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Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to James chapter 5. James chapter 5. I'll begin reading in verse one. 
Come now, you rich. Weep and howl for your miseries 
that are coming upon you. Your riches are corrupted and 
your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, 
and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your 
flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in 
the last days. Indeed, the wages of the laborers 
who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out. And the cries of the reapers 
have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived 
on the earth in pleasure and luxury. You have fattened your 
hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned. You have 
murdered the just. He does not resist you. Therefore, 
be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the 
farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently 
for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also 
be patient. Establish your hearts, for the 
coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, 
brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing 
at the door. My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the 
name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed, 
we count them blessed to endure. You have heard of the perseverance 
of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is 
very compassionate and merciful. But above all, my brethren, do 
not swear either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, 
but let your yes be yes and your no, no, lest you fall into judgment. Is anyone among you suffering? 
Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing 
psalms. 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. And the 
prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise 
him up. And if he has committed sins, 
he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one 
another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effective, 
fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a 
man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that 
it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land 
for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and heaven 
gave rain and the earth produced its fruit. Brethren, if anyone 
among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, let 
him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will 
save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. Amen. Well, 
let us pray. Father, thank you for the written 
word. Again, we pray for the ministry of the Holy Spirit. 
We pray that you would indeed cleanse us from our sins, grant 
us grace to receive with thankful hearts the word of truth now. 
And may we, by your grace and the power of your Holy Spirit, 
be conformed unto the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we 
know that that means obeying what is written in passages such 
as these. Grant us help and strength and 
grace, and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, 
our focus this evening is on verses 13 to 15, and essentially 
what James does here in verses 13 to 18 is end his epistle where 
so many other New Testament epistles end as well. It is an exhortation 
to pray. That is James' emphasis here 
in verses 13 to 18. He exhorts to pray with reference 
to the individual, verse 13, with reference to the elders, 
verses 14 and 15, and with reference to the brethren in the church, 
verse 16. So the emphasis in prayer, verses 
13 to 16, and then the example of prayer, verses 17 and 18, 
is Elijah the prophet. We're going to just take up verses 
13 to 15 tonight as this teaching or this doctrine or this statement 
concerning the sick will require a bit of time and explanation. But I want to remind you that 
God's Word speaks to us here with reference to every situation. In other words, this does deal 
with the gamut of Christian experience. It's not the case that believers 
are always happy and peppy and upbeat. There is suffering in 
the Christian life. But it's not the case that it's 
only ever always suffering. There's cheerfulness, there is 
contentedness, there is happiness. It's not the case that believers 
in Christ, having been redeemed by Christ, will never get colds, 
will never get flus, will never get cancer, will never contract 
any serious disease. That is simply inaccurate. The 
health, wealth, and prosperity people are simply wrong. It is 
not the case that God has intended for His children to always live 
in such a condition that everything is only ever wonderful. There 
are rainy days, there are cloudy days, there are difficult days, 
and there are a whole host of trials and tribulations that 
punctuate the lives of the people of God. In fact, Alec Mottier 
says, in a word, James urges that all of life should be lived 
with immediate reference to God, bringing its joys to him in praise 
and its sorrows to him in prayer. The contrasting states of physical 
ill, verses 14 and 15, and spiritual ill, verse 16, are undoubtedly 
meant to embrace every distress which may come our way. So James' 
wisdom is seen in the space or compass of just a few verses, 
he does canvas the entirety of Christian experience. So let's 
look first at this overarching concern, the exhortation to pray, 
but in the first place, the individual at-prayer in verse 13. Now, we 
might, just as we read this passage, think that it's somewhat superfluous. I mean, why would we need to 
be told that if we're suffering, we ought to pray, and if we're 
cheerful, we ought to praise? Why in the world would we need 
to be told that? because we are hard-hearted, 
because we oftentimes go astray, and when we suffer, we are surly 
or rebellious, or we are whiners or complainers, and instead of 
praying to God, we are murmuring against God. The same thing is 
true with reference to cheerfulness or a contented state. What is 
the tendency for those in such a condition? To forget God. The Proverbs tell us, give me 
neither poverty nor riches. There's sort of a pitfall on 
either side. If I am poor, I'll go out and 
steal and dishonor my God. But if I am rich, then I will 
forget all about my God. So we need to understand that 
these commands are not superfluous, but they are indeed pointed, 
and they are most helpful reminders to us so that as we face the 
various experiences we do, we do so with reference to God. 
So note first the suffering. Is anyone among you suffering? Now back in James 1 at verse 
2, he spoke of trials. My brethren, count it all joy 
when you fall into various trials. Notice in James chapter 5, specifically 
at verses 10 and 11, my brethren, take the prophets who spoke in 
the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed, 
we count them blessed to endure. You have heard of the perseverance 
of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is 
very compassionate and merciful. There is suffering, there is 
trial, there is difficulty, there is hardship that we as God's 
people go through. Now note the particular remedy 
involved. Is anyone among you suffering? 
