Practical Christianity - Healing of the Faithful

Glancing through the gospel narratives in which Jesus responded to various requests for help, you soon catch a common theme. The Savior spotlighted faith as the key to a petitioner’s answer. Many of the miracle stories climax in a statement about belief and faith.

The question raised by this passage is this “Is God still in the business of healing His people when they exercise faith?” Many believe that miraculous healing is something God still does. Many believe that it was one of the ‘sign gifts’ of the New Testament era that no longer applies to today.

This passage has been a battleground for interpreters over the centuries as various groups have used it as a proof text for their particular beliefs. Roman Catholics find in it biblical support for the sacrament of extreme unction – i.e. last rights for the dying. Faith healers of every stripe have used it to teach that all sick Christians are guaranteed healing through prayer. Still others see in it a precedent for anointing sick people with oil.

The passage raises a number of difficult interpretive questions. What kind of suffering does James have in view in verse 13? What type of sickness is in view in verse 14? Why are the prayers of the elders different from those of other believers (vv. 14–15)? What is the anointing with oil described in verse 14? Does the prayer of faith (v. 15) always restore the sick? How does sickness relate to sin (v. 15)?

I. PROPOSITION #1: CHRISTIANS WILL SUFFER AND GET SERIOUSLY ILL

v. 13 “Is any one of you suffering . . . “

v. 14 “Is any one of you sick? . . . “

1. James assumes three things in these verses ...

2. 1st, James assumes that Christians will catch colds have their appendix removed, or even suffer from the ‘heart break of Soriescis’

a. even the most righteous of the Bible’s saints received get well cards

1) when Kenneth Hagin or Creflo Dollar or T. D. Jakes tell people that they should be living in health and wealth, Bible-reading Christians should know better

ILLUS. James doesn’t write, “Is any one of you suffering, give some “seed money” to your favorite prosperity preacher.” James doesn’t write, “Is any of you sick, attend a Benny Hinn Miracle Rally.” James has a different perspective on all of this.

2) from the Bible we know the following believers had very real physical ailments

a) Job had ulcerated sores from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet

b) Daniel suffered from exhaustion

c) Lazarus was sick unto death

d) Timothy had stomach troubles

e) Paul very likely had cataracts or some kind of eye problem

3. Second: James assumes that Christians will have troubles and suffer

a. James knows that even faithful servants of God suffer poverty, hardship, and sickness — it's not a lack of faith that causes these, and sometimes it's faith, itself, that causes these things

“ "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:18–19, ESV)

ILLUS. The Confessing Christians are the one group in America where it’s politically correct to ridicule and belittle, and mock. Do you think for a moment that the L.A. Dodgers would invite the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to their stadium if they openly mocked Allah and Islam? Or Buddha and Buddhism? Do you think they’d invite a White Supremacist Group that openly mocks, belittles or ridicules people of color? But if you blaspheme the God whom Christians worship ... if you ridicule the Church ... if you mock the work of Catholic Nuns, you’re not only recognized with a special night at the ballpark, you given a humanitarian award for the work you do.

4. 3rd, James assumes that Christians will experience goodness and blessings at that hands of God and when we do we should sing songs of praise

ILLUS. In 1961, John W. Peterson was at a Bible Conference when he heard the testimony where he heard an elderly Christian share his testimony. The man said, “When I was saved, ‘It seemed like Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.’” A few days later, Peterson wrote the hymn Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul. The last stanza says ...

Now I’ve a hope that will surely endure

After the passing of time

I have a future in heaven for sure

There in those mansions sublime

And it’s because of that wonderful day

When at the cross I believed

Riches eternal and blessings supernal

From His precious hand I received

a. the Christian life is not all about suffering, sickness and persecution

1) there are also blessing supernal!

