James 5:16 (KJV) 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:16 (NKJV) 16 The effective, [b]fervent prayer of a righteous man avails (accomplishes) much.
James 5:16 (NIV) The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective
The word effectual was derived from the Greek word Energeo – meaning to be active, to work effectively, and to be at work or to put forth power (The Holy Spirit is at work, in us and through us doing God’s will)
Big Idea: When we seek to live in right relationship with God and believe in faith according to God’s word, the Holy Spirit empowers us to accomplish God’s will when we pray.
Right relationship – received by God’s free grace – Doesn’t mean we are perfect – it means we seek to obey God, and follow the example of Jesus, confessing our sins, forgiving others, praying in every circumstance, and trusting God’s word whether we see something happen or not
Read James 5 (vs 1-6, James addresses the wealthy)
Additional scripture references that correlate to vs 1-6 (Proverbs 11:4, 1 Timothy 6:9-10, Luke 6:24-25, Amos 6:6-7)
(vs 7-12 – James shifts his focus to believers that are being persecuted)
Additional scripture references Joel 2:23, Deuteronomy 11:14, Hebrews 12:1-3, Job 5:11, Job 42, Galatians 6:9)
(vs. 13-19 James ends by urging believers to pray)
(Additional scripture references: Vs 13 parallels 1 Thes 5:16-18, James 5:14-15 (anointing/elders) parallels healing and oil prayer accounts in Mark 6:13 and Mark 16:18, Vs 16 confession – 1 john 5:14-16 Acts 19:18 Elijah’s prayer for drought /rain 1 Kings 17 and 1 Kings 18 Vs 19-20 – Restoring the wanderer Galatians 6:1 Romans 11:14 Jude 22-23)
The Prayer of Faith (vs 13-16)
2 really important things that stand out here:
1. God cares about our spiritual health (salvation)
2. God cares about our physical health.
We see this concept of praying all the time throughout scriptures.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)
Philippians 4:6 (don’t worry about anything, pray about everything), Romans 12:12 (keep on praying), Ephesians 6:18, Luke 18:1 (always pray and never give up), Colossians 4:2 (devote yourselves to prayer),
James 5:16 relates to 1 John 5:14-15 (NLT) 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
**How do we know God’s will? By knowing what His word says**
Additional reference 1 John 1:9, Matthew 6:14-15, Mark 11:25 forgive others so God will forgive you) Unforgiveness hinders our relationship with God.
The Prayer of Faith (vs 17-18)
Relates to 1 Kings 17 and 1 Kings 18 – (paraphrased – Elijah tells King Ahab (the king of Israel) that there will be a drought because Israel had turned away from God to worship Baal. The drought happened because Elijah was obedient to God and prayed, God provided for him throughout the drought. In the 3rd year, God told Elijah that he would send rain. Elijah went to Ahab and challenged the people to choose who they will follow, God or Baal. The people didn’t answer so Elijah said to the prophets of Baal choose a bull and we will each put a bull on wood and see whose God answers by lighting the fire.
The prophets of Baal called on the name of Baal from morning till noon and there was no answer, so they danced around the altar. Elijah mocked them. So, they started shouting louder and cutting themselves with knives and spears until evening and still no answer.
Elijah took 12 stones, he made a trench around the altar to hold 4 gallons of water, he arranged the wood, put the cut up bull on top and poured 4 pots of water over the wood. They did that 2 more times until even the trench was filled with water.
1 Kings 18:36-39 (NLT)
After the people turned back to God, Elijah prayed for it to rain. He prayed 7 times before a small rain cloud formed. 1 Kings 18:40-44
Faith is essential in our relationship with God Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)
The prayer life of Jesus:
· Jesus prioritized time alone with God (Luke 5:16, Matthew 14:23)
· He prayed early in the morning (Mark 1:35)
· He prayed all night – when he was praying about choosing the 12 disciples (Luke 6:12)
Jesus taught us how to pray effectively:
· Pray in faith – Mark 11:24 (Additional scripture references: Matthew 21:22, John 14:13-14, John 15:7
· Pray with a forgiving heart Mark 11: (Additional related scriptures Psalm 34:15, Psalm 66:18, 1 John 3:16-24)
· Pray with a heart of gratitude – John 11:41-45 (NLT)
Jesus didn’t petition God or wait to see Lazarus be raised from the God. He thanked God in advance – this shows his complete trust and confidence in God’s word.