Let him pray. Thomas Manton said, prayer is 
the best remedy for sorrows. Griefs are eased by groans and 
utterance. I quite like that. John Gill 
says, times of afflictions are proper times for prayer. And 
if you turn with me back to 2 Kings, we'll notice and observe how 
several men in Scripture responded to suffering, responded to trials 
in just this way. Now remember, this is given to 
us because the tendency or the temptation might present itself 
for us to whine, grumble, murmur, or complain instead of praying 
when we go through such trials and difficulties. 2 Kings 19, 
essentially what is happening is that Hezekiah is looking down 
the barrel of Sennacherib's gun. Sennacherib, leader of the armies 
of Assyria, has come to Jerusalem to seize the city. And so Hezekiah, 
in this trial, in this difficulty, in this hardship, doesn't whine, 
he doesn't complain, he doesn't groan, he doesn't mumble, he 
doesn't murmur. but rather he prays, 2 Kings 
chapter 19, verses 14 to 19. And it's a splendid prayer and 
one worthy of your study and meditation. Turn to the book 
of Psalms, where we find, like we do in James 5, the whole sort 
of gamut of Christian experience. And notice that in Psalms 42 
and 43, specifically we see this very mindset. Notice in Psalm 42.5, Verse 11, why are you cast down, 
O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I 
shall yet praise him, the help of my countenance and my God. 
This is what Lloyd-Jones would say is the psalmist talking to 
himself. This is precisely what we need 
to do in these times of crisis, trial, and affliction. Remember 
the psalmist's example. Remember Hezekiah's example. 
Remember the specific words of James in James 5.13. Is anyone among you suffering? 
Let Him pray. And then notice the superscription 
in Psalm 102. It appears as the superscription 
in this English version, but it's literally verse 1 in the 
Hebrew Bible. Psalm 102. The little words, 
not the italicized words that the translators give a title 
to the psalm, but rather those small words before verse 1. That's inspired. That's in the 
Hebrew text, and that is verse 1. Notice, a prayer of the afflicted 
when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the 
Lord. You see, that's what we are supposed to imbibe. That's 
the kind of conduct that is necessary for times of affliction and suffering. 
Not whining, not murmuring, not grumbling, not complaining, but 
rather turning unto the Lord. Notice in Psalm 130, verses 1 
and 2. Psalm 130, verses 1 and 2, a song of ascents. Out of 
the depths I have cried to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to 
the voice of my supplications. Of course, the example of our 
Lord Jesus Christ in Gethsemane. What does he say? He says, my 
soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. So what does 
he do? He turns to the Father in prayer. In the teaching of our Lord, 
specifically the parable in Luke 18, at verse 1 we read, "...then 
He spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and 
not lose heart." You see what the contrast is? You see what 
happens if we do not pray? Then we will lose heart. When 
the doctor says, we have such and such disease, if we do not 
pray, we will lose heart. Prayer is the remedy given to 
us by God to keep us in dependence upon God so that we can weather 
the storms that we face in this lower world. We mustn't neglect 
this and we must receive James' word. If anyone among you is 
suffering, let him pray. Of course, Paul says the same 
thing in Philippians chapter 4. What are we supposed to do 
in lieu of being anxious? We're supposed to pray. We're 
supposed to take our concerns, our burdens, our trials, our 
hardships to the Lord. Philippians 4.6, be anxious for 
nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with 
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the 
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard 
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Doug Mu comments 
on James' words in James 5.13. He says, James' concern when 
he deals with trials elsewhere in chapters 1 and 5 is to encourage 
believers to endure the suffering with the right spirit and with 
a divine perspective on history. Presumably then, the prayer that 
he encourages here is for the spiritual strength to endure 
the trial with a godly spirit. Now, I don't think it's wrong 
or incorrect or bad to say, God, could you please lift this affliction? God, could you please remove 
this burden? God, could you please free me 
up to some degree so that I am not so sorely pressed? But if 
not, nevertheless, thy will be done. And if thy will is that 
I continue in this state of affliction, then grant me the grace and the 
ability to bear up under it without murmuring, without whining, without 
complaining, and without dishonoring or besmirching the good name 
of my God. Is anyone among you suffering? 