5. the key to properly interpreting the passage lies in understanding it in its context

a. James wrote his epistle to Jewish believers who had been forced to flee from Palestine by the persecution recorded in Acts 8:1–4

1) in James 1:1 he referred to them as “the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad”

2) being both Jewish and Christians, they faced hostility from the pagan culture in which they lived

3) knowing that, James opened his epistle with an exhortation to patiently endure trials

b. in chapter 5 he returns to that theme

1) he calls on those who are suffering the persecution to pray, because prayer taps the source of spiritual endurance

c. it would have been surprising if, in a letter to struggling, persecuted believers, James had neglected to mention prayer

1) a strong commitment to prayer is a prerequisite to enduring suffering and affliction

6. the apostle’s conclusion therefore is that Christians will suffer and get seriously ill

A. SICKNESS AND SUFFERING IS NOT ALWAYS EVIDENCE OF FAITHLESSNESS

ILLUS. In the Tennessee Appalachians is a Pentecostal group who like to play with snakes – copperheads, cottonmouth, and rattlesnakes. They believe that handling these poisonous snakes is a test of their faith. If you get bit and live to tell about it, that is evidence that you are a faith-filled believer. If yo get bit and die, it’s proof positive that your devoid of faith. If only it were that easy!

1. while most Christians would reject snake-handling, the theology of these snake-handlers is not as uncommon as you might believe

a. there is a popular belief among many Christians today that says, when a believer suffers, is sick, or has problems, it is evidence of a lack of faith

2. after all, if you really had faith, God would take your problem or difficulty or sickness or disability away

a. it’s not a new theological problem

ILLUS. There is the instance where the disciple’s question Jesus about the man born blind in John 9:1-3. They asked Jesus, “Who did sin that this man was born blind?”

1) they assumed the man’s blindness had something to do with someone sinning somehow

ILLUS. I can remember at my previous church that one of our members came down with cancer. On Sunday morning when news of his condition was being passed through the congregation, I over-heard one elderly lady say, “Well, the way he lived his life, it’s no wonder God gave him cancer.”

b. her attitude seemed to be, that because of sin in this believer’s life his illness was “God’s pay-back” to a faithless Christian

1) I’ll be honest, I have trouble with that kind of mentality

2) does God discipline us when we are disobedient?

a) yes

3) does God discipline us by inflicting ailments upon us?

a) I don’t think so

ILLUS. When my earthly father disciplined me, he took off his belt and applied it to my seat. He didn’t pull out a syringe and shoot me full of live cancer cells. If our early fathers would not do that to us, why do we think that our Heavenly Father would?

c. in our effort to comfort fellow believers who are sick or going through a difficult time, we subtly reinforce the notion that they have been faithless and now if they’ll only be faithful, everything will be fine

ILLUS. This was the assessment of Job’s three friends. And God say, “You guys are totally wrong.”

1) we look at that brother or sister and say “Just have faith!”

2) like most of them haven’t already considered that option!

3. does sin cause us to have physical problems: Does sin cause suffering in our lives?

a. of course it does

ILLUS. I have high cholesterol. That’s not God’s fault. God did not look down one day and say, “Dave Krueger doesn’t have enough problems. Let’s give him something to worry about.” And Phoom! I have high cholesterol. No, I have high cholesterol — partially because of genetics, and partially because I enjoy potato chips. My eating habits do not always treat my body as the Temple of God that it is.

4. but James is not talking about self-inflicted pain and suffering or self-imposed health issues

... Proposition #1: Christians Will Suffer and Get Seriously Ill (But We Will Also Have Reasons to Rejoice)

II. PROPOSITION #2: CHRISTIANS NEED TO EXERCISE FAITH WHEN SUFFERING OF SICKNESS COME

1. in these verses, the Apostle outlines steps we are to take for healing

A. STEP #1 – THE PRAYER CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

James 5:13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray...NIV

1. when we suffer, we should pray, and we should ask others to pray for us

a. the word suffering in verse 13 does not refer to the suffering that comes from illness, but refers to enduring evil treatment by others

b. Jesus told His disciples to not be surprised when the world hates us, because it hated Him first

2. as an antidote to their suffering because of their faith, James exhorts them to pray

a. prayer is essential to enduring affliction

b. God is the ultimate source of comfort

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4, ESV)

c. in 1 Peter 5:7, the Apostle Peter tells us that we should cast our anxiety onto God, because He cares for us

3. notice that James does not tell us how to pray or what to pray for when we suffer for our faith

a. he simply says that the one going through the suffering should pray

b. the phrase in verse 13 is a verb in the present tense

1) it suggests a continual pleading with God in prayer, and can be translated “let him keep on praying”

2) when life is difficult, when believers are weak in faith, weary with persecution, and crushed by affliction, they must continually plead with God to comfort them

ILLUS. One of the great hymns of our faith was written by Joseph Scriven. It began as a poem to his ailing mother and was later put to music by Charles Converse. The title of the poem and the hymn is “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,”

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Ev’rything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged,

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

4. step #1, Prayer can make a difference

B. STEP #2 – WHEN ABLE TO PRAISE AND SING – DO IT

James 5:13 “Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.”

