Let us turn again to God's words
and I want to continue in that portion we were looking at last
Lord's Day in James chapter 5 James chapter 5 we looked at
verse 13 and turning now to the following verses 14 and 15 in
James 5 verses 14 And fifteen, is any among you
afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. The verse
we looked at last time. And then, is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of
the church and let them pray over him. anointing him with
oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall
save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Considering then these two following
verses, verses 14 and 15, and it is a part of Scripture that
is often misused, and abused. It's the basis for the Roman
Catholic sacrament of what they call extreme unction. When a
person is at the end of life and near death, the priest will
come and will anoint that particular individual. And this is the portion
of Scripture that they appeal for with regards to their teaching
on extreme unction. It's also a portion that is appealed
to by the Charismatics in support of some of their faith healings. What are we to make of the words
that we've just read? Is any sick among you let him
call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him anointing
him with oil in the name of the lord and the prayer of faith
shall save the sick and the lord shall raise him up and if he
hath committed sins they shall be forgiven him could be argued and is argued
that this is referring to some extraordinary gift that was evidence
during that apostolic day. The only other occasion when
we read of anything like this is what we're told concerning
the ministry of the apostles in the Gospel. If you turn back
to Mark, in Mark chapter 6, and there, at verse 13, it says they
cast out many devils and anointed with oil many that were sick,
and healed them. And the reference here, of course,
is quite clearly to the ministry of the apostles, as the Lord
himself has sent them forth. In verse 7, He called unto him
the twelve and began to send them forth by two and two and
gave them power over unclean spirits and it's part of that
ministry that they were to exercise as they went forth at the command
of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were able then to perform
healings as they anointed the sick with oil and The Puritan
Thomas Manson and also the Baptist divine John Gill each of them
say that that gift is something that has now ceased. However,
I want you to look at these verses. that I've announced this morning
here in James 5, and to consider the principles that can be drawn
forth from what is being said. Even though we might say that
the gift itself, the extraordinary gift that lies behind what is
being spoken by James, that gift might have finished, surely there
are principles that we can draw forth from this part of God's
works. And the theme that I want to
take up then is that of restorative prayer. The prayer of faith,
it says, shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him
up. And if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven
him. But first of all to say something
with regards to the nature of the sickness that is being spoken
of. The nature of the sickness. And remember the context. As I said, I sought to say something
last time with regards to what we're told in the 13th verse.
Is any among you afflicted? let him praise and in Mary let
him sing Psalms and we took that simple theme of prayer and praises. We're to pray to God and we're
also to praise God and surely when we pray we pray in the expectation
that God will hear us and answer us and we're to look for the
return of our prayers, and when God is pleased to grant those
things that we ask of Him, we are to come with praises and
thanksgiving. Well, that was the matter that
I sought to take up last week, but I did say then that there
is certainly a connection between these various questions that
we find here in these verses 13, 14 and 15. If a person is afflicted in some
way, and that affliction might be some physical illness, what
is he to do? He is to pray. He is to pray. And as I said, when he is helped
by God, and God hears and answers, when he's encouraged and he becomes
cheerful, he is to sing the praises of God. But when the affliction
is great, And he feels so much his weakness and his sickness
when he has no strength at all, he is to call for others. He is to call for the elders
of the church that they would come and pray for him. There is then a connection between
the verses as we find them here before us on the page of Holy
Scripture. Now, here in verse 14, He speaks
of those who are sick. Is any sick among you? And then again in verse 15 we
are told the prayer of faith shall save the sick. The interesting thing is that
the words that we have here, that in verse 14, the other in
verse 15, they are two quite different words really. Now,
looking first of all at what we have here in verse 14, this
word sick, literally means to be weak, to be feeble, to be
frail, and certainly there is some reference to physical sickness. And we know that when the Lord
Jesus Christ was here upon the earth, he exercised a remarkable
ministry, and his ministry was confirmed by science. That's
the word that John uses throughout his gospel concerning the miracles. They're signs. They're authenticating
the preaching and the teaching of the Lord Jesus. But the healings
that he performed, the miracles, were real miracles. There's no
disputing the fact, and we see that there were many such mighty
works that the Lord performed. there at the end of Luke chapter
4 for example and verse 14 now when the sun was setting all
they that had any sick with diverse diseases brought them unto him
and he laid his hands upon every one of them and healed them all
different types of diseases and the people bringing all these
loved ones that they might receive healing, miraculous healings,
