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.

Introduction

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.

The Individual at Prayer

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?

Suffering and the Call to Pray

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.

Cheerfulness and the Call to Praise

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.

The Elders at Prayer

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.

The Sick and His Request

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.

The Meaning of Anointing with Oil

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.

Four Views on the Oil

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.

The Prayer of Faith and Its Outcome

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.

Sickness, Sin, and Forgiveness

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.

Application: Consistency in All Conditions

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.

What the Text Does and Does Not Teach

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.

Closing 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.

Scripture References

• Job 1-2
• Psalm 38
• Psalms 42:5; 42:11; 43; 47; 102:1; 130:1-2
• Proverbs 30:8-9
• Hosea 7:8
• 2 Kings 5:20-27; 19:14-19
• Matthew 9:12
• Mark 6:13
• Luke 10:34; 18:1
• John 9:1-3; 11:3; 15:2; 16:33
• Romans 8:28
• 1 Corinthians 11:30; 12:9; 12:28; 12:30
• 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
• Philippians 2:25-30; 4:6; 4:12
• 1 Timothy 5:23
• James 1:2; 5:10-11; 5:13-18