Let him pray. Notice as well in verse 13, the 
exhortation to prayer with reference to the individual. Notice, he 
goes on in verse 13 to say, is anyone cheerful, let him sing 
songs. Now, the emphasis here is not 
so much on the circumstances that we find ourselves in, but 
the inner disposition of the heart. So we can't be cheerful 
even in the midst of not the greatest of circumstances. But 
notice again that James commands us to, when we are cheerful, 
to sing psalms, to praise God with psalms. Again, it's a form 
of prayer. When we sing the psalms to God 
Most High, when we pray through the psalms, we are praying to 
God. So if you are cheerful, what 
is it that James wants you to do? He wants you to give praise 
to God. You see, it's too easy for us 
in a state of non-hostility, in a state of complacency, in 
a state where everything is calm and mellow, to forget God. And that is simply unacceptable, 
so the direction is pointed And it is specific because James 
knows the hearts of men. If we are suffering, we are tempted 
not to pray. If we are cheerful, we are tempted 
not to sing. We are tempted not to praise. 
We are tempted not to adore. And James does not want that 
to be the case with the people of God. John Calvin commenting 
on the verse, including both suffering and cheerful. He says 
he means that there is no time in which God does not invite 
us to himself. That's encouraging, isn't it? 
There is no time that God does not invite us to himself. If 
you're suffering, God invites you. If you are cheerful, God 
invites you. Calvin goes on to say, for afflictions 
ought to stimulate us to pray. Prosperity supplies us with an 
occasion to praise God. But such is the perverseness 
of men that they cannot rejoice without forgetting God, and that 
when afflicted, they are disheartened and driven to despair. Now, this 
may not sound that important to you, but it most certainly 
is. I guarantee you, you're going 
to face some sort of trial, hardship, sorrow, woe, and forget all about 
prayer. Or you're going to get good news 
at work later on this week, your kids are going to be whatever, 
your wife's going to cook you a nice dinner, and you're going 
to forget God. Motier says, trouble can give rise to an attitude 
of surly rebellion against God and the abandonment of spiritual 
practices. Equally, times of ease and affluence 
beget complacency, laziness, and the assumption that we are 
able of ourselves to cope with life and God is forgotten. I think that's very powerful. 
So whether it's bad times or good times, we are to direct 
ourselves to God in prayer. We are to be a people who pray. We are to attend prayer meeting. We are to attend to the closet. 
We are to have a family altar. Prayer is most important. Brethren, 
if we are not praying, we are not honoring God. Prayer doesn't 
complete God, prayer doesn't inform God in terms of what it 
is specifically that we need, but prayer rather is an acknowledgment 
of our dependence upon God, and it is in the first place an act 
of worship to God. Brethren, we need to pray. Now 
notice, secondly, in terms of his exhortation to pray, he then 
addresses the elders. the elders at prayer in verses 
14 and 15. Notice he says, 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. And the prayer of faith will 
save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed 
sins, he will be forgiven. Now, there are three things we 
ought to observe in this statement. First, the sick and his request. Secondly, the elders and their 
ministry And then thirdly, the prayer of faith and its outcome. So a brief map of where we're 
going for the rest of the sermon now. But note the presence of 
sickness. Is anyone among you sick? Again, those people that 
teach that believers will never be sick, and if believers are 
sick, it's because they have a lack of faith. I'm not making 
that up. These are the wild-eyed preachers 
that proclaim God's word, allegedly, for truth or for money. They are prophets for profit. They tell the people what the 
people want to hear. They lie. They say there is peace, 
peace, when there is no peace. They'll say things like, if any 
man needs a doctor, it is evidence that he does not have faith. 
Throw away your crutches, get rid of any of those things, because 
a man of faith will never need such a thing. Well, James demolishes 
such an idea with this very question. Is anyone among you sick? There 
is sickness in the Christian life. Redemption through blood 
does not immunize us from any sort of malady, from any sort 
of disease, from any sort of affliction. No, it is the case 
that God's people in this world will oftentimes contract sickness, 
illness, and at times very serious. In fact, if we look at this particular 
instance, we see that this man's condition is a bit serious as 
well. It's not talking about a head 
cold here. He's not talking about a hangnail. Notice, the elders are called 
to go to him. He doesn't go to them. Presumably, 
he is unable to go to them. As well, the elders are the ones 
to do the praying. Verse 13 is the emphasis upon 
individuals at prayer. James doesn't say, if anyone 
among you is sick, let him pray. No, he calls for the elders of 
the church, and they then do the praying over him. As well, 
he is weary or worn. The particular word here does 
mean sick, but elsewhere it's utilized to present weariness 
or being worn out. As well, he is not called upon 
to exercise faith in order to be healed. Rather, it is the 
faith of the elders. The prayer of faith is that offered 
up by the elders. For any of those persons to somehow 
accuse the people of God for lacking faith when they are sick 
is to completely misread, to misunderstand what James is saying 
here. If anybody has a lack of faith 
in this transaction, it's the elders and not the sick person. That is precisely what a sick 
person doesn't need. He's not only sick, but then 
he's got whacked out preachers telling him that he hasn't got 
faith. Talk about adding insult to injury 
and compounding the particular person's problem. This is ungodly. It is unconscionable, and the 
idea that the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel is true 
is simply It is heresy. It is to misrepresent the God 
of heaven and earth, and it is to bind the people of God under 
burdens that they were never intended to carry. That somehow 
you got this sickness because your faith was lacking, or you've 
stayed in this sickness because your faith is lacking. on sickness. He says, Christ's 
worshipers are not exempted from sickness no more than any other 
affliction. God may chasten those whom He 
loveth. It is said, John 11, 3, behold, 
he whom you lovest is sick. Those that are dear to God have 
their share of miseries. That's just the reality of it, 
brethren. Don't be, you know, Job's friend 
and come to the bed of the sick man and say, wow, if you just 
had some more faith, if you could just find it in yourselves to 
trust more and to believe more and to do better, then perhaps 
God would raise you up from this sick bed. That is to bind God's 
people and it is simply wrong. Now notice, he calls for the 
elders. Now, there are several views 
with reference to this passage, and the best I can do is to be 
somewhat tentative. How's that for a somewhat tentative 
answer, or, you know, sort of qualifier? There's several views 
on what does this oil mean? I mean, no one here has ever 
read this and thought, boy, I just know exactly what that means. 
