Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19990523.htm

JAMES: OVERCOMING DEAD RELIGIOSITY IN OUR BACKGROUNDS
Part II: Overcoming A False Spirituality's HEARTLESS Errors In Relating To Other Believers
I. Overcoming A Heartless Immobility To Help Sinful Believers By Powerful Intercession For Them
(James 5:16-20)
  1. Introduction
    1. It is always disheartening to see a fellow believer veer off of the true way and go into carnality or sin. What seems equally trying is the feeling of helplessness, that we can't do anything about it because we cannot get the believer to heed our words or directions.
    2. Well, there is a heartless solution -- that of concluding that since we cannot do anything about it, that we should just "check him off" as a spiritual failure!
    3. James 5:16-20 offers another idea that is much more productive and loving as follows:
  2. Overcoming A Heartless Immobility To Help Sinful Believers By Powerful Intercession For Them.
    1. The whole context of James 5:13-20 deals not with the healing of physically ill brethren, but the restoration of spiritual health to those who are spiritually needy:
      1. Contrary to many commentaries, Ronald Blue's comments in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, p. 834-835 supplies arguments that James 5:13-16a deals not with healing physically ill believers, but in restoring spiritually weak believers to spiritual vitality:
        1. The word translated "sick" in verse 14a is asthenai which many times means "weak", Ibid., p. 834.
        2. Also, "sick" in verse 15 is kamnonta, meaning "to be weary," Ibid.
        3. The anointing in verse 14 does not use the ceremonial anointing word of chrio, but utilizes the Greek word aleipsantes to mean generally "'rub with oil'" so as to refresh, Ibid. in citing Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, p. 136-137.
        4. Similarly, the healing in verse 16 (iathete) refers to "healing of the soul," Ibid., Blue, p. 835.
        5. Thus, the ailing party in verses 13-16a is spiritually needy, not physically diseased!
      2. Likewise, Ron Blue argues well that the call to prayer in verse 16 ties together the call for restoring spiritually ailing people in verse 13-16a and the repeat of such a concern in James 5:19-20, Ibid.
    2. Accordingly, James 5:16-18 with 5:19-20 calls believers to effective prayer intercession for spiritually needy and wayward believers so that by divine intervention, they can be revived, repent and be restored:
      1. James reports that those who are right with God can do much for helping spiritually wayward, carnal, blind fellow believers if they but intercede for them, James 5:16-18:
        1. If we Christians are carnal and confess our faults to other stronger believers like the Church elders (v. 14a with 16a), the stronger believers like the elders can intercede for their restoration, 5:16a,b.
        2. This intercession works well, for the very able prayer of a righteous man is effective, James 5:16c. This means that a righteous man will undoubtedly be praying in the will of God with the right request, and that of course is very effective in light of what 1 John 5:14-15 and Psalm 66:18 teach.
        3. James illustrates how effective is a righteous man's prayer for God's carnal people: though he was beset with a fragile nature (as seen in his flight from Jezebel), Elijah's intercession for drought followed by rain to turn Israel's hearts to God was effective, 1 Kings 18:21-24, 41-46. (Jas. 5:17-18)
      2. Thereupon, James states how important it is to intercede for spiritual problems in God's people, 5:19f:
        1. If a believer sins, and a righteous believer brings him back by way of intercession as his focus, he actually rescues a believer from "death row", James 5:19 -20a in light of 1 John 5:16.
        2. Also, such intercession leads to a covering of "a multitude of sins," picturing the gracious, blessed forgiveness of God under the Law's jurisdiction where the blood on the mercy seat covered sins, 20b.
Lesson: (1) If a fellow believer turns to carnality so that nothing we say to him makes him repent, instead of viewing him as a lost cause, it is more loving to (a) keep our own lives upright with the Lord via confession and obedience (1 Jn . 1:9; 2:3) so that we can (b) intercede for him. (2) Naturally, his sin may be so bad that God will judge him by death anyway, and we are not expected to intercede in such a case as that would be out of God's will, 1 Jn. 5:16-17. However, in the other ca ses, if we love the wayward believer, we should care enough to pray for his repentance and restoration!