have it here? Yeah. Yeah. What if it fails?
[49:04] What if we do this and it fails?
[49:06] Right the person dies or doesn't get better. Maybe they just stay sick for the rest of their lives. Whatever, right?
[49:12] And the author of this boat said remember greater Christians than us have sought healing and failed
[49:18] It is better to fail and attempt to exercise faith. That's a let it lie dormant and fruitless that stuck to me, right? Cuz I'm like
[49:26] Yeah
[49:28] Like all I can do is what God tells me to do
[49:33] That's what we can do
[49:35] And maybe you have more clarity on this than I do. That's great
[49:38] But even if I stay, you know, kind of like semi unclear on some things
[49:42] All we can do is to do what God tells us to do because he all he goes on to say
[49:47] It is better to have failed and attempt exercise faith until that lie dormant and fruitless
[49:51] God never belittles those to attempt to follow him in faith, but he does chase in those who refuse to attempt anything for him
[49:57] And both faith and the prayer of faith are gifts
[50:02] from God
[50:04] So study it this week dig into it ask questions, right
[50:13] Let me know what you're thinking
[50:17] And in the meantime
[50:20] We're gonna buy someone else. All right, be ready. We're gonna be ready for when you guys call. All right
[50:26] I don't know that to me. It's a fun message at first. I was like and complaining about it to everybody under the Sun say man
[50:32] Should have got Chris to preach this message
[50:35] But the more I got into it and even last night when God was like now like really like
[50:44] Getting close to what to a 2 a.m. I'm like, okay, this is fun. Yeah dig into this. This is good stuff
[50:53] Um, I just love you guys. I love the grace that you have when we teach
[50:57] Right, you don't sit there and go man. You're the worst. Well, maybe you think of that
[51:01] But I appreciate you listening and I just really just be praying
[51:08] Would you pray for me as I speak next week as I continue to pray prepare for next week?
[51:12] And would you pray for us as a church as we we want to obey God in?
[51:17] All things whether it makes sense to us or not. We want to obey God
[51:23] Alright, so we're gonna sing one more song
[51:26] You guys know it we've been singing in the last couple of weeks
[51:31] But we want to make sure we sing it and know it know it because I kind of got in trouble that we sing too
[51:36] many new songs so but I love the song that is
[51:39] Now I love the song because of what it says about for our good and his glory
[51:46] Right. And when we remember that even in things like this it just it makes the faith makes it easier to have it
[51:53] Makes it easier to have faith in these situations. So let's stand and sing and then we're to be the best
[51:57] Father we just thank you for the passage today. Even though it's difficult
[52:01] Give us wisdom Lord as we continue to look at it as we continue to study it
[52:07] But father help us remind us
[52:10] That even things that we don't understand
[52:13] Even things that are difficult for us understand that we are to obey you in all things
[52:17] For in all things you work for our good and your glory. We love your Lord in Jesus name we pray. Amen
[52:26] Amen.