InPerspective

Harry Reeder: What James is saying is, I'm going to give you four issues. They are prevalent in the church. Here are the four issues, prevalent in Christians in the church. Is anyone among you suffering, afflicted, in adversity? Anyone among you suffering. Secondly, anyone among you cheerful? Thirdly, anyone among you sick? Fourthly, anyone among you wandering from the truth?

Harry Reeder: Putting life in biblical perspective with Dr. Harry L. Reeder.

Harry Reeder: This is In Perspective, a radio and internet ministry of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals.

Harry Reeder: A certain historic biblical practice in the church for over 2,000 years seems to have fallen out of favor in much of the church today.

Harry Reeder: James writes, 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.

Harry Reeder: What is the practice, the premise, and the promise of this apostolic exhortation?

Harry Reeder: Stay with us now as Dr. Reeder continues our series, The Gospel Life According to James, and takes us to James chapter 5 and verses 13 through 18 as he brings us today's teaching, the first half of his message, True Religion and Best Practices, part two.

Harry Reeder: Look with me in James 5, verse 13.

Harry Reeder: Is anyone among you suffering, let him pray? Is anyone cheerful, let him sing praise?

Harry Reeder: 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 one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up.

Harry Reeder: And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed.

Harry Reeder: The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Harry Reeder: Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again and heaven gave rain and the earth bore its fruit.

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

Harry Reeder: The grass withers and the flower fades, this is God's Word, it abides forever. By his grace and mercy, may his Word be preached for you.

Harry Reeder: Like many Lord's Day mornings,

Harry Reeder: there will be an anointing service in the pastor's study immediately following the worship service.

Harry Reeder: You've heard that on numerous occasions here at Briarwood.

Harry Reeder: Now, why do we do that? What does that mean? What goes on there? Once that door is shut, what happens in that room? What in the world's going on?

Harry Reeder: Why do we do it? What's happening? What's the reason for it? What takes place? What's expected to take place? Why do we do that?

Harry Reeder: Well, first of all, the reason we do that, of course, most profoundly is right here in the book of James, which I've just read. And why didn't it quit with James, with his church? Why did it carry on to our church and other churches?

Harry Reeder: Why do we practice this?

Harry Reeder: So James has given us the opportunity to answer those questions as hopefully as clearly and as pointedly and by God's grace instructively as I possibly can.

Harry Reeder: And that's where we will focus. Now, the addressing of this issue, prayer for those who are sick, requesting with anointing, that is in the text and we'll try to get the answer there, but it takes place in the context of James' conclusion of this study that we've had, The Gospel Life According to James.

Harry Reeder: James has said, you've got a gospel foundation, you've got a gospel motivation, you're living in a broken world where there's going to be trials, and so his theme has been a consistent theme that the trials of life are used by a sovereign God to mature us.

Harry Reeder: To mature us for joyful maturation and persistent ministry in a sin-cursed world, that God is using that in our life. And that those trials then send us to the Lord for wisdom.

Harry Reeder: From his word, through prayer, then the gospel life deals with the issues of life.

Harry Reeder: And then he went through a series over three chapters, where he went through a series of laying out for us an external sin that will be found, but should not be found, and how it comes from our heart.

Harry Reeder: And how to tackle the sin not with therapy on the sin, but with gospel wisdom to the heart so that the sin is put off and a new life out of love to Christ begins to develop.

Harry Reeder: The tongue, how we live, getting rid of the sin of racism and partiality, all of those things, how to deal with wealth. All of those things were handled.

Harry Reeder: Now he gets to the end of his book and he brings to us a series of best practices.

Harry Reeder: Gospel best practices.

Harry Reeder: In other words, when the broken world is here and the consequences of sin are around us as believers in this broken world.

Harry Reeder: What is our first response? What is our first response?

Harry Reeder: We've got some folks in our church that are wonderful doctors and nurses that handle people to take them through the process of restoration and healing.

Harry Reeder: But sometimes something happens and you need first responders.

Harry Reeder: And those first responders are trained for the crisis of the moment to address the issue and what they do in order to set in course what will then restore the person.

Harry Reeder: And what they do must not be in opposition to what's going to be done later.

Harry Reeder: And so what James is saying is, I'm going to give you four issues. They are prevalent in the church.

Harry Reeder: Here are the four issues, prevalent in Christians in the church. Is anyone among you suffering, afflicted, in adversity? Anyone among you suffering.

Harry Reeder: Secondly, anyone among you cheerful? Thirdly, anyone among you sick? Fourthly, anyone among you wandering from the truth?

