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Complete Sermon Notes
James on Sickness, Suffering, & Wandering
LAST ONE – Part Twelve 1/18/2017
James 5:13 – Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 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 land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
1. Suffering [TROUBLE] – the answer is prayer not lashing out, not simply bearing it, and not retaliating – better not bitter.
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Nervous breakdowns – to walking away from God.
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Affliction can lead to humility – those close to God have endured much affliction.
2. Cheerful – the other extreme – people seek Him when suffering, but discard Him when all is well. Fuel the Joy – sing and praise Him.
3. Sickness: God is allowing it, or a demonic attack, or a condition of our fallen bodies [may or may not be self created].
“Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord [oil represents who is healing]. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
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“Calling the elders” – go get them / or go to them.
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Men who live well pray well – “the effectual, fervent prayer of a [man in right standing with God]. King Ahab’s prayers vs Elijah’s.
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“And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”
Faiths Roll – “the prayer of faith”: God gives this gift.
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If it was always God’s will to heal – we would never die.
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This is why it’s not a absolute, BUT when sin is connected to the illness.
Sins connection to illness – (cf. Mk. 2:5; Jn. 5:14; 9:2–3; 1 Cor. 11:30)
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Confession took place – confessing to one another.
Guilt can cause sickness – HEADLINES: “Is guilt getting the best of you”; “How emotions cause disease and illness”; “What are the physical effects of guilt?”
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Healing HERE is connected with the forgiveness of sin.
“And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” – “LET LOOSE”.
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Matthew 6:15 – if we refuse to forgive others, God will not forgive your sins.
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Cleansing and Release takes place when we forgive and allow forgiveness.
“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”
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Soul [Greek – Psyche’] – life, spirit, breathe
“To wander is…to reject the revealed will of God and to act contrary to it, either through willfulness or the deceit of others (including demonic powers).” Davids, P. H., The Epistle of James: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 198).
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Transgression of the law, especially idolatry (Is. 9:15; Je. 23:17; Ezk. 33:10; cf. Ezk. 34:4; Pr. 14:8).
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Luke and Matthew talk about the sheep who “wanders.”
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Truth is a path we can “wander” from – Jer. 6:16 Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ 17 Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
SUM IT UP: This sickness is caused by wandering from God [a pattern of sin] – from alcohol and drugs to lying and slander, and from sexual sin to the sin of pride – the warnings, convictions, and rebukes have all been ignored. The elders get involved in hope that confession and repentance take place, and that faith-filled prayer releases the person from God’s chastisement [Hebrews 12:5-7]. The person was heading toward physical death as the result of wandering from God, but now they are restored – the soul is saved and his ongoing pattern of sin [multitude] was covered [concealed; dealt with].
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Death is the final end result of wandering -To “cover sin” is to forgive – Adam and Eve
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