I'm sure every single one of you, at least, or most of you, 
rather, at least, have seen this passage and wondered about it. 
Some suggest, like John Calvin, that it has to do with the miracle 
of healing or the gift of healing that was present in the apostolic 
church. I think that's the easiest way 
to deal with this particular text. In 1 Corinthians 12, at 
verses 9, at 28, and 30, we see the gift of healing. And so Calvin says that the gift 
of healing was in play at that particular time, so the sick 
are directed to call so that they may indeed receive or undergo 
the benefit of that gift of healing. Of course, as those who believe 
in the cessation of the sort of super gifts, First, we would 
say that that has gone with the close of the apostolic period, 
the close of the canon, and therefore it's not extant today. On the 
one hand, that is a very, very sort of attractive interpretation 
because I think it frees you from trying to figure out what's 
happening in the text. But the fact that he specifies 
elders, he doesn't say apostles. He doesn't say healers, he says 
elders. What's an abiding office in the 
church? The two abiding offices are elders 
and deacons. So the assumption is that elders 
are able to do this. Not all elders were most likely 
gifted with the gift of healing. So I want to just set that in 
your mind as we proceed. But nevertheless, that he does, 
or he does rather call for the elders of the church. Now that 
brings us to consider the elders and their ministry. Verse 14b. 
It says, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in 
the name of the Lord. Obviously, they pray. The emphasis 
in the section is on prayer. Prayer of the individual, prayer 
of the elders, prayer of the brethren in verse 16. So obviously, 
they pray. Now, with reference to the healing 
with, or rather the application of oil, not the healing with 
oil, I'm gonna argue just the opposite, Notice, there are, 
as I said, several views. There is the gift of healing 
view. 1 Corinthians 12, 9, 28, 30. One of the spiritual gifts 
given by the Spirit in that early church was the gift of healing. 
The second view or interpretation is that this was medicinal. It 
was medicinal, the oil had healing properties, so the elders pray, 
but they also apply that oil to the sick man. In fact, you 
can see in Luke 10, turn there with me, Luke chapter 10, you'll 
see that oil did have healing properties. Specifically at verse 34, it's 
the parable of the good Samaritan. Verse 34, so he went to him and 
bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and he set him 
on his own animal, brought him to an end, and took care of him. Now, as I said, this is one of 
the views, that it was in fact medicinal, that the elders apply 
this in conjunction with their prayer. But I suspect, or I submit, 
that there are several problems with taking the oil as the medicine 
view. Why would it need to be elders? 
Couldn't his wife or his children apply oil to him? And why would 
this oil be applied in the name of the Lord? Could it not be 
the case that an atheistic doctor could give you, a Christian believer, 
morphine? He doesn't do it in the name 
of the Lord, but it does work. Medicine is known for this very 
thing. It works. You don't have to believe 
that it works. It just works. They do double-blind 
studies. They take the biblical course. 
