MPC 3rd February 2008.February 3 - James 5:7-5:20 - "Dial a Pray-er"
MPC 3rd February 2008.
Phil Campbell
I was just thinking the other day, it's funny how many words that describe feeling down... also start with the letter D.
Maybe it's just an accident of the alphabet. But you've got a whole lot of words like...
Doubting, dejected, despairing, despondent, depressed. Dismal. Doleful. Desperate.
Maybe words tend to cluster around a certain prefix. So there are all the dis words. Like Disheartened, dispirited, discouraged. Disappointed. Discontent. Dis-satisfied and disgruntled; though disgruntled is unusual, isn't it? I mean, if dissatisfied is the opposite of feeling satisfied then disgruntled has got be the opposite of feeling gruntled. And you don't hear many people saying "I'm feeling quite gruntled today."
But there they are. And most of the D words are no laughing matter.
And I'm very aware there are people here today who have got a good dose of the D words.
There are people here today who are here in spite of the fact they're in despair. Or despondent. Or deeply depressed.
The first thing I want to say to you this morning, is good on you for being here. Because most people who are feeling that way are still at home in bed. Most people who are feeling that way withdraw. And go back in their shell. Which according to James may well be the worst thing they can do.
But before we get to that point, let's take a look at the passage step by step. And I hesitate to do this because we're talking about serious issues and it's going to sound trite, but we're going to see James addresses the D-words... with three simple Ps.
And while I can guarantee you I'm not going to become one of those alliterative preachers where every point of the sermon every week is going to start with the same letter, you'll see that in the face of the kind of dejection and disappointment and despair that so often makes us want to grumble and give up, James says the three things you'll need most are patience. And perseverence. And prayer.
It's a simple passage in a way. So let's take a look.
But like all the other simple things James says, it's sometimes just so hard to do. It's so much easier to grumble than to be patient. So James says, look at the example of the farmer.
Now I'm not sure that he knew many Australian farmers; but it's never been more true, has it? In a land of droughts and flooding rains. I was reading about a cotton farmer, his name's Ian. It was too dry for the cotton crop so he planted sorghum for cattle feed. And now, in the floods, not only has the top soil gone and the sorghum crop with it... but 90 percent of his cattle are gone as well. And the 10 percent of cattle that swam to high ground are now starving.
Tony Burke, the new Federal Minister for Agriculture, flew in to take a look firsthand. And in a newspaper article yesterday, Tony Burke says this. "Anyone who thinks this spells gloom for farmers ought to spend more time with them. He says "This farmer, Ian, who'd seen decades of work wash away in a couple of days, just looked me in the eye and said, "We'll get there".
Tony Burke says, "At times like this, governments can help... but the truth is, it's the spirit and resilience of farmers who have a resilence that always wins through."
James calls it patience. And look what he says. About the way to face dark times.
Read from verse 7.
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.
Learn from the farmer. And be assured, the good times will finally come. James says, you too... be patient. "And stand firm," verse 8, because the Lord's coming is near."
It's easy to grumble. It's tempting to grumble. It's easy to take out your frustrations on everybody else. But James says, don't. "Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!"
Like one of those hugely embarrassing moments when the person you're talking about walks in the room. When you're down and you're grumbling... be patient instead.
Now while being patient is a state of mind, persevering, the second P, is a little bit more active.
Being patient is passive. Being patient is just sitting there and waiting for the bus.
Persevering... is being the tractor that just ploughs on, even when the going gets tougher than it's ever got before. Even when you don't feel like it.
Which raises the stakes even further. James says, you might be doubting, dejected, despairing, despondent, and depressed. But like the prophets, you need to persevere. To keep going when you're suffering. Because that's what perseverence is. And it's perseverance that we've always admired when we look back at the Prophets.
So take a look. Verses 10 and 11.
Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed... those who have persevered.
And so, says James,
You've heard of Job's perseverance... and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.
If you haven't heard about it, you can read it in the Old Testament yourself. Terrible trials. But ultimately, he persevered. And refused to speak against God.
James says," The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." So don't give up.
And it's the Lord's compassion that brings us to the third P. Which is prayer. Patience. Perseverence. And prayer.
Back then, it was common to swear oaths in the names of the gods that you thought could bind things and make things happen. Which for a Christian in hardships is useless. James says, don't swear and curse at your desperate situation. Pray instead. Verse 12 and 13.
Above all, my brothers, don't swear - not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned. Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.
If you're in trouble... if you're down or depressed or disheartened, if you're the absolute opposite of happy... then pray. And let's take it a step further in verse 14.
Now our NIV Bibles translate the next verse is any one of you sick? In the original Greek, the word is slightly broader. It's the word astheneo, which means not just sick. But weak as well. It's the word Paul uses in 1 Corinthians when he talks about the weaker brother. It's a word for wobbly. It's a word you could use for down or depressed or despondent or despairing or disheartened or dejected as well.
So as we look at verse 14, I want to suggest any of you who dragged yourselves along here today feeling that way should take this as an invitation to you as well. Hear what James says. Verse 14.
