Faithful & Faithless
James • Sermon • Submitted
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· 251 viewsPrayer is built on trust, believing God will answer by providing what we need. Faithlessness is acting on our own apart from God.
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Before we jump into our passage, I would like to remind us of something. We must always remember that James is describing the Christian life, as it is with Christ, living in and through us. The reality is that for most of us, for all of us, we resist Christ, we grieve the Holy Spirit, and we don’t always live the way of Christ. So, it is important, incredibly important to stress that we’re talking about progress, not perfection. In this life, we make our way, bit by bit. We’re not there yet.
Now, to underscore this point, we need to turn to one of the disciples as an example. Peter is the most famous of all disciples. He was a natural leader, he was bold and brash; he often spoke without thinking. He made mistakes. He cut off a guy’s ear. His sin caused other Christians to fall into sin. He sinned and was rebuked by the apostle Paul. And he denied Jesus three times, just after saying he never would, he would die before betraying Jesus.
Just before they entered the garden, Jesus tells his disciples, “All y’all are going to abandon me.” Peter replies, “I can totally see those guys doing that, but I never will.” Jesus says, before the rooster crows twice (this is from Marks’ gospel), you’ll betray me.” Never, says Peter. Even if I have to die with you, I won’t. And the other disciples said the same. He led the others to say the wrong thing. Instead of accepting the rebuke, the truth.
So, as it happens, the trial’s going on, and Peter’s hanging about trying to get information. People accuse him of being with Jesus. He says no. It happens again, the rooster crows, still he says no. He’s thinking to himself, I can do this. I know I can. I just have to think positively.
Then, in the courtyard, someone says, “I’m sure you’re one of the ones with Jesus, you’re from Galilee.” Then Peter calls down curses upon himself, and denies Jesus a third time. The rooster crows again, and Peter begins to weep bitterly. Keep in mind that this is a process, a progression of faith.
How have you done with what we’ve learned in our series so far? We’re to be servants rather than demand being served. We’re to think of trails as pure joy, we need to do the Word, not just read it or hear it. We need to stop being judgemental, and be gracious and merciful instead. We need to demonstrate our faith and trust, doing the word, not just hearing it, watching what we say, seeking true wisdom, not false wisdom, looking to gain godliness, not worldliness, walking in humility and being wise with money. Further, we’re to be patient, patient with ourselves, patient with others.
Now, as the series has progressed over these last few months, some of us have probably thought, “I’ve got this; I can do this.” We start trying to apply it to our life just like Peter did, with all our own strength and power and life. And you know what? It works for a bit. But then we fail.
So what’s our hope? How can we actually improve? How can we really grow? How do we become more mature? How do we truly put this stuff into practise?
Peter was confident, but was brought down by a teenager. He was too confident in himself. I think most of us are like Peter. We’re too confident in our own strength and ability. To this James says, “Pray. Connect to God. That’s the only way to grow mature obedience.”
We have to pray. But how you approach prayer is important. If you approach it like a chore, an obligation you do at certain times per day, it won’t be effective. In , the apostle Paul writes, “And when Christ who is your life...” Do you get it? Christ is your life. You are not a married Christian, or a single Christian, or a whatever you think you need to place as more important than your Christian identity.
Christ is your life. It is not Christ, then marriage, Christ then being single, Christ then being a student, teacher, police officer, worker, employer or employee. Christ is your life, and out of that life, that communion, that is how you operate your life, you are a married person in conjunction with Christ you is your life. You are a single person in whom Christ is your life.
You have a relationship with God. You experience life with God. This is not merely acknowledging facts in your mind. It is something you experience.
And if you understand, that God, the creator of the universe, who knit you together, who knows you far better than you know yourself, if you understand that God wants to communicate with you, like you communicate with people. Well, maybe not on Facebook, or Instagram or text messaging. God wants to communicate with you, if yoiu understand that, it changes how you approach him.
Seriously though, God wants you, invites you to talk to him, to pour out your struggles and sorrows, to praise him, and thank him for your joys and hopes. In every circumstance, every instance, God is saying, “Come on, talk to me about it! I have all day, I promise I’ll hear you and listen to you. When you’re talking to me, nothing else has my attention.”
D.A. Carson, professor, pastor, theologian, awesome dude, identifies seven ways to help us pray:
1. It must be planned. You set up dates, right? You plan vacations. So plan on talking to God. If you’re busy, you need to schedule time with God. You still talk to God all throughout the day, but plan times that it works to pray.
2. Pray in practical ways that keeps your mind focused. You can’t pray with electronic devices before you, or books, or newpapers or other people. You need to focus, use the Bible. When you talk to God, you’re focussed on you, not on what you wish other people should read, hear or understand. A friend from seminary’s dad died this past week. He showed a picture of his dad’s office. It was covered in photos of people, people he prayed for.
