Transcript Let Us Pray Chapter 13

Let Us Pray
Chapter 13
Chapter 5:13-20
By Warren W. Wiersbe
Use of Tongues:
Lowest – complaining (5:9) and swearing
oath (5:12)
Highest – proclaiming God’s Word (5:10)
and praying & praising God (5:13)
Praying is a high & holy privilege
“Taking it to the Lord” is a mark of
spiritual maturity, instead of complaining
about the situation.
Praying for the Suffering (5:13)
“Afflicted” means “suffering in difficult
circumstances”, not the result of sin or
the chastening of God
Difficult situation:
– Avoid grumbling and criticizing the saints (James 5:9)
– Avoid blaming God
– Pray for the wisdom to understand the situation
(James 1:5)
– Prayer can remove affliction, if it’s God’s will.
– Prayer can give the grace to endure trials
» He giveth more grace (4:6)
» Paul (II Cor. 12:7-10)
» Jesus at Gethsemane
Praying and singing (5:13)
Mature Christian knows how to sing while
he’s suffering
• Paul and Silas (Acts 16:25)
• God is able to give “songs in the night” (Job 35:10).
Important elements in worship.
Singing: intelligent (understandable) (I Cor.
14:15), from your heart (Eph. 5:19), based
on the Word of God (Col. 3:16), &
motivated by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).
Prayer for the Sick (5:14-16)
Special characteristics:
• The person is sick because of sins (15b16) (I Cor. 11:30)
• The person confesses his sins (5:16)
– Church discipline
– I Cor. 5
– Literal translation- confess your sins
therefore to one another, and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. (5:16)
– Hamartia-sin (1:15, 16)
• The person is healed by prayer of faith
(5:15)
– Praying, not anointing, heals
– Prayer of faith – I John 5:14-15 “And this is the
confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask
anything according to His will, He heareth us: and if
we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know
that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”
– Prayer of faith – a prayer offered when you
know the will of God.
» God’s will
» Who pray? The body of elders who seek
God’s will and pray
Practical lessons:
Disobedience to God can lead to sickness
David (Psalms 32)
Sin affects the whole church
There is healing (both spiritual & physical)
Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not
prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them
shall find mercy”.
Confessing occurs among the saints
I John 1:9
private sin, public sin
Prayer for the Nation (5:17-18)
• Elijah as an example of righteous man
– I King 17-18
– “Elijah was a man just like us” (5:17 NIV)
• Not perfect for he was discouraged
– “prayer is not getting man’s will in heaven. It’s getting God’s
will done on earth” ~Robert Law
– God’s Word and prayer can’t be separate
– Elijah was persistent
• Determined, he prayed earnestly (5:17)
• Heart must be in their prayer (Ps 62:8)
– Prayer power is the greatest power in the world
“Tremendous power is made available through good man’s
earnest prayer” (James 5:16 PH)
– Prayer for our action that God will bring conviction and
revival
– I Timothy 2:1-3 - Pray for our government leaders
Prayer for the Straying (5:19-20)
• “Err” mean to wander and suggests a gradual
turning away from the will of God.
• Old Testament term for err is backsliding
• “Overtaken in a fault” Gal. 6:1
• Sin is usually the result of slow, gradual
spiritual decline
• Dangerous, because he may be disciplined by
the Lord
• Also, he is in a danger of committing sin unto
death I John 5:16-17, I Cor. 11:30
It’s dangerous to the church for the backslider
can influence others & lead them astray. Ecc.
9:18 NASB – “One sinner destroys much good”
Therefore, we must help the backslider.
• The origin of the problem? “wander from the
truth” James 5:19
• The truth is the Word of God (John 17:17)
– Examples: Peter was warned that Satan was there
to tempt, but Peter refused to believe what Jesus
said. He slept while Jesus prayed at Gethsemane.
– Peter denied three times.
• The outcome, or result, of this is sin and
possible death (James 5:20). This wanderer
(backslider) is a Christian. The sin in the life
of a Christian is worse than sin in the life of
unbeliever. II Peter 2:20.
What should we do when we see a fellow
Christian wandering from the truth?
• We should pray for him and seek to help him.
He needs to be “converted” – turned back into
the right path.
• “When thou are converted, strengthen thy
brethren” Luke 22:23
• It is important that we seek the lost and win
the saved.
• Matt 18:15 - 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.
• Gained means “won”, same as James 4:13
To help the erring friend, we must have the
attitude of love, for “love shall cover the
multitude of sins.” I Peter 4:8, James 5:20
Prov. 10:12 “Hate stirred up strife, but love
covereth all sins.”
Speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15)
Love helps the offenders to face the sin and
deal with them and also assures him that
forgiven sins are remembered no more.
– A straying brother needs to be restored.
– A lost sinner needs to be brought to the Saviour.
– If a straying brother dies, he goes to heaven, but
the sinner is condemned to hell for eternity.