[The following is a full manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 26th of June, 2016. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel, http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
James was the half-brother of Jesus, born of Mary and Joseph. It’s understandable that at first he had a little trouble believing that the boy he had grown up with was actually the Son of God. But he eventually came to realize that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Christ. In fact, he opened his letter to the now scattered 12 tribes of Israel by identifying himself as, “James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”
In that letter, James tries to exhort his fellow Jews to persevere as they endure trying times. He gives them examples of how they should live, often getting very specific. And he closes with an encouragement to prayer.
Listen and follow along to the instructions James gives us in closing his letter, chapter 5 verses 13 through 20, and I’ll be reading from The Living Bible…
In that letter, James tries to exhort his fellow Jews to persevere as they endure trying times. He gives them examples of how they should live, often getting very specific. And he closes with an encouragement to prayer.
Listen and follow along to the instructions James gives us in closing his letter, chapter 5 verses 13 through 20, and I’ll be reading from The Living Bible…
13 Is anyone among you suffering? He should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually be singing praises to the Lord.
14 Is anyone sick? He should call for the elders of the church and they should pray over him and pour a little oil upon him, calling on the Lord to heal him. 15 And their prayer, if offered in faith, will heal him, for the Lord will make him well; and if his sickness was caused by some sin, the Lord will forgive him.
16 Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as completely human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! 18 Then he prayed again, this time that it would rain, and down it poured, and the grass turned green and the gardens began to grow again.
19 Dear brothers, if anyone has slipped away from God and no longer trusts the Lord and someone helps him understand the Truth again, 20 that person who brings him back to God will have saved a wandering soul from death, bringing about the forgiveness of his many sins.
--James 5:13-20 (TLB)
Let us pray… Father God, we come before You this morning to worship You and to listen to Your word. Speak to our spirits that we might receive and understand the message You have for us, and let it see us through the week ahead. In the holy name of Your Son Jesus we pray. Amen.
When it comes to prayer, some unknown wag once rhymed:
"The proper way for man to pray," said Deacon Lemuel Keyes; "the only proper attitude, is down upon his knees."
"Nay, I should say the way to pray," said Reverend Doctor Wise, "is standing straight with outstretched arms, with rapt and upturned eyes."
"Oh, no, no, no," said Elder Snow, "such posture is too proud. A man should pray with eyes fast-closed and head contritely bowed."
"It seems to me his hands should be austerely clasped in front, with both thumbs pointing to the ground," said Reverend Doctor Blunt."
"Last year I fell in Hodgkin's well headfirst," said Cyril Brown. "With both my heels a-stickin' up, my head a-pointin' down; and I done prayed right then and there; best prayer I ever said, the prayin'est prayer I ever prayed, a-standin' on my head."
I believe this points out that it isn’t so important what position we take when we pray as it is how earnest we are in our prayer. I can only imagine Mr. Brown’s prayer was very earnest indeed, stuck there on his head in that well.
How is your prayer life? A few years back when I was doing pulpit supply, a gentleman at one of the churches I often preached at remarked to his youth group, “If you don’t have a public prayer life, you probably don’t have a private prayer life either.” There may well be some truth in that.
How many of us are uncomfortable praying in public? Now I don’t necessarily mean standing up in front of a bunch of strangers or even friends and holding forth in prayer. But how many of us even pause a moment to bow our heads and give thanks for our meal when dining in a restaurant?
James makes some very good points regarding our need to pray in his letter. Are we suffering, for whatever reason? Then pray about it. And notice James doesn’t say to just pray once and hope for the best. He encourages us to keep on praying about it.
If anyone is sick, they can all on the elders to anoint them and pray over them, asking the Lord to heal them. We should pray for each other so that we in turn can be healed! And here James isn’t speaking about just our physical bodies, but also our spirits. Notice that he says our prayers can lead to sins being forgiven, and any sickness caused by those sins – of mind or body or spirit – being cured.
The Apostle Paul backs up James’ points and adds one more benefit to prayer. In his letter to the Philippians, chapter 4, verses 6 and 7, Paul says…
When it comes to prayer, some unknown wag once rhymed:
"The proper way for man to pray," said Deacon Lemuel Keyes; "the only proper attitude, is down upon his knees."
"Nay, I should say the way to pray," said Reverend Doctor Wise, "is standing straight with outstretched arms, with rapt and upturned eyes."
"Oh, no, no, no," said Elder Snow, "such posture is too proud. A man should pray with eyes fast-closed and head contritely bowed."
"It seems to me his hands should be austerely clasped in front, with both thumbs pointing to the ground," said Reverend Doctor Blunt."
