April 11, 2010
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
Of Princeton, New Jersey

James 5: 16: Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

MEETING LOCATION
Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2nd floor
150 Washington Street, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553

SCHEDULE OF SERVICES
Sunday 10:00 AM Bible Class
11:00 AM Morning Service
Thursday 7:00 PM Mid-week Service

WEB ADDRESSES
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MAILING ADDRESS
7 Birch Street
Pennington, New Jersey 08534
Phone: 615-513-4464
Email: mailto:clay@sovereign-grace.us

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PRAYING IN PRAYER
James 5:14-18
God's people suffer many infirmities: bodily sickness and spiritual sickness, trials within and without. Our infirmities are a reminder to us that all we are in ourselves is sin (James 4:14).

A Word to the Sick
James 5:14
If any are sick let them call for the elders of the church. James is not saying that only the preacher can pray for the sick, he began by saying, "Is any afflicted? Let HIM pray." (v13) But God gives his saints pastors, and fellow brethren, to be helpers with you. It is interesting that James makes no mention of physicians. Not that we should not seek medical attention. But we have a Great Physician (Jer 8:22; Ps 103:2-5; Mt 8:16, 17). Christ bore the sins of his people in his own body, the sins that cause our sicknesses. When he healed bodily sickness in this earth it was an emblem of his power and ability to put away our sin by the satisfaction he made to God for the sin of those given him. And also, he bare our sickness, by way of sympathy, he was touched with the feeling of our infirmities (Heb 4:15, 16). Why then would we call the elders? So they can help us seek the Great Physician.

A Word to the Elders
James 5:14
Note: the apostles anointed with oil and they had special gifts to heal, but those gifts ended when the apostles died. Some think by "oil" it means to comfort your sick brethren. Others think it may include medical attention. Some say it means pray for the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. Perhaps all three can be applied. It is certainly not any notion as the papists give it. But our prayer and our comforting, whatever it may be, is "IN THE NAME OF THE LORD."

Still, staying with the context of the epistle, James may mean this is what we are to do as opposed to the things he has been warning us against. James contrasts the nature of grace with that of the flesh throughout this epistle: the poor of this world rich in faith opposed to those rich in this world who have not faith; the spirit of wisdom from above as opposed to that earthly, sensual, devilish spirit; the submissive, humble spirit toward God opposite of the self-willed, "We will", condemning spirit. Therefore, it is reasonable to note that this "prayer of faith", this "effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man" may be in contrast to the prayer of the self-righteous, double-minded man (James 1:5-8; 4:3, 8-10; 5:15). If a brother is afflicted in trial or in bodily sickness, or both, rather than grieving him with your words use your tongue to pray for him and your words to comfort him. You might say, "No one would be so cruel to someone sick." Job was sick in great trial, as well as bodily sickness. Yet, his friends were just that cruel (Job 16:2). The kind of comfort they showed gives no glory to the Lord, it divides brethren, it adds to affliction and comforts no one (Is 40:1, 2).

The Spirit of Prayer
James 5:15, 16
What is it to "pray in faith"? One, it is to pray believing God is able. Secondly, it is to pray submitting and acknowledging that God alone is able. Thirdly, it is to actually ask the Lord. Fourthly, it is to confess our need of forgiveness. (Matthew Henry said, "When you are sick and in pain, it is most common to pray and cry, "O give me ease! O restore me to health!" But your prayer should rather and chiefly be, "O that God would pardon my sins!") Fifthly, the prayer of faith is to pray believing the Lord shall heal and shall forgive. If it is sickness of spirit then the Lord shall cause his chastening hand to yield the fruit of righteousness in his children; if it is bodily disease the Lord shall heal his saints either physically for a time or by making them altogether whole in glory. The prayer of faith submits and rejoices in the Lord to do what pleases him.

Confess Your Faults
James 5:16
What is the spirit of "confessing our faults one to another"? It is not confessing faults like men do to a so-called earthly priest. One, it is a spirit which believes our Lord is our only Righteousness. Two, it is a spirit which confesses our sins and our own inabilities: I can not turn you in the heart from your sin or from bodily sickness but need to be healed of the Lord myself. Thirdly, it is submission to one another, acknowledging not one of us is different from our brethren but we are sinners saved by grace. We could pray for one another but if our hearts are double minded rather than believing, if we do not confess our need for God to forgive us, for others to forgive us and we have no spirit of forgiveness toward others, then we have not the Spirit of God. God will not hear. Prayer is effectual and fervent when it is worked in you by the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit also makes intercession for us, and when Christ Jesus our Advocate with the Father intercedes for us (Hebrews 13:21; Romans 8:26; 1 John 2:1; Hebrews 7:25).

Elias the Example
James 5:17, 18
James gives examples: Abraham, Rahab, Job, now Elias. Each was totally dependent upon God in the midst of great trial and infirmities of their flesh. Elias was not free from sinful passions, but "he prayed earnestly that it might not rain". The word is "praying he prayed". God stopped and started the rain when Elias asked so that we must acknowledge God alone did it. That is the point. Prayer is effectual, not because we go through the mechanics of praying, but because of the one to whom we pray. It begins when our God works in the believer the prayer of faith so that in prayer we really pray, that is what makes prayer inwrought, fervent, prayer. Then God to whom we pray does as he wills, just what he caused us to ask of him. So we see that the prayer worked in a righteous man by the Spirit of God is effectual and avails much because of the power and grace of the LORD our Righteousness. Lord, teach us to pray.

SERMONS
After clicking on the following links you will find an option at the top of the page for the audio.
Four Questions Answered
Praying in Prayer
Peace for Us

ARTICLE
The Life I Now Live