Never forget that science often operates on sort of Christian 
assumptions, this idea of two or three witnesses. They test 
a hypothesis, and they examine it, and then they come to some 
conclusions. They're not always absolutely 
infallible, but it follows a particular trajectory. So when it's said, 
he prays in the name of the Lord, or they anoint him in the name 
of the Lord, could it not be the case that somebody is given 
a medicinal thing that would nevertheless heal them, even 
if it wasn't given in the name of the Lord? And I think the 
most powerful argument against the medicine or the oil as medicine 
view is that it's not the oil. It is rather the prayer of faith 
that God hears. And it's in light of that that 
He heals him of his sickness and raises him up. It has nothing 
to do with the medicinal properties of the oil. It is rather the 
prayer of faith offered up by these elders that God hears and 
then God heals him, God raises him up. There's a sacramental 
view. Guess which group finds this 
particular interpretation very pleasing? Roman Catholicism. They have derived their doctrine 
of extreme unction from this particular passage. They have 
derived it, they call it now anointing with oil, but it was 
given to those who were about to die. It's one of the seven 
sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church, but I guarantee you that 
is not what James is talking about. Any more than in verse 
16 is he talking about auricular confession with a priest in a 
booth that has lights to let people know whether someone's 
in that box or not. The papists are simply wrong 
in their interpretation of James chapter 5. And then there is 
what position I hold is the symbolic view. This oil is utilized, as 
it often is in the scripture, anointing someone in such a way 
as to set them apart. To set them apart in this particular 
instance is a special vehicle of God's mercy. In fact, Dagmu 
defines it this way, as the elders pray, they are to physically 
anoint the sick man with oil to symbolize that the person 
is being set apart for God's special attention and care. I 
don't think what's in view is the medicinal view. I don't think, 
based on the fact that he speaks of elders doing this, that it's 
the apostolic gift of healing. I certainly reject the idea that 
it's sacramental in nature. There are two ordinances or sacraments 
in the Christian church, and they are baptism and the Lord's 
Supper, not extreme unction, not the anointing of oil, not 
matrimony or the other ones that the papers tell us are sacraments. But it's probably symbolic, it's 
a physical way, a physical emblem, a physical tangible thing to 
show this particular person that we are setting them apart, praying 
over him and hoping that God will indeed hear him and raise 
him up from that sickbed. There is one other text that 
I want us to consider. The only other place is in Mark's 
gospel where such a convention is used. Mark 6, 13. Mark 6 13, 
and they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who 
were sick and healed them. The problem is that that gives 
us no more light on the subject than does James chapter 5. So 
tentatively, I would present those positions to you opting 
for the symbolic view that as the elders pray, they are to 
physically anoint the sick man with oil to symbolize that the 
person is being set apart for God's special attention and care. Now notice in James 5.15, the 
prayer of faith and its outcome. And the prayer of faith will 
save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed 
sins, he will be forgiven. Now, the matter of factness that 
God does raise him up, that God does heal him from his sickness, 
to me, gives way to the gift of healing position. In other 
words, that is a matter-of-fact statement. There's no wiggle 
room there. This is done, they pray, they anoint him with oil 
in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save 
him, and the Lord will raise him up. That sort of tips the 
scales, at least in my mind, to the gift of healing view, 
the 1 Corinthians 12, 9, 28, and 30 idea. However, I think we can understand 
it the way we understand other sort of universal promises given 
to us by God relative to prayer. In other words, if you read the 
gospel narratives, Jesus will say things like, whatever you 
ask believing in my name, you will receive. Now, that aforementioned 
group I spoke of, they'll ask for cars, they'll ask for boats, 
they'll ask for summer homes, they'll ask for hair product, 
for their weird wives. They will do a whole host of 
things and believing, think that they will receive it. We know 
better than that, brethren. Those statements are not universalized. Those statements are always qualified 
by whatever pleases God. In other words, it is the will 
of the Lord. James needn't repeat it here 
because the people of God know this. Prayer isn't a blank check. Prayer isn't always, or it is 
in terms of us going to God, but it's not a blank check that 
always demands payment according to our desire. I've said it before, 
a no answer is as much an answer to prayer as is a yes answer. We just don't like it, so we 
say things like, God didn't hear me, God didn't answer, oh no, 
God heard you and God did answer, but he happened to say no. He 
didn't do it to be mean, he didn't do it to upbraid you, he didn't 
do it because he's vicious or capricious or unkind. Remember 
in light of Romans 8.28 that God causes all things to work 
for good, to those who love him, to those who are the called according 
to his purpose. In that context, he must mean 
all bad things. It doesn't mean all good things 
work for good. That is tautological. We know 
that good things work for good. Finding a bag of money is always 
a good thing, isn't it? Well, it might not be. Well, 
there you go. And that's why 99.9% of the time, 
we don't find bags of money. Because God knows what that bag 
of money would do to us. You see, brethren, a no response 
is a response. And the same holds true in this 
particular context. We as sick people can't say, 
well, I called for the elders, they prayed over me, they anointed 
me with oil in the name of the Lord, but God didn't answer prayer. Again, he may have answered, 
or he did answer, but in a way that we don't want. The paradigm, 
the supreme example of this is Christ in Gethsemane. Father, 
if it is possible, let this pass from me. Christ, according to 
his humanity, is praying to the Father to avert the coming wrath 
of God. He says, nevertheless, Father, 
not my will but thine be done. He resolves himself. He understands. He submits to the Father with 
reference to this whole situation, knowing that God has it all under 
control. So we cannot take this particular 
passage, and any time we are sick or diseased or riddled with 
some sort of unsavory thing, we can't sit there and blame 
God. We can't say, wow, those elders are terrible people. They 
may be. But they may have tried, by the 
grace of God, to offer up a prayer in faith, and it was the Lord's 
response to say, no. But you must believe that God 
even causes that to work for good to those who love Him and 
to those who are the called according to His purpose. We have instances. 
