Let Us Pray

James 5:13-18
September 19, 2021
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

As we wait for the kingdom of the new heavens and new earth, we need to talk to God our Father. We need to talk to him and ask him for help when we go through suffering. We need to talk to him and give his praise and thanks when we are cheerful. We need to talk to him and draw near to him when it is time for us to die. We need to talk to him and ask for forgiveness when we confess our sins to one another.

We need to talk to God our Father. We need to pray.

Today’s passage is an invitation pray. But before we consider today’s passage, let us first remember the gospel of Jesus Christ and be amazed by the mere fact that we are able to pray at all.

Dear Highland, isn’t it amazing that we can talk to God in prayer? You have a new relationship with your Father in heaven. You stand before your Father in heaven fully forgiven, absolutely adopted, and lavishly loved - all because of his Son. You are a child of your Father in heaven. And your Father in heaven delights to hear your prayers and answer them. This is all true of you. You can talk to God. You can communicate with him. You can express yourself to him. You can cry in front of him. This is amazing. Let us never forget how amazing it is that we can talk to God in prayer.

Today’s passage brings up four distinct moments in life as we wait for the return of Christ. When these four moments happen in your life, pray.

First, pray to God when you go through suffering. Verse 13 says this. “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” Ask God to remove the suffering or help you to get through the suffering. Ask God to sanctify you during your suffering. Ask God for strength to trust in him and count it all joy if the suffering is meant to be a time of trial and testing. Ask God for greater understanding about what it means to share in the sufferings of Christ. Ask God for patience. Ask God to help you avoid temptation and sin. Ask God for wisdom and heavenly-mindedness. Ask God to help you think about others. Dear Highland, pray to God. Pray to God when you go through suffering.

Second, pray to God when you are cheerful. Verse 13 says this. “Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” Singing to God and praying to God are closely connected activities. And sometimes they are one and the same - just look at the book of Psalms. Praise God for his salvation - for the forgiveness of sin and for eternal resurrection life. Give thanks to God for his daily bread and how he takes care of you each and every day of your life. Boast in God’s mercy and grace when good things happen to you. Honor and glorify God and give him all the credit and recognition when you do good works in your life. Dear Highland, pray to God. Pray to God when you are cheerful.

Third, pray to God when you are sick and when it is time for you to die. Verse 14 says this. “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.” This is a very profound and beautiful command. The elders of the church are men who administer the ministry of Christ. And Christ himself actively ministers to his church through the elders of the church.

This means then that when elders visit and care for sick or dying saints, it is ultimately Christ himself who is doing the visiting and the caring.

When elders read aloud the Bible and remind sick or dying saints about their salvation in Jesus, it is ultimately Jesus who speaks to them and assures them of the truth of his gospel and his promises and his love and his power and his victory. When elders anoint sick or dying saints as an act of consecrating them and setting them apart, it is ultimately the Lord who is consecrating them and setting them apart as his own. When elders pray over and pray with sick or dying saints, it is a reflection of the intercession of Christ and how our King prays over us and with us.

When we are sick, we are not alone. When we face death, we are not alone. When you are sick, it is a time to pray. When your life on this old and fading earth is coming to an end, it is a time to pray. Why pray in times like this? Because we have faith. Because we know that the Lord will raise us up after we die and because we know that we will have eternal resurrection life in him. Because we know that if we have committed sins, we are and we will be forgiven. But as God’s children, be also warned and be disciplined. While we cannot say that all sicknesses and all deaths are connected to specific sins, we can say that some sicknesses and some deaths are connected to specific sins. For example, in 1 Corinthians 11:29-30, Paul talks about taking the Lord’s Supper seriously and writes this: “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” This helps us understand verse 15 in today’s passage: “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” So be warned. Be disciplined. And be assured. Be comforted. Dear Highland, pray to God. Pray to God when you are sick or when it is time for you to die.

Fourth and finally, pray to God when you need to ask for forgiveness and when you need to confess sins to others. Verses 15 and 16 says this. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” It is sad that brothers and sisters in Christ often sin against one another at church. It is unfortunate that many believers struggle to grow when it comes relationships and reconciliation with church members. And it is regrettable that we often try to fix all of this all by ourselves instead of going to God in prayer and depending on him.

But we can do better.

Did you sin against another brother or sister in Christ? Pray to God. Ask God for forgiveness. Ask God for mercy and grace. Ask God for a contrite and repentant heart. Is your mess so big or broken that you don’t know what to do? Pray to God. Ask God for wisdom. Is it time to confess sins to others? Pray to God. Ask God for humility and sincerity before others. Ask God for compassion and forgiveness from others. Ask God for mercy and grace. Do you desire reconciliation? Pray to God. Ask God for renewed relationships and renewed good works and renewed change. Have you been sinned against by someone at church? Pray to God. Ask God for healing - for your healing and for the healing of the one who sinned against you. Highland, pray to God. Pray to God when you need to ask for forgiveness and when you need to confess sins to others.

I would like to close now with a story about the Old Testament prophet Elijah. May his story encourage and motivate you to pray to God.

During Elijah’s life, in 1 Kings 17-18, there lived a king named Ahab. Ahab was a bad king. He did evil in the sight of God. He was a troubler of Israel. And he did not believe in the ultimate promise of God’s salvation. So through his prophet Elijah, God pronounced judgment upon Ahab because of his sinfulness. His judgment was a drought and a famine in the land. Elijah prayed, and it did not rain for three years and six months. Then Elijah prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

This is amazing. Elijah was righteous, having believed in the ultimate promise of God’s salvation. And Elijah’s prayer worked with great power. But make no mistake, his prayer was answered by the great and powerful work of God. God controlled the rain, not Elijah. God brought judgment upon Ahab, not Elijah. God gets all the glory, not Elijah. Elijah was merely a man with a nature like ours. And to be fair, Elijah was a pretty average dude. He’s well known for his victorious showdown against the prophets of Baal and Asherah when the fire of the Lord fell upon his altar. But he much less known for his fearful meltdown against the wicked Jezebel when he ran away from her. In many ways, you and Elijah are similar. Isn’t it amazing that God answered his prayer in such a way that it did not rain in the land for well over three years? Isn’t it amazing that God answered his prayer to bring back the rain? You and Elijah are similar. But more importantly, God back then in Elijah’s time and God right now in your time is the same God.

Dear Highland, pray to God. You are righteous in that you believe in the ultimate promise of God’s salvation. Pray to God, whose works are great and powerful. God controls your life. You do not. God gets all the glory. Not you. So pray to God. You need to talk to your Father in heaven. You need to pray.

Let us pray.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come soon.

Soli Deo Gloria