3. Pray with different people, as seasons and times change. Some people think of this as prayer partners. Whatever it is, pray with people. To help you on this, some of us are starting a small group Bible study on prayer. Come join us. The ideal group size is 12 people or less. I’m hoping that so many people come out, that we won’t just have 12 people, we’ll have 12 groups!
4. Hang out with people who pray. Listen to how other people pray. Learn from people who have been praying for longer than you have.
5. Develop a method to prayer. Write notes on cards. Write down people’s names. Tell people you’re praying for them. Tell them what you’re praying about for them. Ask them how you can pray for them, what things they’d like you to pray for.
6. Pray specifically about praise, include confession, and include parts where you ask for something for others. Learn how people prayed in the Bible. Read the Psalms. As you read the Bible, you’ll come across stuff that makes you think, that makes you say, “I wish I was more like that. I wish my son could know this.” Pray that for yourself, for your son, or daughter, or whoever comes to mind.”
7. Sing. Sometimes, when you pray, you are filled with praise, and the only way to express it properly is by singing. We sing in church because it is a prayer of praise. Now, too, too often, we let our pride get in the way. We won’t sing loudly because we’re afraid what other people might think. I’m sorry, but we’re not singing to them, we’re singing to God, and he loves it! Singing, really singing, gets you deeper. It hits the heart, and also the head.
Sometimes singing helps us memorise and deepen our scriptural knowledge. Songs stick with you, they minister to you. They have stories behind them. When “Peace Like a River” was written by Horatio Spafford as he crossed the Atlantic Ocean to comfort his wife after their daughters were killed at sea. Matt Redman wrote the song “The Heart of Worship”, after his pastor stripped away all the sound equipment and instruments and musicians from the worship service, reminding the congregation that they come to give, to bring an offering to God.
Use those seven ways to help you pray.
When you’re sick, says James, call the elders to pray and anoint you with oil. There’s healing there. What this means is, when you’re sick, don’t just hold it in, grin and bear it, stiff upper lip and all that jazz. Tell someone. Tell me. Tell an elder. You’re part of something bigger than you. God loves to work through his people. Trust others. Trust them to pray for you and over you.
Look at verse 15. I think we’re guilty of total independence in this regard. We’ve bought into something that was never meant to be a part of Christianity at all. We’ve bought into total individualism. But if Christ is our life, and the church is Christ’s body, we can’t separate ourselves into individualism, or into church life, home life, work life. Christ is our life.
teaches us that not praying brings physical harm. We waste away, we lose strength, and God’s hand is heavy upon us. If we harbour secret sins, we will waste away. We’ll lose all effectiveness. Scientific studies show that if you live with certain hidden sins, living with something you know is wrong, but you don’t want to admit to God or to others, you will live in stress which will negatively impact your physical health.
The scientific study showed positive health benefits in those who confessed. Whether the confession was audibly made or simply written down and shared later didn’t matter. The benefits were real, physically and mentally. It improved relationships, intimacy, and sleep!
The Bible is right, you can’t live a lie. Confess. Find someone you trust, and confess to them. Maybe you’re struggling with pornography, or an eating disorder, or cutting, depression, flirting, an affair. There are tonnes of things that individuals here could be dealing with, struggling with. The only way to deal with it is to bring it into the light. If you think you can just deal with it, you’re being like Peter. It doesn’t work.
Finally, James closes with an example. Elijah. Elijah was a man who exercised God’s power. Though he was no different from any of us, he exercised God’s power. He lived under an evil king, Ahab. He prayed, and God stopped letting it rain on Israel for three years. Even though God did amazing miracles for Elijah, he still doubted. Even though God miraculously fed by ravens, miraculously fed by the woman of Zerephath’s oil and flour which while always looked like they were going to use the very last bit, they always had enough to make more. Then, the widow’s son died, and God, through Elijah, who prayed, “Did I sin Lord?” brought him back to life. Then he called fire down from heaven. And yet, when confronted by Jezebel, he fled for his life. Elijah, after all that, still questioned God.
But that’s not the last time we see Elijah. He appears with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. Elijah, prayed, he praised, he confessed he sang. God transformed him.
Are you weary, are you feeling like God’s hand is heavy upon you? Do you feel like you’re dried up? Good. You’re coming into the light. Are you confident in yourself? Peter wouldn’t have said and did what he did in the garden and in the courtyard, if he was weary and worn out. He was confident and sure, so he fell.
Confess to others. If you’re worried about what they’ll think. Forget about it. If they’re really trustworthy, they’ll just see the truth, no one’s perfect. Confess, find rest, and experience freedom. Amen.