What does Paul do in 2 Corinthians 12? He has this thorn in the 
flesh, and what does he do? I prayed to the Lord three times 
for it to be removed. What did God do? Did He pull 
the thorn out? No. He didn't. In fact, turn there, because 
Paul learned a most valuable lesson. 2 Corinthians chapter 
12. And when we see that He prays 
three times, I doubt that meant that, you know, for a twenty-second 
Prayer on a Monday, he prayed, Lord, remove this thorn. On Thursday, 
he repeated it, Lord, remove this thorn. And on Friday, he 
repeated it, Lord, remove this thorn. It is probably suggestive 
of repetitious sessions of prayer wherein he entreated the Lord, 
fervently and earnestly. Notice in 12.7, and lest I should 
be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, 
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to 
buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Now, there's no 
lack of interpretation as to what this thorn in the flesh 
was. When you get it all figured out, you can email it to me. Verse 8, concerning this thing, 
I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from 
me, and He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my 
strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly, I will 
rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may 
rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in 
infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses 
for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am 
strong." You see, there was remedial benefit to the apostle in not 
having this thorn removed. Turn over to Philippians chapter 
2. Verse 25, yet I considered it 
necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and 
fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to 
my need, since he was longing for you all and was distressed 
because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick, 
almost unto death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on 
him, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore 
I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again, 
you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore 
in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem, 
because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding 
his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward 
me." In this instance, God had mercy on him. He didn't die. You see, it's the will of God. 
It's the sovereignty of God. Beware of universalizing passages 
to utilize them as a means to simply get what you want. We 
need to pray, lay our petitions before the Lord, let Him know 
specifically what we want, but always be content to say with 
our Lord Jesus, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. And then, notice, with reference 
to our text in James 5. He says, after this healing or 
saving of the sick, the Lord raises him up, and then at the 
end of verse 15, and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. If he has committed sins, he 
will be forgiven. Now, this doesn't mean he's a 
sinless specimen of a human being. because there's not one. There's 
one sinless person and that's the Lord Jesus. It means a sin 
that he has committed that is causally related to the sickness 
at hand. Now we need to make sure we understand 
the Bible does not teach that all sickness is related to a 
particular sin. I mean, generally it is, if there 
was no sin, there'd be no curse, there'd be no sickness. But with 
reference to our text, and if he has committed sins, he will 
be forgiven. This seems to indicate that it's 
a sin that he committed, and as a result, God had afflicted 
him with this. But realize, the Bible does not 
teach that every instance of a man, a woman, a boy or girl 
getting sick is directly the result of his or her sin. Job 
1 and 2 teach us that. Job was an upright man. I mean, 
he perhaps didn't deal with everything as well as he could have once 
things got going, but he wasn't afflicted because he was sick 
or because he was sinful. That is precisely what God says 
to the devil. And that's precisely what we 
get from that reading of Scripture. As well, we get the reality of 
John 9. Remember the disciples asked 
Jesus, who sinned? With reference to the blind man. 
Was it him or was it his parents? He says neither of them sinned. 
Again, he doesn't mean that they were sinless specimens of human 
beings. He means a sin that is directly related to the blindness 
that he is now undergoing. This happens so that the works 
of God may be manifested in him and through him. So get that. 
The Bible does not connect sin, or sickness rather, to particular 
acts of sin. However, sometimes it does. Remember Gehazi in 2 Kings chapter 
5, he has greed and he has desires for stuff and the prophet condemns 
him and Elisha pronounces judgment upon him and he is stricken with 
leprosy. Read Psalm 38 and see how David 
fared when he kept silent about his sin. There were physiological 
repercussions of David's sin prior to his confession, prior 
to his forgiveness, prior to his knowing the grace and mercy 
and kindness of God. So on the one hand, realize the 
Bible doesn't say that every sickness is always related to 
a particular sin. The Bible does say, however, 
that sometimes, in some instances, particular sins are the reason 
why there is judgment or chastening that comes from God. 1 Corinthians 
11, the way that they had messed up the Lord's Supper. What does 
Paul say? For this reason, many are sick 
among you, many even sleep. In other words, you make the 
supper of the Lord a place for battles with the people of God, 
there are physical repercussions as a result. We need to be balanced. 
The Bible doesn't say every sickness is the result of a particular 
sin, but it does say at times some sickness is the result of 
sin. In fact, our text has that same 
vibe, if I can kind of put it that way. It's hypothetical. 
And if he has committed sins, again, the issue isn't that he's 
a sinless person. If he has committed sins that 
are directly connected to this particular disease or sickness, 
then he will be forgiven. You see, it's a holistic healing. 
