James series – “The Litmus Test for life”

James 5:19-20

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, ²⁰ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

It’s here that we come to the thirteenth and final test, the correction test. As many of you know, I really struggled in school because I had dyslexia. I was told that 2 things I wouldn’t be very good at were public speaking and writing, 2 things that I not only get to do but love to do. So how did I go from failing in those areas to being paid to do those things? Its called remediation. You see I was fortunate enough to have a teacher who not only believed in me but was honest enough to tell me the truth about where I was at but also that I didn’t have to be stuck there. He told me that I could overcome my weaknesses and go from struggling to success. But in order to do that I had to first recognize and be honest about where I was at and second be willing to recognize my need for remediation. What is remediation, it’s the action of remedying something. My dyslexia caused me to really struggle with English which affected all my other classes. The solution was to put me in a remedial English class so I could work on my literacy skills and eventually go from a remedial class to a regular class. The big question was would I be willing to admit my problem and go through remediation knowing that all the other kids in the school would also know I had a problem. Did I care more about looking good or getting better? These are not just problems we struggle with in school, they are the same issues we face in Christian community. Where we are tempted to worry more about what people will think and say than we do what God thinks and says. So, we put our effort into maintaining an image of Christianity instead of conforming to the image of Christ. I had to care more about getting better than looking bad. Do you care more about how you look or how you are living? Today we don’t want to talk about remedial classes because we don’t want anyone to feel bad. But would you rather feel bad or be bad? Sadly, we are doing the same thing in the church, because rather than get honest about what is really going on spiritually in our lives, and repenting and recommitting to relying on Jesus, we just say its ok we all sin, its no big deal. The school I went to tested us, the tests were a measuring tool to see where we were at. If we failed, they didn’t just throw us out they put us into a remedial class to work on the areas we struggled with so that we would be able to pass the test. They didn’t give anybody the answers to the test. They didn’t make it easier on us, as a matter of fact, it was often harder. Spiritually the same is true, God doesn’t lower the standard so that we can be comfortably complacent Christians. Instead, He calls us to comfort to Christ. Why did my teachers take the time to equip us to pass the test? because they knew that the outcome would affect our whole lives. Now if a secular organization like a school is that concerned with people passing tests don’t you think that we as the church ought to be that much more concerned with people passing spiritual tests? Tests that don’t just affect our physical life but have eternal consequences. 

James series – “The Litmus Test for life”

James 5:15-18

¹⁵ Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. ¹⁷ Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! ¹⁸ Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

After seeing the passion of the petitioner next, we see the:

• Piety of the Petitioner – “Righteous person”

We need to consider the character of the petitioner. James reminds us that the prayers that receive answers are from “a righteous person.” One who because they totally trust God live their life according to His Word and doing what is right. 1 Peter 3:12 says, “The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.” Many prayers go unanswered because the petitioners pray without faith. 

• Power of passionate prayer – “has great power” no rain for 3½ years

The power was not in the person who prayed or even in the lack of rain or the provision of rain. Those were a display of power but no the source. The power was in the One in whom Elijah prayed to, God. The false prophets prayed but their prayers we rooted in religion not in a relationship with Jesus. But what is the purpose of the power, to point people to God. It’s about God’s glory not ours.

• The Promise to the Petitioner – “produces wonderful results” – 

James concludes his instruction on prayer by affirming that this type of prayer “produces wonderful results. It is the same greek word that Paul uses in (Philippians 4:13), “I can do (ischuo) all things through Christ which strengthens me.” It’s here that we see the produce of prayer, the dry dusting ground received the life giving rain and producing a harvest. God rained down blessing, on all, a righteous person prays prayers that serve more than just self. But prayers that bring blessing to those around them. Elijah prayed a corporate prayer and God gave a corporate answer. So how do you handle your personal affliction? Do you see it as an opportunity to focus in only on yourself and your wants and needs? Or do you see it as an opportunity to pray that God be glorified in your affliction? As part of a body of believers, how do we see the affliction of one of our members? Do we see it only as their problem, or do we see it as a call to prayer?  Do we see their affliction only as an interruption to the easy life that God’s supposed to give us? Like some sort of inconvenience? Or do we see it for what it can be. Do we see affliction the way that Elijah did? Do we see it as a way that God’s glory can be magnified through our lives, individually and corporately?  God gave us each other because we need each other. We need each other just like one part of our human body needs the other parts. We need each other for accountability. And we need each other for prayer. And when we do those things, all the false prophets of the world will fall before us. Why? Because when we hold each other accountable and pray for each other, God is glorified. The name of Jesus is lifted up before a watching world. Sometimes suffering is the result of sin and sometimes it’s a gift that lets us give glory to God. There is nothing more powerful than a saint shining for Jesus in the midst of suffering.