at the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ. And there was a ministry
of healing also that continued with the apostles of the Lord
Jesus. We read of those who were sick, for example, in Philippians
chapter 2 we have mention of a person called Epaphroditus. who was sick, who was very near
to death it seems and yet he was clearly raised up again there
in Philippians 2 verse 25 Paul writing to the
Philippians said I suppose it necessary to send to you Apathroditus
my brother and companion in labor and fellow soldier but your messenger
and he that ministered to my wants for he longed after you
all and was full of heaviness because he had heard that he
had been sick. For indeed he was sick nigh unto
death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me
also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow." So clearly this
man was healed, he was restored, of his sickness and Paul was
able to send him again to the church at Philippi from when
she had come to minister to Paul what that sickness was we're
not told but we remember of course and we're always to remember
this that man each of us are not just physical beings we're
all so soulish, we have a soul when God created man that's how
God made him before man out of the dust of the earth it says
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became
a living soul and I think I mentioned last week how that the condition of our our soul
can affect our physical being the state of our minds can affect
our physical being there's a connection between all that we are as human
beings and you know how David in the 139th Psalm speaks there
of the wonder of the way in which God had created him and how God
creates all of us of course He says there in the psalm, Psalm
139 verse 14, I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made. Marvellous are thy works, and
that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from
thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the
lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance
yet being unperfect. And in thy book all my members
were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there
was none of them." Even that fetus that's in the womb, it's
the work of God, it's God creating a life. And of course we see
here the great evil of abortions, the murder of the unborn child
in the womb. Is it not a grievous thing to
God? And that that God will not wink
at, surely. But we see clearly how God forms
and fashions us and makes us what we are. Just as he created
Adam out of the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils
and he becomes a living soul. And one aspect of our being affects
the other. As I said, maybe our physical
condition will affect us in a mental way. We know that. when people
are very ill, maybe they get low in spirits and so forth.
We're always to remember that, so all sickness is not necessarily
physical in its roots. There is such a thing as mental
illness, and there is such a thing as that that concerns man's soul
and man's spirit. And Here, the word that we have
in this 14th verse, is any sick among you, is a word that's not
just used in reference to the physical ailments, it's also
used in reference to what we might call a spiritual sickness.
It's used in reference to Abraham, who is the father of all them
that believe, that great fourth chapter of the epistle to the
Romans that speaks of the faith of Abraham. And what are we told
there concerning Abraham's faith? There in verse 19, Romans 4.19,
it says, concerning Abraham being not weak in faith. And it's the same word as we
find here in James 5.14, is any sick among you? Abraham being
not weak, being not sick in faith, he considered not his own body
now dead, when he was about a hundred years old neither, yet the deadness
of Sarah's womb he staggered not at the promise of God through
unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. So, the
words that we have here Is any sick among you? It might well
return to some physical ailment but it can also have to do with
the state of a person's soul. The condition of their faith.
Are they sickly in faith? Are they full of doubts and fears? But then turning to the other
word that we have in verse 15 The prayer of faith shall save
the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if you have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." It's a different
word, but it's a synonym. It's basically the same in meaning. That's why I suppose in our Authorized
Version, each time the word is translated sick, because that's
the simple meaning of each of these words, are synonyms. But
this word that we have in verse 15 is only used on three occasions
in the New Testament. It's used, for example, in Revelation
chapter 2 where the Lord is addressing his letter
to the church at Ephesus. Remember the seven churches received
their letters here in chapters 2 and 3 of the Revelation The
first letter there in chapter 2 is sent to the church, or to
the angel of the church at Ephesus. And the Lord says this concerning
that church, "...has borne, and has patience for my name's sake,
and has laboured, and has not fainted." And the verb there,
to faint, is derived from this word sick that we have back in
James 5.13 has not fainted weariness the word is also used
in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 3 and again we say it's a translated
as wearied or faint. There at Hebrews 12, 3, consider
him, speaking of the Lord Jesus, that endured such contradiction
of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your
minds. The word wearied that we have
there is basically the same word as we have as sick. and the actual
word order there in the original is interesting because the actual
syntax, the word order is different to how it's been translated and
the order is like this, wearied in your souls and fainting. Let ye be wearied in your souls
and fainting. So we see again that these words