It's not only the physical, but it's even more important, the 
spiritual. He will be forgiven. See, that's 
what James emphasizes here in the passage. So, in conclusion, first of all, the diversity of 
experience in the Christian life. In short compass, I think James 
pretty well exhausts everything we're going to face. there's 
going to be suffering. I know that we don't like to 
hear that, and I know that we'd rather hear Joel Osteen tell 
us that every day is going to be a Friday, that every day we 
can live our best lives now, for whatever reason, well, I 
know what the reasons are, that works in North America, because 
that's what people want, that's where they're at. But there's 
a subtlety about that that even creeps into people that have 
good reformed doctrine. This idea that, you know, everything 
should go my way. I work hard, I'm diligent, I'm 
this, I'm that. Why in the world would anything 
bad ever happen to me? Because God is sovereign, and 
oftentimes, in order to conform us unto the image of His Son, 
He has to do so in some unsavory ways. You know, that whole idea 
in John 15. How does the Father tend to the 
vineyard? He does it by pruning the vines. I think I mentioned 
when I preached that text, many, many years ago, my only experience 
with pruning was some unruly rose bushes in our backyard. 
I didn't have any clue on how to prune, so I took a chainsaw 
and I just mowed them down. Now, there's probably better 
ways to prune. Tony's going, man, you never 
worked for Qualitree. You know, you see the lady with 
the bonnet and she's got the cup of tea on her table and she's 
got her little snippers and she's out there just doing a delicate 
job of it. And then there's a guy who hasn't got a clue and he 
takes a chainsaw and he mows down rose bushes. Now, that may 
seem a bit odd, but I think that is Yahweh's way. There are times 
it's the gentle snipper. There's other times it may be 
a chainsaw, because we have grown unruly. And there is a need for 
the Lord God Most High to put us back in our places and thank 
Him that He does it. There will be suffering, brethren. 
Jesus promised this in the Upper Room, John 16, 33. In this world, you will have 
tribulation. I think passages like those are 
probably more powerful to those in situations like Sudan or like 
North Korea or like, you know, Iran. I'm sure those persons 
can amen Jesus in John 16, 33 in a way that, you know, with 
our first world problems, you know, I mean, what are the biggest 
sort of challenges that we have, you know? My coffee maker didn't 
work just the way I like it. There was a line at Starbucks. 
We're just suffering for the cause, aren't we? I saw recently 
where Chick-fil-A apparently has four places now in New York, 
and it's just freaking out the liberals. Chick-fil-A and their 
Christian sort of mindset is coming to the city of New York. 
Now, I think it's good that Chick-fil-A does what they're supposed to 
do, but brethren, that's not the kind of suffering that Andrew 
Brunson is facing. It's just not. You see, we are going to, if 
we have not yet. I always think I'm a great salesman 
for the Christian faith in sermons like these. You're going to have 
trouble. Well, sign me up. Typically, no, that's not what 
we want. I'm not going to lie to you. There will be tribulation, 
but he underlines it, underscores it, bold faces it with the reality, 
but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. When you're 
suffering, don't whine, don't grumble, don't murmur, don't 
complain, but When you're cheerful, don't forget God. Sing praises 
to Him. Take this altar. I looked at 
42 and 43, those Psalms of Lament, or among the Psalms of Lament. 
Take out Psalm 47 and rejoice and triumph in your God when 
you are cheerful. Brethren, seize the opportunity, 
whatever the particular instance you're in, to worship, to praise, 
and to adore God Almighty. The diversity of the experiences 
in the Christian life call for consistency of response in the 
Christian life. Engage with God in prayer. Thomas Manton said this, This 
is the perfection of Christianity, to carry an equal, pious mind 
in unequal conditions. Paul had learned to walk uphill 
and downhill with the same spirit and pace. I know both how to 
be abased and how to abound, Philippians 4.12. The prophet 
saith of Ephraim that he was as a cake not turned, Hosea 7.8, 
baked of one side but dough of the other. Most men are fit but 
for one condition. Some cannot carry a full cup 
without spilling. Others cannot bear a full load 
without breaking. Sudden alterations perplex both 
body and mind. It is the mighty power of grace 
to keep the soul in an equal temper." I may just email that to everybody 
because I think it's so important. It's the mighty power of grace 
to keep the soul in an equal temper. You see, when you're 
cheerful, when you're praising, and then you fall into suffering, 
it's not all bets are off. Compose yourself. Discipline 
yourself, control yourself, and respond to God the way that He 
says. You never have the right, you 
never have the liberty or the license to fall apart. You need 
to maintain it, you need to hold it together. Me too, I'm not 
saying you. But when things suffer, when 
we suffer, it's not the case that it's okay to be surly, it's 
okay to be miserable, it's okay to whine, to moan, to grumble 
and complain, because you just don't know the hardships that 
I'm undergoing. Christ knows. Doesn't he say 
that to Pergamos? I know where you dwell, where 
Satan's throne is. He knows the conditions of his 
saints. He knows the hardships of his 
people. He is there with us in the fire. David said, though 
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear 
no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort 
me. You ever consider what a confession 
of faith that is? I will walk through it. I'm not 
going to get bogged down in it. I'm not going to be destroyed 
therein. I will walk through it by the grace of God, by the 
presence of the Good Shepherd who is there to sustain me. So 
brethren, good times, bad times, all call for dependence upon 
God. Mighty grace is necessary to 
keep the soul in an equal temper. Do not flip out, do not freak 
out, do not have an emotional meltdown, and if you do, pray 
to God to help you through it. As I'm saying this, I know that 
I've had meltdowns in this very room, and I've fallen on my face 
and prayed to God to help me. So it's going to happen. I'm 
not up here saying, OK, brethren, here's a psychology major, Jim, 
and here's how. No, no, no. It's going to happen, 
but this counsel is most necessary from Manton. And finally, with 
reference to sickness in the church, the text does not teach 
that sickness is always a result of sin. The text does not teach 
that medicine has no place in the Christian life. That's another 
one that's just absolute folly. Jesus assumes the utility of 
physicians in Matthew chapter 9. He says the healthy have no 
need of a physician. What's the opposite of that? 