Harry Reeder: Now, those four statements are not exhaustive of all the situations we find ourselves in our Christian lives and in the church.

Harry Reeder: But they are encompassing.

Harry Reeder: Now, here's what I'm trying to say.

Harry Reeder: All four of those will be found in your life as a Christian.

Harry Reeder: All four of them.

Harry Reeder: Remember what we learned about adversity? It is not an interruption in life. It is life.

Harry Reeder: Life is in adversity as a believer in a sin-cursed Genesis 3 world.

Harry Reeder: That is a way of life. So what do you do when that happens?

Harry Reeder: Secondly, there will be interruptions in your life, seasons of your life where things are just going wonderful, good spirits, you're cheerful. There will be cheerful moments now.

Harry Reeder: Even Presbyterians have those moments.

Harry Reeder: But there are seasons in our life where we're cheerful.

Harry Reeder: Thirdly, you will encounter sickness.

Harry Reeder: Fourthly, there will be in our life moments where we are, that's why we sing this hymn, prone to wonder, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.

Harry Reeder: So he has identified those four moments. It's not exhaustive, but it is encompassing.

Harry Reeder: You can have any one of those. In fact, I want you to know, as a Christian, you not only can have any one of those, you can have more than one of those at one time. In fact, you can have all four of those at one time.

Harry Reeder: Now, what do you do? What's our first response? Last week we covered verse 13.

Harry Reeder: Is anyone among you suffering in adversity?

Harry Reeder: Number one step. First step, best step, not the last step, not the least step, the best step, not the least step, the first step, not the last step, pray.

Harry Reeder: And all he's doing is consistent with chapter one when he said this. Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the trying of your faith produces endurance and endurance character and character hope.

Harry Reeder: And by the way, if you're having difficulty, then if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God who gives it abundantly.

Harry Reeder: So what is my first response in adversity? Not my last response, my first response is to pray for strength and wisdom from his word from above.

Harry Reeder: God, give me a Christ-centered, not a suffering-centered. Give me a Christ-centered view of this situation that I can grow in this trial of life and it not become a temptation to sin, but a trial whereby I grow in the midst of the adversity.

Harry Reeder: Well, what's the next thing he says? Anyone among you cheerful?

Harry Reeder: You got a good season, you know? I mean, boy, what a great husband, what a great wife, what great kids, things are going good, good report card, my team won.

Harry Reeder: I mean, there are just moments of cheerfulness in our life. There are moments of cheerfulness in our life. What do you do? Praise the Lord.

Harry Reeder: Not the last step, first step. Not the only step, first step. The gospel wisdom leads you to prayer in times of adversity and praise in seasons of blessing.

Harry Reeder: Why? Because within us is a constant movement to take the blessings that brought us cheer and wrap our hearts around them instead of the Lord who sent them to us.

Harry Reeder: We worship the gift instead of the giver.

Harry Reeder: So what do you do? Praise the Lord.

Harry Reeder: A, you didn't deserve those blessings, so praise him who sent his son to purchase them on the cross for you.

Harry Reeder: B, praise him so that your appreciation and your admiration for the blessing does not become, does not become adoration.

Harry Reeder: There are times where we have affection for the blessings and admiration and appreciation, but it easily becomes adoration. You can appreciate, affirm, and admire the blessings, but your adoration goes to the Lord.

Harry Reeder: And once you begin to adore it, your hand gets fastened around it. But you know what happens? You don't hold the blessing, the blessing begins to hold you and you're drawn to it instead of the Lord.

Harry Reeder: So that's why he gives us that antidote. Well, now, he gives us a third one.

Harry Reeder: What about sick?

Harry Reeder: Let's go to question three. Is anyone among you sick? What is directive three?

Harry Reeder: Let's first take a moment for the, is anyone among you sick? Among you. He's speaking to believers now.

Harry Reeder: To believers. Again, professing believers. Anyone among you suffering? Anyone among you cheerful? Now is anyone among you, that is believers, anyone among you that are sick? Sick.

Harry Reeder: He's not talking about, I woke up with a runny nose.

Harry Reeder: He's talking about something not incidental. He's talking about something of significant sickness, debilitating, immobilizing, captivating your attention, immobilizing you. You're at that point. It's that kind of sickness that he's looking about.

Harry Reeder: And then he says to professing believers, anyone.

Harry Reeder: This is not, okay, just for the ordained clergy.

Harry Reeder: No, no. Any believer.

Harry Reeder: If you are in a season of sickness, if you are in that season of sickness.

Harry Reeder: Anyone among you, believers.

