Restoring Sinners
Faith in Action -James • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Do you know a believer who has wandered from the truth? The correct response is not one of judgment but one of concern and love. The good news is that we can be a part of that person’s restoration. As people still under the influence of sin, we all need restoration from God. regular confession of sin and expression of gratitude from forgiveness keeps us closer to the Lord. It equips us to help those who have gone astray.
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
James finished his letter to the Jewish believers with a focus on prayer and confession of sin, including sin that had resulted in sickness. As we maintain our own relationship with God through prayer in all circumstances, we can lead others to restoration through the power of prayer and gentle, loving confrontation. Our prayers can even lead to a physical healing if it is God’s will.
Option 2—Wandering Believers
Gather
Two Bibles easily distinguished from each other,
Steps
1 . Organize students into two teams. Each team chooses one player to be the wandering Christian. Show each player the particular Bible he or she will be searching for Send both players out of the room. Each team chooses a different hiding place for their Bible. Bring the two wandering Christians back into the room. Each player searches for their assigned Bible simultaneously as their respective teams guide them verbally, according to their distance from the hidden Bible
(very far, getting farther/closer, really close, etc.). Remind students they may not point or give any other type of clues. The first team to guide its wandering Christian back to the truth wins the game.
2. Discuss the game.
ASK: How was guiding the "wandering Christian" similar to helping a friend turn back to God? How was it different? The wanderers did not know where to go at first, but the other team members knew the right direction. In the game, the wanderers listened; in life, your friend may or may not listen to you.
ASK: In the game, your instructions were limited. What type of guidance do you think you should give in a life situation? Talk in private, discuss the situation, refer to Scripture, pray with your friend.
3. Transition to the Bible lesson.
Just as you gave guidance to your classmate in the game, sometimes we need to help our felfow believers who have wandered away from the truth. Sometimes we're the ones who need help turning back to God. In that case, we need to listen to our Christian friends, confess our sins to God, and turn back. James talked about believers who had wandered away from the truth in their sin and were going in the wrong direction. In today's lesson, we'll talk about how we can help each other find the truth again through confession and the power of prayer.
In this final section of his epistle, James focused on the prayer of faith in a variety of circumstances. Prayer is essential for both spiritual and physical restoration, whether offered for daily renewal or for restoration after one has wandered from God.
I. Prayer in All Situations
I. Prayer in All Situations
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
The questions in this verse present two extremes of life. - pain and happiness.
First, James addressed those who are suffering. Remember James is writing to the believers who are scattered abroad. These are believers who knows all too well about suffering.
A. For the Hurting
A. For the Hurting
James 5:13 focuses on the particular adversity of physical ailments. The same type of wording is used in the Gospels to refer to a variety of illnesses in those who were brought to Jesus for healing
Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
Believers know we are not exempt from physical maladies. Cancer, heart disease, paralysis, and other debilitating illnesses afflict the believer as well as the unbeliever.
ASK: Can you name some New Testament believers who faced physical difficulties?
Lazarus (John 1 1);
Dorcas (Acts 9:36-41);
Epaphroditus (Phil 2: 25-27);
Trophimus (2 Tim. 4:20).
Regardless of the affliction, the suffering believer is exhorted to pray. James had already advised believers to pray for wisdom during times of trial (1 :5). The word for "pray" in 5:13, however, emphasizes approaching God with an attitude of devotion and submission rather than making requests.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
ASK: How does the prayer in this verse compare to the prayer James mentions in 5:13? Praying with a humble, dependent attitude (5:13) would be the opposite of asking amiss, to satisfy selfish desires (4:3).
When James told his readers to pray in response to personal affliction, he was reminding them to worship in times of suffering. Satan can and does use times of suffering to bring questions to the believer's mind, from whether God loves him to whether he's really saved. Worshipful prayer helps to relieve such doubts and to offer valuable lessons about the Lord and His love for us.
Consider great Christians whose bodies are twisted from a crippling disease or made fragile by ill health who see their adversity as opportunity Many have turned their attention from worrying to worshiping and have thus enhanced the progress of the gospel.
Confined to a bed or home, they spend hours at the throne of grace.
Prayer changes a believer's focus from self to a focus on God and toward other people's needs. Such prayer brings believers into God's will and helps to conform them to the image of Christ. It restores our souls even in the midst of physical suffering.
B. For the Happy
B. For the Happy
James's second question was directed to those who, for the present time, were free from suffering and affliction. Their hearts were filled with cheerfulness.
ASK: Why do you think a happy person is instructed to sing psalms? When we are cheerful, we tend to lose the sense of our need for God. Singing keeps our focus on God and acknowledges Him as the source of our cheerfulness.
Sometimes the comfortable and prosperous times affect our attitude toward God more negatively than the difficult times. We may not have a bad attitude toward God. But we might simply ignore God altogether when life is going well.
