Sermon Notes

THE BOOK OF JAMES
"Prayer and a Powerful God
James 5:13-18


“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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 one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” James 5:13-18

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

WHEN SHOULD WE PRAY?

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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.” James 5:13-14

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

HOW SHOULD WE PRAY?

“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 one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” James 5:14-16

How should we pray?
1. In Community

“As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!”
Acts 10:25-26

“Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed…”

2. In Faith

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15

“Instead of being functional deists or magicians, we should strive to hold two biblical truths about God in tension: God’s goodness and his sovereignty.” Sam Storms

How we “pray in faith”
Pray about everything.
Trust God for anything.
Submit to God’s sovereignty.

3. In Repentance

4. In Dependence on God

Joseph was abused. Job was bankrupt. Gideon was afraid. Samson was a womanizer. Moses had a speech problem. Rahab was a prostitute. Elijah was depressed. David was a murderous adulterer. Jonah was a coward. Noah was a drunk. Peter was a liar. Paul was a mass murderer. God specializes in using broken people to do powerful things

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24