Help with the Burden
Notes
Transcript
James has focused upon burdens with work, and the patient work that God does in us and through us as we follow Him carrying our crosses.
James admonishes patience with the understanding that God will correct all wrongs
Truthfulness even among a society that was deceptively looking to find fault with believers in the church
The Burden of Hardship
The Burden of Hardship
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
Afflicted - Suffer hardship - harm or emotional pain
In trouble
The enemy has come and things look dire - PRAY!
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
No greater help with our burdens than with our great God!
Help among the brethren
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
When one is in the valley of trouble - another is enjoying the moment of well-being
The only other time we see this word is found when Paul is in the midst of a storm with a ship that is doomed to be shipwrecked
The shipmen have lost hope and everything appears dire
Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
In the midst of trouble, Paul encouraged them! God is in control!
And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
There is something about good cheer, a merry heart, that is contagious
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: But a broken spirit drieth the bones.
Holly has this ability to take a moment when spirits are getting poor and injecting merry into the situation
God balances out the church with merry hearts singing in song or, maybe like Paul, enjoying a meal together
The Burden of Sickness
The Burden of Sickness
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:
Call the elders
Pastor(s)
Deacon(s)
Older Christian(s)
Pray over him
Anoint with oil
Medicinal oil
Oil used to signify the HS
Symbolising a call upon the HS for health
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.
Faith that the Lord shall heal in His way and timing
God gives healing
The Bible tells us that there are times when God answers with fully recovered health
At times this was instant
At times God used a man or medicine
Every time this was only for a time - No one lives forever in this physical body
God gives grace
2 Cor 12:7-10
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Tim 4:20
Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.
God gives a glorified body
There are times when God answers through taking one to Heaven
Carol - lymphoma
This is not a bad thing - What awaits a child of God in Heaven is greater than we can imagine!
Humility to get right with God
James 5:15b
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.
IF he have committed sins
There are times when God allows illness to humble us to repent, confess, and forsake sins
God is ready to forgive sin
1 Jn 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 Cor 11 - Taking the Lord’s supper while harbouring sin in our heart
Gehazi - Elisha’s ministry helper coveted wealth and payment when Elisha healed a man
The HS brings this to mind
James 5:16a
Healed - Physically and spiritually
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.
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.
Prayer when one’s heart is right with the Lord availeth (strength) much
Charles Finney -
On one occasion, he was preaching in the vicinity of Utica, New York. He tells us what happened.
A circumstance occurred in this neighborhood, which I must not fail to notice. There was a cotton manufactory on the Oriskany creek, a little above Whitesboro, a place now called New York Mills. It was owned by an unconverted man, but a gentleman of high standing and good morals. My brother-in-law was at that time superintendent of the factory. I was invited to go and preach at that place, and went up one evening, and preached in the village school-house, which was large, and was crowded with hearers. The word, I could see, took powerful effect among the people, especially among the young people who were at work in the factory.
The next morning, after breakfast, I went into the factory, to look through it. As I went through, I observed there was a good deal of agitation among those who were busy at their looms, and their mules, and other implements of work. On passing through one of the apartments, where a great number of young women were attending to their weaving, I observed a couple of them eyeing me, and speaking very earnestly to each other; and I could see that they were a good deal agitated, although they both laughed. I went slowly toward them. They saw me coming, and were evidently much excited. One of them was trying to mend a broken thread, and I observed that her hands trembled so that she could not mend it. I approached slowly, looking on each side at the machinery, as I passed; but observed that this girl grew more and more agitated, and could not proceed with her work. When I came within eight or ten feet of her, I looked solemnly at her. She observed it, and was quite overcome, and sunk down, and burst into tears. The impression caught almost like powder, and in a few moments nearly all in the room were in tears. This feeling spread through the factory. The owner of the establishment, was present, and seeing the state of things, he said to the superintendent, “Stop the mill, and let the people attend to religion; for it is more important that our souls should be saved than that this factory run.” The gate was immediately shut down, and the factory stopped; but where should we assemble? The superintendent suggested that the mule room was large; and, the mules being run up, we could assemble there. We did so, and a more powerful meeting I scarcely ever attended. It went on with great power. The building was large, and had many people in it, from the garret to the cellar. The revival went through the mill with astonishing power, and in the course of a few days nearly all in the mill were hopefully converted.
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.
Elias - Elijah
Prayed earnestly - prayed in his prayer - Elijah put his passions into his prayers
Elijah - confronted the Ahab & Jezebel - the most wicked king & queen Israel ever had over the apostasy, idolatry, and perversion they brought into Israel and fueled in Israel
Israel was sick unto death in sin
Elijah knew God wanted Israel to come back to Him, so he claimed a promise from God:
And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. The Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
If Israel went away from God, one of the ways God would get their attention was through drought
Elijah prayed that God would bring a drought
For 3 1/2 years the drought continued
Elijah assembled the children of Israel to mount Carmel
God powerfully showed Israel Who He is by consuming Elijah’s offering by fire from Heaven in 1 Kings 17-18
The people recognised that they had been serving false gods, humbled themselves to the Lord, and killed every false prophet
Elijah then went and prayed in accordance to the Deuteronomy 28:1-12 for the blessing of God for life giving and fruit providing rain
Elijah acted upon the promises of God, and God powerfully answered