When times are good and the pressure is off, believers may become complacent and conclude that they have control over what is happening. That attitude leads to confident and boastful plans as those James confronted in chapter 4. Thus, James took the opportunity to challenge his readers to sing psalms of praise when they were enjoying respite from life's ills. Such are times to give praise back to God, to acknowledge His goodness, faithfulness, and sovereign care.
Isn't it interesting how believers can blame and criticize God when times are rough and tough, yet fail to credit Him when times are smooth and comfortable?
C. For the Sinner
C. For the Sinner
James moved from the general conditions of God's people to specific situations they might experience.
Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Although the word "sick" can represent a variety of diseases, deformities, and other difficult circumstances, James referred specifically to those who were physically sick because of sin in their lives. Paul used the same word.
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
As he discussed the behavior of believers in taking the Lord's Supper, he explained that many of the Corinthians were weak and sickly or had died as a direct result of willful sin at the Lord's table.
Although not all the sick in James's audience were afflicted because they had "committed sins," some of their illnesses were due to sin. James said the sick should call for the church elders (pastors) for prayer. Doing so demonstrated the person's readiness to confess any sin. The elders anointed the sick with oil probably as a medicinal measure but perhaps also to express forgiveness of sin and faith that the person would be spiritually restored.
James was not offering a way to cure sicknesses that doctors can't. Neither was he suggesting a procedure to follow instead of proper medical attention. Rather, he zeroed in on a specific sickness within the broader discussion of suffering and afflictions and instructed the believer, the elders, and the church on how to resolve the matter. The emphasis is on bringing the person back to fellowship with God and not necessarily back to physical health. The person's spiritual restoration in the end is more important than any physical healing. And God may have other lessons to teach the person through the sickness. Still, when praying for the sick, we ought to believe God can and will respond if it is within His will to do so.
II. Prayer for the Sinner
II. Prayer for the Sinner
The latter part of the chapter confronts a similar situation with one noticeable difference. In the first scenario (5:14, 1 5), a believer suffers illness as chastisement for sin and takes the initiative to call the elders of the church, who will hear confession of the sin. In the second scenario (5:16, 19, 20), a spiritual believer takes the initiative to pray for and reach out to recover the wayward Christian. When the wayward one turns back to the truth, he or she will be saved from sickness and possible death.
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James instructed his readers to confess their faults, or trespasses, to each other and to pray for each other so that they could be healed both physically and spiritually Healed" (5:16) means "to recover from sickness and to be set free from the problem of sin. " Through Christ, we can go directly to God for confession, and only He can pardon us. But confession to others can still play a role in our healing.
James emphasized the importance of prayer in the process of restoring a fellow believer. While we are not called to judge another's relationship to God, we should pray for wayward believers to overcome their spiritual weaknesses. The effectual, fervent prayers of righteous people have redemptive and rescuing potential.
James gave the example of Elijah's prayer concerning disobedient, Baal worshiping Israel.
Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Elijah prayed and God stopped the rain in Israel for three and a half years. The prophet prayed again, and the rain returned (1 Kings 1 7, 1 8). When Elijah prayed, great things happened.
Prayer is powerful enough to bring rain and powerful enough to turn a heart back to God. But James was urging the spiritual believer to do something more than just pray. He wanted the readers to put feet to those prayers.
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Of course, we are called to lead sinners to Christ. But the context of the passage shows an emphasis on a disobedient believer flirting with physical death because of sin. From 5:19, it's clear that James meant restoring a wayward Christian brother.
The principle of coming alongside a sinning brother or sister is common in the New Testament. Both Jesus and Paul challenged believers to manifest brotherly love in this way.
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
ASK: How did Jesus say we should deal with a brother who has sinned against us? Talk to him privately first to resolve the issue. If he doesn't listen, take along two or three other believers. Finally, if necessary, take the matter before the church.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
ASK: What should you consider before attempting to recover a believer spiritually? Deal with sin in your own life. Pray for wisdom. Approach the person with humility and make sure love is your motivation.
John instructed his readers to pray for those brothers and sisters who were noticeably in sin .
If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
His emphasis was to pray with the intention of doing all that is possible to recover fellow believers, to help them restore a living relationship with God. A believer who cares for sinners will pray for them and confront them with gentleness.
John's teaching corresponds to James's challenge. James told his audience to pray fervently for each other (5:16) but also to actively lead sinners back to God. Just as James commanded his readers to share their material goods with a brother or sister in need (James 2:14, 1 5), he challenged those who were spiritual to share of themselves in the spiritual restoration of one of God's children. As believers helped bring others to repentance, the many sins of the wayward Christians would be forgiven, and they would be saved from death. Can there be any greater demonstration of brotherly love?