The sick do. Jesus doesn't say, you know, 
physicians are bad, never go to them. Luke was the beloved 
physician. 1 Timothy chapter 5, Paul tells 
Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach. The fact is, 
is that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. And one 
of those gifts are well-educated doctors, are orthopedic surgeons, 
are oncologists, are a whole host of things. Do you know that 
many of our children have survived in the simple application of 
Tylenol when they would have died any other time in the history 
of the world? Instead of saying, no medicine, 
we ought to praise God that He has given the general revelation 
and the ability of men to actually exercise dominion over the creation 
and help people. The text is not anti-medicine. As well, that if the sick person, 
this is what the text does not teach, that if the sick person 
is not healed, his faith is lacking. As I said, it's the elder's prayer 
that's in view, and it does not teach that God is always obligated 
to heal sick people. Douglas Moo again says, the faith 
exercised in prayer is faith in the God who sovereignly accomplishes 
His will. When we pray, our faith recognizes 
explicitly or implicitly the overruling providential purposes 
of God. A prayer for healing then must 
usually be qualified by a recognition that God's will in the matter 
is supreme. And it is clear in the New Testament 
that God does not always heal the believer. And the text does 
teach. So we see what it doesn't teach, 
we need to understand what it does. It does teach that sickness 
is a reality for the people of God. I don't think it's wrong 
when you get sick or when you're afflicted with something to search 
your heart, to examine your heart, because James does say, and if 
he has committed sins, they will be forgiven of him or forgiven 
him. But if by the grace of God you examine your heart and you 
say, you know, I'm seeking to maintain short accounts with God, with 
others, I'm seeking to deal with my sin, and you can't see a particular 
sin that this might be directly causally related to, then submit 
to the will of God. Obviously, if you do see that, 
repent, forsake your sin. But sickness is a reality for 
the people of God. Secondly, we learn that the text 
teaches us that the church shows concern for the sick. The church 
shows concern for the sick. At times, the sick are marginalized. 
At times, the sick are forgotten. At times, the sick are out of 
sight or out of mind. And this text calls us to consider 
the fact that the sick are part of the church, and the church 
shows concern for them. And I think thirdly, and most 
importantly, the text teaches us that God is concerned for 
the sick. God is concerned for the sick. 
Never conclude, wow, I'm afflicted with this particular disease 
or malady or woe or whatever. God has forgotten me. Brethren, 
God never forgets you. God never will leave you nor 
forsake you. God has always got you, whether 
you're suffering, whether you're cheerful, or whether you're sick, 
you are in the palm of his hand, and you can rest in that, you 
can trust in him, and you can realize that whatever my God 
ordains is right. Well, let us close in a word 
of prayer. Father, we thank you for this, 
your word, and we thank you that James does address us in the 
various circumstances we find ourselves in life. Give us grace 
to heed these words. Give us grace in times of suffering 
to be a people of prayer. Give us grace in times of cheerfulness 
to be a people of prayer. Give us grace with reference 
to sickness to be a people of prayer. Grant us help in this. God, we confess our laziness 
and we confess our inattentiveness to our spiritual condition. We 
confess so often slighting the various means that you have given 
for the good of your people. Grant us grace to receive with 
thanksgiving these simple means that you've ordained for your 
glory and for our well-being and help us to be a people who 
pray. Go with us and help us in this coming week to bring 
honor and glory and praise unto you and we pray through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation and then be dismissed.