Turn with me once again in your Bibles to the book of James. The book of James, chapter 5. And we want to read verses 13 through 18. Chapter 5, verses 13 through 18. Let us once again give our attention to the reading of God's Holy Word. This is found on page 1389 Bibles there in your rows. James writes, is anyone among you suffering? Let them pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let them 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 trespass 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. Remember the grass withers and the flower falls, but God's word abides forever. where we're continuing our series of untwisting, twisted scripture. And we have another one of those passages before us here in James chapter 5, verse 14 and 15. It reads, "'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 so, in this verse, we find that there's a few different views that are brought up, as it were. There's a few different twists that are noted. Some have argued that this is justification to anoint one's body at the end of their life and administer last rites. Others have noted that through the prayer of faith, it's the guarantee for healing when prayer happens. And so, individuals have looked at all of these types of things and have come up with various ideas, but both of which twist the passage. As we've heard often, context matters. context matters. I'm reminded of the story of this little boy who was in Sunday school and they were studying the account of Lot and his family being called upon to leave Sodom and Gomorrah. And the thing that happened for Lot's wife as she left the city and they were told not to look back, she looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. The little boy hearing this said, oh, that's nothing. The other day, my mom looked back and she turned into a telephone pole. What's the point? The child missed context. He's playing off of the word looking back. And frankly, as we look in this passage, there is a key item regarding context. Context as it pertains to the history, context as it pertains to the culture, even the context of situation can all inform or help us understand what is the point that James is making here for us. Well, as we consider a bit of the context, there's two things that we need to keep in mind. The first of which, who exactly is James writing to? As an aside, James was probably the first book of the New Testament written, somewhere towards the end of the AD 40s. So it was probably the first book written, and consequently, as you walk through the book, you see a lot of similarity between the language of James and the language of Jesus. And yet as James writes, he's writing to individuals who have endured great persecution and affliction. You recall in the book of Acts where Stephen was martyred in Acts chapter 7 and it was at the hand or under the direction of Saul. who was converted in Acts chapter 9, and yet even in his conversion, he was on his way to go arrest Christians in order to have them tried and even killed for their faith, but Jesus intervened. And we then see continued persecution, even so much so that the apostles weren't spared from it, so that the first apostle, James, not the writer of this book, was killed. Recorded for us in Acts chapter 12. What does that tell us? The experience of hostility and stress and trials were such that it so affected God's people at the time that they needed to hear from the Lord through his messenger how to endure. And isn't that the very thing that James brings out? For example, if you go back to James chapter one, You see that, that wondrous and fearful statement that he makes in chapter 1 verse 2. My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. We don't like to hear that, do we? Hardships, difficulties, experiences that are not easy to handle. James says, look upon it with joy. And consequently, he says, endure. Take joy in the midst of sorrows that you may then endure to the very end, knowing what awaits you. Chapter 1, verse 12, when he's been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. And so then through the rest of the chapter, James notes the encouragement that is for the believer that God provides his grace to overcome. And yet, we as the people of God need to be mindful of our perspective in how we look at various things, that they must be held in check. And we can do so as we live by God's word. And so this emphasis on hardship affecting our life and yet looking ahead to that which awaits us through the Lord Jesus Christ is the very concepts that James brings about towards the end of this epistle. For example, if you look in chapter five, verse seven, what does he say? Be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See the similarity with chapter one, verse 12? And then again, the attitudes. Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is hand. Do not grumble against one another. Behold, again, the judge is standing at the door. And then remember the prophets who suffered and endured with patience. We count them blessed. What's the point? The point is that James, at the beginning and at the end of this epistle, is hitting on the same concepts. Patience, joy in the midst of trials and temptations and persecutions, enduring so that you would not waver, anticipating the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why is that significant? Why is it significant for us to remember this particular point? Because what does he then say in verse 13? Is anyone suffering? What does he say in verse 14? Is anyone sick? And the question is, what does that word mean in terms of sickness? What does it mean for one to be raised up by the Lord, considering one another and interacting with one another? And yet, If James has in mind hostility and persecution, then I think this text is arguing for us not so much to think about physical sickness in the importance of prayer, but rather the benefit and the value and the use of prayer as a means of encouraging and strengthening those who are cast down so that they may be able to continue to endure to the very end. The subject of prayer is very important in this passage, for in every verse, verses 13 through 18, there's a reference to prayer. The word prayer is not omitted from any one of these verses in verses 13 through 18. What does that tell us? James has prayer on the brain. He's focusing in on this important subject. He's noting its value. He's noting its benefit. He's noting it in a particular context. And as he then brings prayer before us, he brings it to us in four ways. How we are strengthened in prayer. how we might be stimulated in prayer, how we then see that there is a society of prayer, and lastly, a security of prayer. Strengthened in prayer, stimulated in prayer, a society of prayer, and a security in prayer. Strengthened in prayer, what's that? Look at verse 13. Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. How can this whole thing here be about prayer? I mean, after all, he does mention prayer at the beginning, but what about this idea of praise? Or if anyone is cheerful, let them sing psalms. The point is that they both come before God. They may be motivated by different reasons or different context or things that are occurring in life, but both are directed to God. And so there is an aspect in which strengthening occurs as we approach God, whether we're weak or whether we're happy. In this context of weakness, you see he mentions suffering, piggybacking off of what he just noted in the previous context. He's noting this idea that those who are wearied, those who are exhausted, those who are depressed, those who are going through times of abuse or distress or calamities, you need to call out to God. Why would we do that? Why call out to God when it hurts? Why call out to God when we're wearied or when we're down or when we're struggling or when we're hurting or when we feel lonely? Consider three things that prayer does for us when we cry out to the living God. Number one, it sanctifies our pains. It's very easy to be overwhelmed by what we see. It's easy to allow hurts to cause us to see that is the only thing that is before us and consequently feeling lonely and feeling despair and depressed and discouragement. In fact, what begins to happen as those things unfold in our life, we begin to retract only more and more and more until finally we are by ourselves and all we see is the problems and the difficulties and the hurts. But by means of prayer, it brings us out of those things that cause that difficulty and that hurt. And consequently, it writes our perspective, it changes the direction of our focus, and it causes us then to see that God is still present and there at work in the midst of our pains. Ultimately, by sanctifying our pains, it is through prayer that strength and comfort and help occurs. The psalmist in Psalm 57 notes, be merciful to me, O God, my soul trusts in you. In the shadow of your wings, I will take my refuge until the calamities have passed. But not only does God then cause our pains to be sanctified, He ultimately leads us by means of prayer to a throne of grace. He provides comfort in the midst of the affliction and the sorrow. It's the recognition that by means of grace provided by Him, we then declare that only He can remove the source of sorrow and sanctify the soul. Hence, James says, if you're suffering, go to God. Not retract, not run, not pull away, go to Him. Think about what happened in the life of Manasseh. Manasseh was a king in Israel. He was wicked so much so that God brought another country in to overtake him. He was bound in chains. They put big old hooks in his mouth and they led him in a humiliating and embarrassing fashion before all the people, carrying him as such all the way back to their country. And yet God used the affliction to humble Manasseh and to cry out to the Lord. And as he sought the Lord, the Lord heard and restored him. The promise three times over in Psalm 107 is that as those would cry unto the Lord, He delivers. The psalmist in Psalm 34 says, I sought the Lord and He heard me and He delivered me from all my fears. Are you hurting? Are you suffering? Are you struggling? Are you experiencing things that are causing you to be wearied and tired and exhausted? Are you feeling abused and overwhelmed by your calamities? Take it to the Lord in prayer. Isn't that the message of the hymn that we hear? Or isn't that the message that we hear in the hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus? All our sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Listen to what it says next. Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Remember, it's a throne of grace. God will not abandon nor despise the cry or call of his child. He's welcomed you with open arms through Jesus Christ. He's overcome all your sins. He's delivered you from all the power of the devil. He's worked His grace in your life. He's continuing to do a good work in you. He wants to see it brought to the end and into completion. And He's using even these challenges in your life that you might then grow into the image of Jesus Christ. And so through all that, go to Him. For by it, you're strengthened. Yes, you feel that you must endure the storm. And yet as you endure, the storms of life are not reasons for the mistrust of God's goodness. It's not the calling on a father who's forgotten you. It's the calling on the father who loves you. Well, it's easy to see why when you're cheerful that you ought to cry out in praise. After all, God has worked, he's been present, he's cared for you, and yet it's still important to remember that. For the tendency may be to look upon our experiences and see, well, this is something that I've accomplished, or to look at how things may have worked out well for me, or to see some benefit or value that another person has brought forward. Are you happy? Are you rejoicing? Praise God. Are you wounded? Are you suffering? Pray. The whole of the Christian life is communion with God and therefore we ought to cry out to Him in prayer and God uses it as a means of strength. But in prayer, he also stimulates us. And this is where it's important to reflect on context, because if in James chapter five, verses seven through 11, you see the issue of suffering and patient endurance, and if chapter five, verse 13, he then notes, if you're suffering, pray, why then would he introduce sickness in chapter 14, or verse 14? There's debate here as to whether or not this word means to have physical ailments or something else. Is it more so the idea of being mentally exhausted and emotionally run down and physically defeated? Is it a sickness or is it the effects of something else which causes then weariness and depression? I would argue to you that in light of the context, I think that James here is talking about weakness. Although it can mean sickness and although the Gospels note this, it can also denote feebleness. There's a few places in which we see this. For example, in Romans 4 and Romans 14, Paul describes a weak faith. Or in 1 Corinthians 8, he describes those who are spiritually weak. Same word. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about how he's gone through all sorts of persecutions and difficulties, and that there was a thorn in the flesh that was given to him, and he asked the Lord to remove it, and yet the Lord said, no, why? My grace is sufficient for you. And what does Paul then say? I will therefore most rather or gladly boast in my glory. Same word. Weaknesses. Think about this. Are you suffering? Pray. But even as you've prayed, you feel as if things aren't resolved, things aren't working through, and consequently you're overwhelmed even more and even further. The audience, having gone through all sorts of things, are just emotionally run down, physically defeated, even showing the effects of being beaten in their bodies. They've hit rock bottom. They're finding it hard to continue to pray because they feel so isolated. And so what does James say? Grab another. Be stimulated by others through prayer. Not just anyone. Go to the strong. Go to those who are spiritually mature. Seek out the elders of the church to come alongside of you in order to encourage you. After all, that's part of their qualification, and that's the reason that they're there. They are to be strong, mature men, Acts chapter six, individuals who are given over to prayer and the ministry of the word, those who oversee and watch over the flock of Jesus Christ to shepherd them and care for them and serve them and come alongside of them, to strengthen those who are weakened, those who are overwhelmed with their burdens, those who are discouraged and full of despair. The elders are there. for this purpose. And so James says, call upon them. What's a lesson here? Life is not to be lived in isolation. The Christian life is not to be lived in isolation. There may be some who would sing the following ditty, me and Jesus, we got our own thing going. Me and Jesus, we got it all worked out. Me and Jesus, we got our own thing going. Therefore, we don't need anyone to tell us what it's about. But that's not what James says here. James says that even if you have Jesus but are apart from the covenant community of God's people by means of membership, then you are missing out on mutual aid and support from the covenant community. So when the time of weakness and despair and doubt and overwhelming discouragement comes, you will be lacking in having the elders who love you and care for you to come to you to pray and to stimulate your faith. There's also then this statement or this call that they would pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. As I mentioned at the outset, some have used this particular verse in order to say this means then that when a person is facing the end of their life and they know they're done, then they should call upon a minister or another servant of the church to come in