"Is any one of you sick?" (Or weak? Or doubting or disillusioned.) If that's you, this might be the last thing you feel like doing. Because you'd rather just suffer in silence. But here's what do do. James says, is any one of you sick or weak? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
That's what you should do. Because praying together in times like that is exactly what we're meant to be doing.
You know, we had an elders' meeting last Tuesday night. And I told the guys I was preaching on this, and I was going to be reminding people they should be calling their elders to pray and anoint them with oil. And you know what they said? They said bring it on!
And they meant it.
Verse 15, James in a more literal translation says "And the prayer offered in faith will save the sick person; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven."
There's forgiveness on offer if there's need for forgiveness. The Lord will raise you up... which is resurrection language in the literal translation; instead of in your illness or your hardship or your discouragement or your depression being despondent and dejected and on your own... your elders will pray for you. And instead of turning away from God in your time of trial... you'll be saved in it.
So pray. In fact, verse 16, I guess he's saying you don't even have to wait for an elder. You can pray for each other. Do it in your growth group.
Now this might be a bit awkward in your first meeting before you've done a friendly ice breaker exercise and learned one another's names. But maybe it's the ultimate icebreaker. Because James says, in the light of God's mercy, in the light of God's kindness, in the light of God's readiness to forgive, he says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. "
So why is it we just won't do that?
Why is it we're just so tongue tied?
Why is it we're just so determined to look successful and make out there's never anything wrong when on the inside we're so dispirited and disheartened and doubting and disillusioned? I mean, maybe it's because of illness. Maybe you've suffered a profound loss in your life. Maybe it's just the deep sense of disappointment that life's just not working out the way you expected. Maybe it is some kind of sin that's eating you up and you know needs confessing.
James is plain. Call the elders to pray for you and confess.
Or just simply confess to one another. And pray together.
Which again, is exactly why we have growth groups. If you can get past the shyness and the reserve and the desire to look like you've got it all together. To pray for one another in the realities of life. To pray together through the times when all the D-words don't even do it justice.
Because patience plus perseverance plus prayer is a potent combination.
James says, "Elijah was a man just like us." Verse 17. "He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." So. In your hard times, pray. And contact your elders and ask them to pray. And get connected with other members of your family in a growth group enough so that you can be honest enough so they can pray with you as well.
Just one final word from James in verses 19 and 20. So far we've seen that if you're depressed or despondent or disheartened or dejected, you're being pushed to take the initiative. And make the call. Call the elders to pray with you.
The final word from James is, what a blessing there is for anyone who takes the initiative in the other direction.
I guess you've seen it before. We're watching from the other side now. You've watched your Christian friend who just seems to be cooling off in their faith. Maybe because of a hard time. Things are tough, they're feeling down, and so the doubts creep in. God doesn't really care for me at all. And so the drift begins. And nobody says anything. And they just drift away. And they're gone. And nobody says anything.
You know, one day last year, Lou and I were turning left out of Latham St into Gympie road just short of Chermside shopping centre. And it's left turn only. There's an unbroken median strip that you can't turn across to head back to the city. But the lady in the car beside us mistook the four lanes heading north for a two way street. So turned right. Directly into the oncoming traffic.
Well, at that particular moment there was no oncoming traffic. But there's no doubt she was heading for disaster. So we blew our horn and the people on the side of the road were waving at her. And she finally realized what she'd been doing.
But imagine... if we just sat there and did nothing.
Imagine if the people on the footpath, instead of waving her down and shouting... just stood by and watched as she piled head-on into a fully loaded school bus. Imagine if a brother or a sister in our church... was wandering from the truth. And everyone just sat back and watched. And nobody said... anything.
James says, "My brothers," verse 19, "if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." Which has got to be the best thing you could ever do for someone.
You might not get a bravery citation from the Police Department. But in the Kingdom of God, you've done a great thing.
But back to those D-words. And I just want to finish by urging you one more time.
I know for a fact there are people here this morning who are dejected, despairing, despondent, depressed. Dismal. Doleful. Desperate. And doubting. And you're suffering in silence. Your doctor has already prescribed you the anti-depressants. And yet you haven't even made the call that counts. Call the elders of your church. and they'll pray with you.
Maybe you're sick. And you're sick and tired of it. And so you're disheartened and dispirited and discouraged.
So here's what you need to do. Take this one initiative. Gary Hanson is our Session Clerk. Which means he's the contact point. And he's a very approachable guy. Gary's phone number and his email address are printed there in your talk outline. So if you're sick; but not just if you're sick... if you're despondent or you're despairing or you're down, if you need to confess your sins and recommit to persevering with patience... make the call. And Gary will organize two or three elders to come and to pray with you and anoint you with oil. Just like James says. The oil's not magic. It's a symbol of being freshly set apart for God. To press on. James says, it's like a fresh start. Maybe it's that time for you. James says, call the elders of the church to pray over you and anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord. Be patient. Persevere. Make the call. And you'll find a bunch of under-used elders who are ready and willing and able to pray with you. No matter how many D's in your day.