that we have in the 15th verse of our text this morning also
has to do with the state of a man's soul. It has to do with the state of a
man's soul. And I find it interesting this whole passage because when
it comes to the 15th verse where we have the the results, the
consequence of the anointing with oil and the praying over
the man, it says the prayer of faith shall save the sick. Shall save the sick, not heal
the sick. The prayer of faith shall save
the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he hath
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Yes, there's a
raising up, but there's also a saving and there is a forgiving. And one can but wonder, is this
some affliction that has come upon the person as some sort
of chastening from God? And yet there's forgiveness,
you see, and there's restoration. It's interesting, isn't it, when
we consider the language that's being used here, because it's
a language of certainty. the Lord, it says, shall raise
him up. This is why we have to be careful
with regards to just what is being said here. One's inclined
to the view of both Gill and Manton that there was, of course,
in the early church that special gift of healings, miracles, as
a confirmation of the truth that was being preached by the Lord
Jesus and by his apostles. That's the point and purpose
of the miracles. But those miraculous gifts did
cease once the truth of the gospel had been established in those
early days. I simply say this, that what
we have here in these two verses this morning is something more
than just physical healing that's being spoken of it's more than
just physical healing that is being spoken of if this practice
assures physical healing we might ask the question why does Paul
when he writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4.2 say Trophimus,
have I left at my leetum sick? Why would Paul leave that man
there at my leetum sick if all Paul needed to do was to go and
anoint him with oil and pray over him and he would be immediately
healed? What is the point that is being
made here in these verses? Is any sick among you? Let him
call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith
shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and
if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." Does
it not show us, this passage, the importance of the local church
in the lives of the people of God? shows us the importance of the
Church, it indicates to us the responsibilities of those who
are officers in the Church. In fact, are we not here being
taught a very basic lesson that there is a mutual interdependence
always amongst those who make up the communion of saints? In
the ancient creed, the Apostles' Creed, Amongst the great statements
of faith, the credo, the I believe, we say I believe in the communion
of saints. I believe in the communion of
saints, one holy, catholic and apostolic church. That's not
the church of Rome, that's the true church. The universal church,
the apostolic church, the communion of saints. And there is a a mutual
ministry amongst the people of God. And doesn't James go on
to say this? Look at verse 16, Confess your
faults one to another and pray one for another that you may
be healed. The effectual fervent prayer
of a righteous man availeth much. What is being said here? It's
reminding us of the importance of the ministry of the people
of God as a communion of saints, a mutual care, an interest in
one another's well-being. He says at the end, let him know
that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his
way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of
sins. How we should be concerned for
one another that we don't fall into erroneous beliefs or erroneous
practices We should seek to be ministering one to another, restoring
one another. James is a very practical epistle.
You don't need me to remind you of that. We saw it in the portion
that we read in the second chapter. And what does he say there? Verse
14, What does he profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith,
and hath not worth? Can faith save him? If a brother
or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you
say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding
ye give them not those things which are needful to the body,
what does he profit? Even so fated, if that not works,
he's dead, being alone. Or we believe, but we're also
to live as Christians, and which delivers those who belong to
the communion of the saints. But then also here, in this passage,
do we not see the importance of prayer? All the vital importance
of prayer. There's an emphasis on prayer. Now, the Roman Church makes much
of the anointing anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord
we read at the end of verse 14 and as I said at the beginning
from that they bring forth the the doctrine of extreme unction
and it's the the seventh sacrament of the Roman Catholic Church
seven sacraments we don't use the word sacrament We will speak
of two ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper. Well, the
Roman Catholic Church also will of course speak of baptism, pedo-baptism,
the sprinkling of babies, and mass. Those are sacraments. When I use the word sacrament,
it has the idea that there's something automatic or almost
mechanical, you see, Like the High Church of England people,
the Roman Catholic believes that the baptizing of a child regenerates
the child. Baptismal regeneration. When
the priest sprinkles the water and says the appropriate words,
that little baby is born again. And, of course, when they come
to go to the Mass, they're receiving something. simply by their physical
attendance in the mass. But then there are other sacraments
and the seventh sacrament is that of extreme unction, when
the person is at their very end and the priest comes and anoints
the body. But that sacrament did not come
into the church, we're told, until about the 10th century.