Additional related scripture: Philippians 4:6
· Pray persistently – Matthew 7:7 (NLT)
(we are called to be active – persistent – and to faithfully trust God)
Additional related scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Luke 18:1-8, 1 Kings 18, Luke 1:37 (NLT) For the word of God will never fail. (NIV) 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
· Pray earnestly or fervently – Hebrews 5:7 (NIV)
Luke 22:44 (NIV)
Jesus had already predicted his own death 3 times – 3 different accounts in Matthew, Mark and Luke but still, before his death, He prayed fervently to God
-Matthew 16:21, Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22
-Matthew 17:22-23, Mark 9:30-32, Luke 9:43-45
-Matthew 20:17-19, Mark 10:32-34, Luke 18:31-34
Additional related scripture: Acts 12:5, 1 Samuel 1:10–13, James 5:16-18
· Pray together – Matthew 18:19-20 (NLT)
Additional scripture references: Acts 1:14, Colossians 1:3
· Pray in my name – John 14:13-14 (NLT)
John 15:16 (NLT)
· Pray according to God’s will –
Matthew 6:10 (NLT)
Luke 22:42 (NLT)
Additional references: Matthew 26:39, Luke 22:42, 1 John 5:14-15, Romans 8:26-27, Elijah prayed for it not to rain because of Israel’s sin – so they could see who the true God is
When we pray it should not be about us getting what we want. It should be about accomplishing the will of God to bring glory to him.
Before we pray, we have to know what God’s will is.
How do we know what God’s will is? By knowing what God’s word says.
We can’t pray according to God’s will if we don’t know His word.
Additional notes: Jesus also taught us that when we don’t pray, we don’t see God’s promises. Ezekiel 22:30 – In Jerusalem there was corruption among the leaders, prophets, and priests. God said he looked for someone to stand in the gap, to intercede for the land so judgment could be averted. He found no one.
Healing is who God is and what God does; it is a part of His character
Exodus 15:22-27 (NLT)
Healing is Who Jesus is and what Jesus does through the Holy Spirit:
Isaiah 53:3-11 (CSB) (Prophetic prediction of who Jesus would be and what He would do)
Matthew 8:16-17 (NLT) parallels what Jesus accomplished on the cross – He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.
1 Peter 2:24-25 (NLT)
Jesus didn’t just teach the disciples how to pray effectively but he lived his life as an example for them.
Jesus preached the good news (the message of salvation) because that’s what God sent Him to do Luke 4:43-44 (NLT)
Jesus received power and authority when he was baptized and received the Holy Spirit. (The Holy Spirit is who gives us power and authority to heal).
Luke 3:21-22 (NLT)
In Acts 10:38 (NLT), Peter summarizes Jesus ministry
We receive the Holy Spirit when we believe in Jesus
Ephesians 1:13 (NLT)
Additional scripture reference: Galatians 3:2 – we receive the Holy Spirit when we believe the good news about Jesus, Galatians 4:6, Acts 2:38, Acts 5:32, John 14:16, John 16:7
When we receive the Holy Spirit, God starts actively working in us to accomplish His will.
Philippians 2:13 (NLT)
Matthew 4:23-24 (NLT)
Preaching the good news and healing go hand in hand. Why? Because God cares about our spiritual health and our physical health.
Examples of Jesus healing the sick:
Healing the sick
- The man with leprosy – Mark 1:40-42 (NLT)
We see this in 2 other accounts Matthew 8:1-4, Luke 5:12-16
The man: He believed it. He had faith that Jesus would heal him.
Jesus: Had compassion – he touched him and said, Be Healed – He didn’t petition God or beg God to heal the man. He commanded healing and the man was healed.
- The Roman Officer had faith that his servant would be healed — Matthew 8:5–13; Luke 7:1–10
The man: He believed Jesus would heal his servant, and He had faith that Jesus could do it without touching him
Jesus: He said, “because you have believed, it has happened – He didn’t need to see the servant healed, he knew God would do it
- Peter’s mother-in-law — Matthew 8:14–17 (NLT)
We see this in 2 other accounts Matthew 8:1-4, Luke 5:12-16
The woman: she didn’t have to do anything
Jesus: He touched her and she got up and made them a meal
· The paralyzed man — Matthew 9:1–8; Mark 2:1–12; Luke 5:17–26
(Jesus in the form of a man here on the earth was empowered by the Holy Spirit to heal the sick, We, as believers in Jesus have that same authority!)