"Last year I fell in Hodgkin's well headfirst," said Cyril Brown. "With both my heels a-stickin' up, my head a-pointin' down; and I done prayed right then and there; best prayer I ever said, the prayin'est prayer I ever prayed, a-standin' on my head."
I believe this points out that it isn’t so important what position we take when we pray as it is how earnest we are in our prayer. I can only imagine Mr. Brown’s prayer was very earnest indeed, stuck there on his head in that well.
How is your prayer life? A few years back when I was doing pulpit supply, a gentleman at one of the churches I often preached at remarked to his youth group, “If you don’t have a public prayer life, you probably don’t have a private prayer life either.” There may well be some truth in that.
How many of us are uncomfortable praying in public? Now I don’t necessarily mean standing up in front of a bunch of strangers or even friends and holding forth in prayer. But how many of us even pause a moment to bow our heads and give thanks for our meal when dining in a restaurant?
James makes some very good points regarding our need to pray in his letter. Are we suffering, for whatever reason? Then pray about it. And notice James doesn’t say to just pray once and hope for the best. He encourages us to keep on praying about it.
If anyone is sick, they can all on the elders to anoint them and pray over them, asking the Lord to heal them. We should pray for each other so that we in turn can be healed! And here James isn’t speaking about just our physical bodies, but also our spirits. Notice that he says our prayers can lead to sins being forgiven, and any sickness caused by those sins – of mind or body or spirit – being cured.
The Apostle Paul backs up James’ points and adds one more benefit to prayer. In his letter to the Philippians, chapter 4, verses 6 and 7, Paul says…
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.
--Philippians 4:6-7 (TLB)
Don’t worry so much. Instead, pray about anything and everything. And God will spread His great and wonderful peace over us, the peace that will quieten and rest our thoughts and hearts as we trust in Jesus.
But Paul also tells us to be sure to give God thanks for His answers to our prayers. I think sometimes we’re quick to ask for His help, but then forget to thank God for His response. Or maybe we don’t always recognize what happens next as His response.
This past Wednesday, the weatherman was calling for the possibility of afternoon showers. We had a funeral service that day with a graveside service following. I prayed and asked God to please hold off the rains until we could get finished with the service. A couple hours later, I realized He had done just that; he had answered my prayer and I had not thanked Him! So I did. But it’s just that easy to forget to thank God for what He does for us.
The Apostle Peter also provides us with reasons not to be worried or ashamed or afraid to pray in public. Listen to the instructions Peter left us in his 1st letter, chapter 3, verses 12 through 15…
The Lord listens to our prayers. And while we might consider it unthinkable that anyone would harm us just for doing good, if they do and we have to suffer for it in any way, then God will bless us. Don’t be afraid. Don’t worry about what other people might say or do. Honor Jesus Christ and make Him the one true Lord and Master of your life!
And Peter encourages us to always be ready with an answer if anyone should question our hope and faith. If you need a ready answer, try this: My hope and trust is in Jesus, because it is only through Him that I will have everlasting life with God in heaven.
Jesus Himself provided a model for all of this, for our prayer life. When our Lord Jesus prayed to His Father, in what we call the Holy of Holies as recorded in chapter 17 of the Apostle John’s Gospel, Jesus began by praying a little for Himself. But then He turned His attention toward His Disciples and for all believers, praying for them at length. This is the example He set for us. He wants us to pray for ourselves, sure. But He also wants us to pray for others, and especially for those who believe in Him and follow His voice.
Now I know a lot of folks are uncomfortable praying, because they think they don’t know how to pray. They worry that they’re not praying right, not saying the right words, not putting forth the best appeal. Family, there is nothing all that special about how we pray – just that we pray. Prayer is simply talking to God – asking for His help, thanking Him for our blessings, or even just telling Him how life is going for us at the moment.
And we don’t have to muddle through this prayer business on our own. Paul tells us we have some help in this department. In his letter to the Romans, chapter 8, verse 26, Paul says…
But Paul also tells us to be sure to give God thanks for His answers to our prayers. I think sometimes we’re quick to ask for His help, but then forget to thank God for His response. Or maybe we don’t always recognize what happens next as His response.
This past Wednesday, the weatherman was calling for the possibility of afternoon showers. We had a funeral service that day with a graveside service following. I prayed and asked God to please hold off the rains until we could get finished with the service. A couple hours later, I realized He had done just that; he had answered my prayer and I had not thanked Him! So I did. But it’s just that easy to forget to thank God for what He does for us.
The Apostle Peter also provides us with reasons not to be worried or ashamed or afraid to pray in public. Listen to the instructions Peter left us in his 1st letter, chapter 3, verses 12 through 15…
12 "The Lord watches over
everyone who obeys Him,
and He listens
to their prayers.