So it wasn't till the 900s. It was just over a thousand years
ago that they decided to make what they call extreme unction
another sacrament. All these sacraments, it suggests
to me a sort of mechanical way of conveying grace to men and
women. And of course, when it comes
to the teaching on extreme unction, it's not a preparation for healings,
which is what we have here, or a preparation for heaven. It's
preparing the person for purgatory, really. But they appeal to the
passage before us this morning for that particular teaching. I was struck by this remark of
Manton, the Puritan, on verse 15. He simply observes, it is
notable, he does not mention the anointing but the prayer
of faith. You have the elders being called
to pray over the man and to anoint him with oil in the name of the
Lord in verse 14 but then in verse 15 no mention again of
the anointing, the prayer of faith simply. The prayer of faith
shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up and if you
have committed sins they shall be forgiven him. The important thing here is the
prayer and it's said to be the prayer of faith. Without faith it is impossible
to please Him. He that cometh to God we know
must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of all that
diligently seeketh. We are to pray in faith. Well,
what is the faith? What is the faith that is being
spoken of here? The prayer of faith. Is the reference here to the
faith of those elders? is that the elders who are to
come and they're to come to pray and they're to be careful that
they're praying believing that their prayer will be heard and
answered and if the person is physically sick that that person
might in God's goodness be raised up again. Well we have to remember
that there's nothing efficacious in the elders themselves. I think
I've said before with regards to the position of the minister
of the Word of God, the preacher or the pastor, we're not to think
in terms of that person having some priestly function. We believe
in the priesthood of all believers. We don't believe that there's
any authority just vested in the person of the man. The authority is in the Word
of God. And it's as that man is faithfully
opening up the Word of God and preaching the truth of the Gospel.
And that's why we would encourage always, of course, that spirit
of the Bereans. That those who are hearing the
Word bring everything back to that touchstone. They themselves
are searching the Scriptures. to say that these things that
are being declared are the right things. There's no authority
that's vested in the person of a man. But the authority is the
Word of God. That's the important thing that
we have to always remember. And when it comes to this prayer
of faith if it is the faith of those who are praying, the faith
of the elders Is it not a fact that when we come to pray, we
are really confessing our complete and utter dependence upon God? We don't think that there's very
much in our prayers. I think there's a great truth
in those words that we sing in the hymn 270, Though to speak
thou be not able, always pray and never rest. Prayers are a
weapon for the feeble, weakest souls, come wield it best. The best prayers are those who
are weak in themselves, who feel that their prayers are such poor
prayers. It's the God that they're calling
upon. So we need to be careful with regards to just what is
meant by the prayer of faith. Should it refer to the elders,
as if the elders are a special breed of person, and there's
something efficacious in the fact that they are uttering the
prayer. It's not like that at all. In fact, here, it's more
likely that the prayer of faith is to be understood in terms
of the person who is sick, who is weak, who is so downcast. Because it is that individual
who has to take the initiative. It's not the elders. We take
the lead here. Who takes the initiative? Is
any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of
the church. It's this person who is acting
in faith when they call for the elders. They might feel so weak
and incapacitated themselves that they feel they need the
prayer of others. But though they be weak yet surely
here there is some exercise of faith. They take the initiative. And this person is in such a
condition that they need something more than just prayer. They need
something that's tangible. And that's why we have the reference
not only to the prayer but also the anointing. let him call for
the elders of the church, let them pray over him anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord. Now I've spoken already
of the connection between that that is physical and that that
is spiritual. Man is body and soul and It's not improper then if the
man feels he needs something more than the elders seeming
to come and pray for him. He may feel he needs to receive
this anointing with oil. He'll feel something physically.
We know in scripture oil is very much used as a medicine. Go right back to the opening
chapter in the prophecy of Isaiah, there in Isaiah 1, verse 6, from
the sole of the foot, even under the head there is no soundness
in it but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They have
not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment,
or as the margin says, with oil. so there was an anointing with
oil remember when the Lord tells that familiar parable of the
good Samaritan in Luke chapter 10 and there at verse 33 previously we're told about the the priest and the Levites simply
ignore the poor man who has been waylaid and left to die with. And at verse 33 the Lord says
a certain Samaritan as he journeyed came where he was and when he
saw him he had compassion on him and went to him and bound
up his wounds pouring in oil and wine and set him on his own
beast and brought him to an inn and took care of him. Who is
that good Samaritan? Ultimately, surely, we recognize
that to be the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Or is there no balm
in Gilead? Is there no physician there? It's the Lord Jesus Christ. This
is the significance of the oil. How we need to be looking to
the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the Anointed One. That's the
very meaning of course of His title, the Messiah, the Christ. How we need faith in Him, how
we need to pray to Him. Is any sick among you? Let Him call for the elders of
the church and let them pray over Him. anointing him with
oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall
save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. And if you have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven here." It's that faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, ultimately. We believe and are sure that
thou art that Christ, that Son of the living God. And what does
the Lord say? I am the Lord. That healeth the
importance in of us ultimately looking to Him. Or here at the
end of this 14th verse, in a sense, in the very center of our text,
we have that mention of that name. The name of the Lord, the
only name of the heaven given amongst men, whereby we must
be saved. Well, The Lord be pleased to
bless these words of this strange text. It's a difficult text in
many ways, but the Lord be pleased to bless these truths to us.
Amen.