The man: didn’t have to do anything
Jesus: healed him with a command
· The woman who was bleeding for 12 years — Matthew 9:20–22; Mark 5:25–34; Luke 8:43–48
The woman: she believed and had faith
Jesus: said be encouraged, your faith has made you well
· The blind men — Matthew 9:27–31
The men: believed and had faith
Jesus: touched them and healed them
· The man born blind — John 9:1–12
Jesus: spit on the ground, made mud with his saliva and rubbed it on the blind man’s eyes, He told the man to go wash himself in the pool of Siloam
The man: He obeyed Jesus and he was healed
· The ten men with leprosy – Luke 17:11–19
Jesus: told them go show yourselves to the priests
The men: They obeyed – it says and as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy – before them even got to the priests. One of them saw that he was healed and came back to Jesus thanking Him for what he had done. Jesus said, stand up and go, your faith has healed you.
Jesus taught the disciples and sent them out with the same authority (the Holy Spirit) to share the good news and to heal.
Matthew 10:1, 7-8
Additional scripture references Mark 6:7, 12-13, Luke 9:1-6, Luke 10:1.9, Acts 2:43, Acts 3:6-8, Acts 5:12, Acts 8:5-8, Acts 9:32-34, Acts 9:40, Acts 14:3, Acts 14:7-10, Acts 9:11-12, Acts 19:11-12, Acts 28:7-9, Philippians 2:25-27)
Jesus told his disciples this at the last supper, before he was arrested and crucified:
John 14:12-14 (NLT) Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Additional info: The message of salvation was so important to Jesus that after he was crucified, and raised from the dead, he spent 40 days continuing to appear to the disciples, teaching them before he ascended to Heaven
Additional scripture references: Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-18
After Jesus ascended to Heaven, the disciples continued preaching the gospel and healing the sick.
Acts 3:6-8 (NLT)
Acts 14:8-10 (NLT)
“The purpose of prayer is not so God can hear you talk. The purpose of prayer is for you to receive the provision provided for by God in the Bible.” – Curry Blake
Psalm 119:89 (NLT)
According to God’s word, what is His will? His will is for us to share the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons in the name of Jesus
How? By believing in faith that God’s word is true and we have already received whatever it is we are going to ask for.
Why? For God’s glory to be revealed
Story: when I pray for someone at the grocery store or on the sidewalk, I pray believing that God has already healed them. Why? Because I most likely won’t ever see them again. The purpose isn’t for me to see the healing. It’s for God’s glory to be revealed to them.
I have prayed for friends to be healed and they died, I have prayed for family to be raised from the dead and they weren’t. So, why do I keep praying?
Mark 11:23-25 (NLT)
The mountain in this scripture us anything that seems impossible in our own strength. When we pray for healing, we can speak directly to the sickness and command it to leave.
Most of the time we talk to God about our problems. What if we talked to our problem about God!! Tell the problem to leave. Why? Because God said we can speak to the problem and it must obey because of the authority we have in Jesus
Romans 8:10-11 (NLT)
“Divine healing is a miracle. It is the power of Almighty God intervening in human affairs and suspending natural law in order to bring healing to our bodies. This is what God’s Son did when He was on the planet, and God desires His Church, the Body of Christ, to do the same today. He wants to see miracle working power in your body.” – Pastor Wendell Smith PhD
What do we learn?
1. God is sovereign – He can do anything (supreme authority over all of creation).
2. Effective Prayer is when we:
Pray with a clean heart and conscience – In right relationship with God
Pray earnestly; fervently – genuinely, from our heart
Pray according to God’s will by knowing His word – obediently
Pray in faith – believing He will do what He said
Pray specifically
Pray with persistence – never stop praying
Pray with authority – command the sickness to leave
3. When we pray this way, the Holy Spirit is actively at work accomplishing God will
What should we do?
1. Read James 5, re-read it, meditate on it
2. Write down what God is saying to you
3. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray effectively so that God’s will is accomplished for His glory
4. Be obedient to God – when He says pray for someone, do it
5. Share a specific prayer request with someone in this room so they can agree with you, pray for you, and encourage you to continue praying
Big Idea: When we seek to live in right relationship with God and believe in faith according to God’s word, the Holy Spirit empowers us to accomplish God’s will when we pray.