March 11, 2018 – James 5:13-20 – Pastor Zeke Mack

Finishing off our series in the book of James, Pastor Zeke encouraged us that “As Christians we must always faithfully pray to God, acknowledging and expecting His great power.”

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Main Points & Outline

1. Power of Prayer
   1. We are to pray in every situation (v. 13)
   2. Prayer is a corporate act (v. 14, 16)
   3. 3 attributes essential to prayer: faith (v. 14), righteousness (v. 16), fervency (v. 17). They are all God-given but we can grow in them.
2. Accessibility of God
   1. Effective prayer is not limited to the superheroes of the faith!
   2. God has big plans for all of his followers (Ephesians 2:10)
3. Hope for the Wanderer
   1. After addressing impossible feats only accomplish-able by God, James addresses bringing back wayward brother and sisters. Accident?
   2. No, prayer is a powerful act that brings hope! (v. 19-20)

Scripture: James 5:13-20

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? 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. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

¹⁹ My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰ let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (ESV)