Harry Reeder: What do you do? Here's his directive. Let him call for the elders of the church.

Harry Reeder: By the way, notice how each of these have been consistent.

Harry Reeder: Anyone among you suffering, let him pray.

Harry Reeder: Anyone among you cheerful, let him sing praises.

Harry Reeder: Anyone among you sick, let him, who? The one who's sick, do what? Call upon the elders of the church.

Harry Reeder: Person said to me one time, you know, pastor, I was sick the other day and nobody called me about an anointing service.

Harry Reeder: They're not.

Harry Reeder: Now, don't get mad at me.

Harry Reeder: We're talking about this sickness of a specific type, debilitating, captivating in your life. And now you're here, perhaps it's terminal or said to be terminal, perhaps it's potentially terminal, whatever that sickness might be, that you now know I can call upon the elders of the church.

Harry Reeder: But they're not going to call upon you.

Harry Reeder: We will equip you to know to do this, but you, according to the Bible, you are supposed to do this.

Harry Reeder: Let him call upon the elders of the church. Now what happens?

Harry Reeder: What's the process? What's the practice? What's the premise? What's the promise?

Harry Reeder: Let me walk you through the text so we can understand it.

Harry Reeder: Look with me first of all, when you call upon the elders of the church, there is a two-fold process that then is to take place.

Harry Reeder: Go with me to verse 14. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church. By the way, notice, call for who? Elders.

Harry Reeder: Not apostles, not people with the gift of healing.

Harry Reeder: Elders of the church.

Harry Reeder: Let him call for the elders of the church and then what do the elders of the church do? Let them, that is the elders, one, let them pray over him, two, let them anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Harry Reeder: Now, so let's take the first one. Let them pray over him.

Harry Reeder: Now you know why, if you didn't know this before, that, and this has been the historic practice for 2000 years, that churches that are following God's direction in this, when someone asks them to call for the elders of the church, step one, we're going to pray, look at that word, over them.

Harry Reeder: That's why posture is important. The person either kneels or sits, whatever is able, and then the elders gather around and then they lay hands on them in an attempt to pray as directed here.

Harry Reeder: Over them, over their life, over them physically, over them spiritually, laying hands upon them, praying over them.

Harry Reeder: And secondly, then you anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.

Harry Reeder: Now why anoint with oil?

Harry Reeder: Well, we've got to go to the Bible to understand. Oil anointing is explained in the Bible.

Harry Reeder: Anointing with oil in the Bible represents three things.

Harry Reeder: Number one, anointing with oil in that culture and in the Bible means medicinal assistance, medical help.

Harry Reeder: Not that the elders are doctors, but that the elders are responsible to make sure God's ordained providential means built around the laws of creation that he has put in place are being honored.

Harry Reeder: That the anoint with oil.

Harry Reeder: You've studied the parable of the Good Samaritan. Have you studied that? The parable of the Good Samaritan, you remember the Good Samaritan took care, paid the bill, and then he went on and the man who was beaten up and bruised and all of that, it says in the Gospel of Luke, it says that he was anointed with oil and wine.

Harry Reeder: Oil was used and wine was used as a disinfectant, as well as an anesthetic, and then oil was used to soften the wounded area and to cleanse the wounded area. It was a medicinal act in that culture.

Harry Reeder: Secondly, anointing with oil means it is a sacred moment. Whenever there is the anointing with oil, it is done to identify a sacred moment of focused calling upon and relying upon the Lord.

Harry Reeder: Thirdly, the anointing with oil in the Bible is symbolic of the ministry and presence of the Holy Spirit.

Harry Reeder: The ministry and presence of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, our baptism in the New Testament comes from baptisms in the Old Testament. And in the Old Testament, the ceremonial baptisms were three different kinds. They baptized with oil, they baptized with water, and they baptized with blood.

Harry Reeder: And when they did, the means of baptizing with blood and oil and water was pouring and or sprinkling.

Harry Reeder: Sometimes you would see all of these put together. One of those baptisms is baptisms with oil. So let me pull some of these together for you. For instance, Aaron, the High Priest, when he is ordained, all of the priests would be ordained with baptism by water, being sprinkled clean with water, the Bible tells us.

Harry Reeder: But the High Priest was also baptized with oil as oil, you can read it in the Psalm, that oil Psalm 133, that oil was poured out upon the High Priest and dripped to the neck of his robe and down to the hem of his robe to cover him, calling upon the Holy Spirit to give the High Priest the ability to lead God's people wisely and faithfully. And it's a sacred moment of ordination.