1. those who manage to maintain a cheerful attitude in their suffering are to sing praises

ILLUS. Someone once said that music is God's best gift to man. It’s the only art of heaven given to earth, and the only art of earth we take to heaven

ILLUS. Martin Luther wrote: Music is the only art that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.

a. it’s difficult to concentrate of our suffering when we are singing psalms and praises to God

2. step #2, Sing and praise God when you can and while you can

C. STEP #3 – PRAYER AND ANOINTING

1. now, notice that James does not tell his readers to call for a faith healer nor attend a healing crusade

2. spiritual healing, or faith healing as we have come to call it, is a much debated issue in today’s society

a. a search of the phrase ‘faith healing’ turned up over one-million separate sites on the internet

1) to say the least, it’s a hot topic

b. fakes, frauds and charlatans still abound in our world

ILLUS. One site I found advertized the services of a woman how claims to have X-Ray vision and can see inside of people. She also claims to have discovered that all living beings create and exude individual ‘energy-waves’. When your ill, it means that your energy is merely ‘off-balance’ and that you are hosting ‘unwell energies’. She claims that when she heals someone, Godly energy flows through her to you and activates your own healing energy. You can get your personal consultation for a mere $200. And she will even diagnose and heal your pets if they’ve got a problem.

1) these folks prey on the immature faith of some believers and the spiritual gullibility of others

2) prayer cloths, psychic surgery, sacred oil and holy water are as popular today as they were during the Dark Ages

b. faith healers can pack an auditorium as quickly as any major league sporing event can

c. some of the most popular leaders in Christianity today are televangelists, faith healers and revivalists who are, at the very least, are false teachers and who are, at the very worst, are wolves in sheep’s clothing

1) I do not believe that every television ministry is corrupt, nor do I believe that every faith healer or revivalist is a deceiver

2) but a lot of them are corrupt, and a lot of them are deceivers

ILLUS. You’ve got wonder why Christianity’s faith healers hold healing crusades all over the world that rake in millions of dollars from the gullible, when they could set up a healing residency in an inner-city Emergency Room. Oh, wait, silly me ... that wouldn’t generate millions of dollars.

d. hundreds, if not thousands, of believers – including young children – have died needlessly because medical attention was refused

ILLUS. Working at The Princippia. The school’s ‘dirty little secret’ was that two or three students died almost every year – most from common and treatable ailments – because of the school’s theological stance. It’s a Christian Science High School and Christian Science diminishes the use of medicine or doctors and places a high emphasis on faith healing.

1) they actively discourage members from using doctors or taking the sick to the hospital and instead to rely solely on faith

3. do I believe that faith can heal?

a. yep

4. do I put much stock in professional faith healers?

b. nope.

5. actually, I’m not even sure this verse is referring to physical sickness at all

a. this verse is the most misunderstood and disputed portion of this passage

b. at first glance it appears to be teaching that sick believers can expect physical healing through the prayers of the elders and the anointing of oil

1) but such an interpretation is out of harmony with the context

2) and as noted previously, the suffering James has in view is evil treatment, not physical illness

6. the word translated as sick is so translated 18 other time in the New Testament

a. but 14 times it refers to emotional or spiritual weakness

b. that, I think, is more consistent of a translation concerning the whole context of the book

c. James is referring to those believers who have become emotionally or spiritually weak because of suffering for their faith

1) the weak are those who have been defeated in the spiritual battle, who have lost the ability to endure their suffering

2) they are the fallen spiritual warriors; exhausted, weary, depressed, defeated Christians

3) they have tried to draw on God’s power through prayer, but have lost motivation

4) having hit bottom, they are not able to pray effectively on their own

d. in that condition, the spiritually weak need the help of the spiritually strong

D. STEP #4 – IF YOUR SUFFERING HAS CAUSED YOU TO SIN, REPENT

“ ... And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 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 5:15–16, ESV)

ILLUS. One of the issues faced by the early church was what do you do with believers whose faith faltered under persecution, but who desired to come back into the church when the persecution passed?

1. James is helpful here ... if, during a period of suffering or sickness or persecution, a believer committed a sin, if they will confess their sins their will be healing and restoration

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