and administer last rites. But that isn't the intention of the passage here, is it? It's not anointing and ushering them into death. This has an aspect of prayer and somehow anointing them that they may then be raised up from their place of affliction and continue on with their life. What is this aspect of anointing? Well, another word that could be used here is simply to rub, to rub them with oil. Oil was used for, at times, hygiene or hygienic practices. After someone would wash themselves, they would anoint their head. Jesus notes that when you fast to do so. In Luke chapter seven, there was the woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair, and then consequently, she put oil over his feet, and it was called anointing, but the point was that his feet were rubbed with this. What's the point? The point is that God has given the elders who are called upon to come along the one who is discouraged and defeated and at rock bottom to stimulate these individuals, to encourage them, to even strengthen them and refresh them. It's a ministry of care and restoration. God notes this in Isaiah chapter 1 verse 6 when he describes the people of God who have not been softened with oil because they have abandoned themselves from his spiritual care and his spiritual work of restoration. The ones who are downcast and disheartened and feeling all alone need support and that support needs to be mental and physical and emotional and spiritual. And the elders here are being called upon to come alongside of them and do what's necessary. And James is bringing this out even to those who had suffered under the mistreatment of persecution, bearing the wounds in their body. And he says, support them and encourage them. This isn't simply by their own power or own strength. It's in the name of Jesus Christ. It's on his behalf. And the promise is then made that the prayer of faith will save. Again, a passage that individuals look upon and say, oh, prayer of faith. So what we need to have take place here is the individual who needs healing, who needs support, who needs strength, they in turn then need to exercise this great faith, believing what is there, and they might then be able to secure the desires of their heart. Individuals have looked at this passage in order to say that by the means of the prayer of faith, if one is sick, they can be healed. Elsewhere, they note that ones who desire to be wealthy or rich can seek that and consequently benefit accordingly. Faith becomes this avenue by which it's impossible to please God, some argue, and consequently, if you have faith, you then can secure great and wondrous things. The encouragement then is that you need to say it. You need to proclaim by faith what it is you want. Consequently, you need to believe it, even if it's not before you yet. Believe that it will come. Build up your faith to see that this will manifest itself, and eventually you will receive it. And even if you haven't gained it yet, stand for it. Claim it as your own. and consequently act out on that which is to be yours. And they build all of that off of this declaration that the prayer of faith will save the sick. Listen, God's not obligated to obey the words of people. The assertion is that our words have power and as long as we truly believe in the power and strength of our words, even the God of the universe will submit to it. What determines things? What determines your life? The power of your words? How often have you uttered things in your life and yet it's not come to be? How often have you desired things and yet it wasn't there. It's not the power of your words, it's the power of the sovereign God who in accordance with His perfect will has determined all things that come to pass. That's where strength lies. And number two, it's the assertion that God's favor is found simply in blessings. That the more you're blessed, then the more favor that you have from God. And so those who are wealthy is a sign of God's favor. Those who are healthy is a sign of God's favor. Those who are happy is a sign of God's favor. What if you've acquired your wealth in a poor manner? Is that God's blessing? You sinfully disobeyed God's word and yet you made millions of dollars. What then? If health is a sign of God's blessing, then why do people die? They should be able to live forever by the exercise of their faith through their words to secure these benefits. And yet what do we see? God's intention isn't to always make Christians prosperous, but his intention is always to make Christians holy. And so he brings us through various situations and trials and hurts in order to work his will and to humble us that we may be like the Lord Jesus Christ. So what then is this prayer of faith? The prayer of faith is simply the exercise of seeking God's will in the life of this believer that this one may be raised up. We might talk about this in this manner. In the context of prayer in the Heidelberg Catechism, we see these two things. The first thing is what belongs to such prayer which is acceptable to God in which He will hear. Number 117, that we be firmly assured that notwithstanding our unworthiness, He will, for the sake of Christ our Lord, certainly hear our prayer as He has promised us in His word. The exercise of the prayer of faith is the exercise of the believer coming before the living God to make his request known. It's the certain knowledge that God hears us because of Christ. That's the prayer of faith. It also means that only those who are in Christ may come to God in prayer. But secondly, we then see this. What is the third petition? Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Grant that we and all men renounce our own will and without gainsaying obey thy will, which alone is good, so that everyone may fulfill his office and calling as willingly and faithfully as the angels do in heaven. This is the prayer of faith. coming before the living God through the merits of Jesus Christ, recognizing that he then is accomplishing his purposes in our life. We can be certain and assured that that is the case. There is no need to doubt or to question what will unfold or what will result. There isn't this sense of the laboring of our words or the pure confidence that is present within us that will somehow secure greater benefit and greater strength. Simply the simple trust. through the Lord Jesus Christ that God will effectively work. And so what then does James tell us? The Lord will raise him up. And if he's committed sins, he will be forgiven. The simple call isn't to say that we are only sick because we've sinned. Remember what Jesus noted in John chapter nine with the blind man who, whereby he says that the individual wasn't blind because of the sin of his parents or his own, but God had placed them in that condition in order to then bring about his glory at the appropriate time. But as we go through times of despair, and even as we might have the officers of the church who would come before us, and as we then begin to reflect and consider our situations, we then may recall certain conditions that are present, things that we have done wrong, times in which we have doubted or not trusted. And we're assured that the Lord then will effectively work even in that context as we repent. The prayer of faith is a statement or a phrase that is readily abandoned in our current context. It's a desire to take a situation that we read, allow a different theology to affect it and consequently apply it. It's like the little boy who was sitting in Sunday school who heard this idea of looking back and thought of his mom. James here instead calls us to reflect on how God through prayer effectively works. It's an effect whereby we are strengthened. And it's also then something whereby we're stimulated. And so as we wrap this up, I just want to encourage you, do you see the strength that the Lord has afforded you through prayer? If yes, do you avail yourself of that? In times of hurt and in times of joy, in times of Wanton in times of plenty, do you readily call upon the living God to make your praises known or your petitions known that he might effectively work? Remember, you're approaching a king, therefore bold petitions bring. Secondly, do you see the manner in which the Lord stimulates you through his officers? And officers, do you see the manner in which the Lord has provided you with something to come alongside and encourage and equip church members? Those who may have either abandoned the faith or even pulled away from the context of the church, it's important that we come alongside of them as the elders and as the spiritual council of the church to avail ourselves of prayer. Not simply to talk about the weather, not simply to talk about all sorts of other niceties, but to come alongside and pray. that God would effectively work in the lives of his people, that they would be brought back and consequently confess before the living God their hope. And thirdly, whatever the context of the situation that you're in, Remember prayer and the blessing that God brings. For those of you who are dealing with ongoing physical ailments, don't hesitate to reach out to your elders that they might pray with you and encourage you through this process. For those of you who are dealing with the burden of the hurt or the sorrow of a lost loved one and it's caused you frustration or discouragement or even doubt, For those of you who are dealing with the context of a broken marriage or a marriage that's beginning to fall apart, avail yourself, not simply of your own power or strength, but the presence of Christ through your elders to pray with you. For those of you dealing with children who have abandoned the faith or walked away from God for a time, Yes, prayer by yourself, but also the stimulation that you may receive from your officers as together you weep and as together you mourn and as together you pray and one day together may be able to rejoice in the occasion that is for you. How much more powerful this verse is than simply the burden of believing it, asking it, and receiving it, to see the strength and the stimulation that God provides through his people, to help those who are discouraged and full of doubt and despair, to know that God is present and always helping. Let's go to our God in prayer. Our Father in heaven, increase our faith, strengthen our trust, abandon our attention on ourselves, and may we look to Christ and in turn His word and the leadership that He set before us locally. that we in turn may receive the benefits that you provide. Increase our faith even as we pray, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.