Harry Reeder: Well, if the elders are anointing with oil, which one of those three do you think it's representing? I think it's purposely representing all three.

Harry Reeder: Elders are not doctors, but they should inquire, are you taking proper medical care of yourself? It is not a lack of faith to use the providential means of healing that God has provided according to his laws of creation.

Harry Reeder: Are you taking proper care in this matter medically? Secondly, this is a sacred moment because this moment requesting physical healing is also, the Lord is using this spiritually in your life. Thirdly, this is not only a sacred moment, whether it's physical or spiritual, we are utterly dependent upon the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Harry Reeder: So I think the anointing of oil is actually encompassing all three of those things at the moment.

Harry Reeder: So you've got the process that's been put in place and this twofold process. And by the way, notice you anoint what in the name of the Lord. And by the way, how do we pray? We pray to the Father in the name of the Son. Do you see how the preeminence of Christ is here?

Harry Reeder: It's not the preeminence of prayer. It's not the preeminence of sickness. It's not the preeminence of the elders. It's the preeminence of Christ that you pray in the name of Christ, that you anoint in the name of Christ. He is clearly bringing us to a Christ focus in this designed blessing that God has put into place for his people.

Harry Reeder: Well, now if you would, I want you to see, having looked at the twofold process, look at the premise. The premise is, is that the elders are going to pray a believing prayer.

Harry Reeder: The prayer of faith. Look at verse 15. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up.

Harry Reeder: Now what is the prayer of faith?

Harry Reeder: Well, if you'll hold on, I'm going to try to define that in just a very few minutes, but I want to say what it's not.

Harry Reeder: The prayer of faith is not yelling at God.

Harry Reeder: God, I'm telling you, you got to do this.

Harry Reeder: The prayer of faith is not commanding God.

Harry Reeder: The prayer of faith is not identifying sickness with demons.

Harry Reeder: The prayer of faith is not yelling at demons, yelling at God, yelling at Satan, or yelling at the person that's sick or yelling at the sickness. That's not it.

Harry Reeder: The prayer of faith is something very specific.

Harry Reeder: The prayer of faith is something that is biblically defined.

Harry Reeder: Hold on to it just a minute. I wanted to give you what it's not.

Harry Reeder: I'm going to take just a moment, I'm going to give you what it is.

Harry Reeder: But now what is attached to the prayer of faith?

Harry Reeder: Three promises.

Harry Reeder: You got a twofold process, you got the premise that the elders will pray a prayer of faith. Then you've got a threefold promise. Let's look at the next verse.

Harry Reeder: And the prayer of faith will, one, save the one who is sick, two, the Lord will raise him up, three, if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Harry Reeder: So here is a threefold promise.

Harry Reeder: One, he will save the one who is sick.

Harry Reeder: Save is the Greek word sozo, sozo.

Harry Reeder: It's the word that has two, two meanings basically. It means to save means to deliver someone from a situation that they need to be delivered from, or to preserve someone. It means to deliver or to preserve.

Harry Reeder: For instance, you're riding along and you see an animal caught in a trap and you go and open the trap and deliver them from the trap to set them free from it.

Harry Reeder: Or, you know, you get your paycheck and you say to your wife or your wife says to you, honey, we need to save some money. Let's preserve some of this money, at least for a period of time.

Harry Reeder: So that there is preservation, looking at a temporal preserving of something, and deliverance which would anticipate eternal deliverance that is absolutely setting someone free from it.

Harry Reeder: So it says he will save them, deliver or preserve them.

Harry Reeder: The second thing is that the Lord will raise him up. Raise him up from the sickness, raise him up from the sins, but raise him up always ultimately means to himself.

Harry Reeder: He raises us up from sin and its consequences to himself. I will raise them up on the last day.

Harry Reeder: And then thirdly, their sins are forgiven by the Lord. Their sins are forgiven by the Lord.

Harry Reeder: So the Lord will save, the Lord will raise up and the Lord will forgive sins.

Harry Reeder: Our bodies are subject to illness and death as a result of mankind's fall into sin.

Harry Reeder: The apostolic exhortation of James reminds us that in Jesus Christ we have a glorious eternity, free from all sickness and pain.

Harry Reeder: You are listening to In Perspective featuring the teaching of Dr. Harry L. Reeder.

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Harry Reeder: The fervent effectual prayer of a righteous person has great power.

Harry Reeder: Join us again next time as Dr. Reeder challenges us to recover the awesome power of pervasive, prevailing prayer.

Harry Reeder: That's next time as we turn back to the scriptures to put life in biblical perspective.