But He opposes everyone
who does evil.”
13 Can anyone really harm you for being eager to do good deeds? 14 Even if you have to suffer for doing good things, God will bless you. So stop being afraid and don’t worry about what people might do. 15 Honor Christ and let Him be the Lord of your life.
Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope.
--1 Peter 3:12-15 (CEV)
And Peter encourages us to always be ready with an answer if anyone should question our hope and faith. If you need a ready answer, try this: My hope and trust is in Jesus, because it is only through Him that I will have everlasting life with God in heaven.
Jesus Himself provided a model for all of this, for our prayer life. When our Lord Jesus prayed to His Father, in what we call the Holy of Holies as recorded in chapter 17 of the Apostle John’s Gospel, Jesus began by praying a little for Himself. But then He turned His attention toward His Disciples and for all believers, praying for them at length. This is the example He set for us. He wants us to pray for ourselves, sure. But He also wants us to pray for others, and especially for those who believe in Him and follow His voice.
Now I know a lot of folks are uncomfortable praying, because they think they don’t know how to pray. They worry that they’re not praying right, not saying the right words, not putting forth the best appeal. Family, there is nothing all that special about how we pray – just that we pray. Prayer is simply talking to God – asking for His help, thanking Him for our blessings, or even just telling Him how life is going for us at the moment.
And we don’t have to muddle through this prayer business on our own. Paul tells us we have some help in this department. In his letter to the Romans, chapter 8, verse 26, Paul says…
26 And in the same way - by our faith - the Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don’t even know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words.
--Romans 8:26 (TLB)
The Holy Spirit will help us, not only with our daily problems but also with our daily prayer life! If we think we don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit will take over for us and pray with such great feeling that words cannot even express!
So you can see, we have no reason not to pray. Nor to give thanks for answered prayers and our many blessings. But let me give you just one more reason to pray. And it comes again from Peter’s 1st letter to the far-flung early church, from chapter 4, verse 7…
Whenever my brother pastors and I gather to study and pray, we always feel a great sense of urgency. Our newspapers and nightly broadcasts on TV report some of the very things we can read about in our Bible, when it speaks of the approach of the end of time. The end of all things, as Peter puts it, is near.
Whether it happens tomorrow or next year or before I can finish this sentence, we simply don’t know. So we need to be watchful. We need to get serious in our prayer life. The time to pray is now, while we still draw breath. The time to pray is now, because later may be too late. Pray for yourself, pray for others, pray for us all.
It’s time.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, we come to You because we are suffering and we ask for Your healing. We come to You because we are thankful and we sing Your praises. We come to You giving our thanks and seeking Your help, because Father we know we cannot get through this life on our own. We offer our prayers in faith, Lord God, knowing that You will respond to our earnest pleas. Incline Your ear to us, dear Lord, and listen as we pray.
Hear us now, Father, as we speak to You in the silence, crying out directly from our hearts, using the voice of Your most Holy Spirit to plead for us…
Lord Jesus, You taught us a way to pray to our Father by Your own example. You showed us how to give our Father thanks for His many blessings, and how to ask for His help with our needs. But Jesus, You also emphasized how important it is for us to pray for the welfare of others, and especially of other believers who are enduring trials. Thank You, Lord, for showing us the best way to talk with our Father. It is in Your holy name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
So you can see, we have no reason not to pray. Nor to give thanks for answered prayers and our many blessings. But let me give you just one more reason to pray. And it comes again from Peter’s 1st letter to the far-flung early church, from chapter 4, verse 7…
7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
--1 Peter 4:7 (NKJV)
Whether it happens tomorrow or next year or before I can finish this sentence, we simply don’t know. So we need to be watchful. We need to get serious in our prayer life. The time to pray is now, while we still draw breath. The time to pray is now, because later may be too late. Pray for yourself, pray for others, pray for us all.
It’s time.
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, we come to You because we are suffering and we ask for Your healing. We come to You because we are thankful and we sing Your praises. We come to You giving our thanks and seeking Your help, because Father we know we cannot get through this life on our own. We offer our prayers in faith, Lord God, knowing that You will respond to our earnest pleas. Incline Your ear to us, dear Lord, and listen as we pray.
Hear us now, Father, as we speak to You in the silence, crying out directly from our hearts, using the voice of Your most Holy Spirit to plead for us…
Lord Jesus, You taught us a way to pray to our Father by Your own example. You showed us how to give our Father thanks for His many blessings, and how to ask for His help with our needs. But Jesus, You also emphasized how important it is for us to pray for the welfare of others, and especially of other believers who are enduring trials. Thank You, Lord, for showing us the best way to talk with our Father. It is in Your holy name, dear Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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