James 5

James 5:1

Continuing where he left off in chapter 2, here in chapter 5, James attempts to do what his half Brother had done when He cleansed the temple, as he cleans house concerning wealthy people who had no real relationship with the Lord, but who simply liked to be seen in the midst of the believers… Because the language in verse seven makes it clear that he is addressing the true believer, James’ harsh words here in verse three are not directed to true brothers, but to those who were only playing church. They are directed to those who thought they would be saved in the last day because of their wealth. They are directed to those who were using their money to be esteemed highly in the church.

James 5:4

“You’ve made your money because you paid poor wages. You’ve made your fortunes at the expense of others,” says James. “But know this: The Lord is hearing the cries of those you have exploited.”

James 5:7

Shifting gears and addressing the true believer, James says, “Yes there will be injustice, rip-offs, and unfairness, but keep this in mind: The Lord is coming. He sees what’s going on, and He will settle the score.”

James 5:9

Salvation is not going to come through union participation or a Christian coalition organization. Salvation is going to come when Jesus Christ comes back. Stick to the big picture. Live for the kingdom. Be looking for His coming.

James 5:10

Job was a wealthy man. Then he lost everything. But if you read the last chapter of the book that bears his name, you see that he ended up with twice as much as he had before his difficulties began. Even his family was replenished. Why? Because he was patient. Yes, he had periods where he doubted and questioned God. But he’s an example of a man who endured difficulty and of one who was rewarded greatly. So, too, we are to wait patiently for the Lord’s return.

James 5:12

I know of a man who was so determined to learn this lesson that once a week for over forty years, he took one day to fast from talking. Truly, the Bible tells us that in the multitude of words there lacketh not sin (Pro_10:19). The more I talk, the more trouble I can get in. So James very practically says we are to keep our speech as simple and straightforward as possible.

James 5:13

What if we really believed this? What if we said, “I’m not going to speak so much or so quickly. I’m not going to hold a grudge against people even if I feel they’re afflicting me. Instead, I’m going to pray”? What a simple, workable, radical idea James presents to us. This is hard for me because I want to mix it up verbally with those who afflict me and give them a piece of my mind. But I’m wrong every time I do because our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers (Eph_6:12). There’s no way we can continue to justify our tendency to fault folks or to war against them with words when James clearly tells us that the only solution to oppression is to look for the Lord’s coming. In the meantime, when we’re afflicted, we’re to watch our words. Let them be yea, nay, and by all meanspray. There are psalms for every occasion. That’s what’s so great about the one hundred fifty psalms in the center of our Bibles. For every occasion, for any situation, there is a psalm for us to sing.

James 5:14

The affliction of verse thirteen is a mental, spiritual, or emotional affliction. The responsibility of the afflicted person is to pray. But the responsibility of the person who is sick physically is to call for the elders of the church. “I was sick and none of the elders came to pray for me,” you say. Did you call for them? James says it is the responsibility, the privilege, the opportunity, the command, for the sick person to humble himself and to call for the elders. Notice the word “elders” is plural. When the sick are being prayed for, it is always to be by a group of men corporately rather than one man individually. Why? There are few things more potentially dangerous than for a person to be used in the ministry of healing because what begins as a simple desire to be used by the Lord can so easily end up in book-signings and a speaking tour. To keep this tendency in check, James says when someone is sick, a group of men is to pray so that no one man will get the credit. What does it mean to anoint with oil? In Scripture, we see oil used symbolically, when, as an illustration of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with oil before they assumed their positions of authority. We also see oil used medicinally, as in the story of the Good Samaritan who put oil on the wounds of the man left for dead (Luk_10:34). I suggest that the anointing of oil spoken of by James refers to both the symbolic and the medicinal realms. It speaks of a person saying, “I’m looking to the Lord for healing. I’m submitted to His will being done in my life; I believe in His power and presenceand I’m going to use His gift of medicine as well.” There are two streams of healing: prayer and medicine. But it’s the same God who works through both streams. Medicine does not heal. Prayer does not heal. God heals.

James 5:15

What is the prayer of faith? It is not prayer offered due to working up feelings emotionally or hyping a congregation into a frenzy, but as a result of responding to the Lord personally. No doubt Peter and John had passed him hundreds of times as he sat by the Gate Beautiful outside of the temple, begging for money. But one day as they walked by him, something unique happened within them that caused them to stop, look at him, and say, “Silver and gold have we none, but such as we have give we you. In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk” (see Act_3:6). In the moment of the miraculous, Peter and John experienced faith unlike at any other time they had walked by this man previously. So, too, there will come times when you’re praying for your friends, family, or yourself when you’ll suddenly sense God at work in a unique way, and you’ll know a miracle is about to take place. But what if you don’t experience this kind of faith? Pray anyway. I’ve prayed for perhaps thousands of sick people over the years. A few were healed immediately. Others continued in their sickness. Many weren’t healed until they got to heaven. Yet even if it doesn’t bring about the full healing we anticipate, something wonderful always happens whenever a group of people talk to the Father. It’s good for a person going through physical suffering to call for the elders of the church to pray for healingand to continue seeking healing until he is healed. Or until, like Paul, he is at peace, knowing that God’s will is being worked out in his condition, and that even in weakness, God is made strong (2Co_12:9). Sometimes, sin brings sickness. How do I know this? Because after He healed the lame man in John five, Jesus said, “Be careful that you don’t sin lest a worse thing happen to you” (see Joh_5:14), implying that his paralysis was the result of a previous sin. So, too, when the four guys lowered their paralyzed buddy through a roof in the home wherein Jesus was teaching, Jesus linked the man’s paralysis to sin (Mar_2:5-11). Does this mean sin is always the reason for sickness? No. When asked whether it was his own or his parents’ sin that made a man blind, Jesus answered that neither his or his parents’ sin was the reason (Joh_9:3). While sickness can indeed be a repercussion of a sin or a lifestyle, this doesn’t mean that every sickness is the result of an individual’s sin.

James 5:16

Many of us have an obsession with confession. That is, we think that if there is any unconfessed sin in our lives, God will not hear our prayer. But I have good news for us today, for to us who understand that Jesus died for our sins past, present and future, regarding His work on the Cross, He doesn’t say, “To be continued if you confess.” No, He says, “It is finished.” “Well, that knocks me out,” you say, “because I’m not Elijah; I’m not a righteous man, and I’m not an effectual, fervent pray-er.” You might be surprised… True Confession A Topical Study of Jas_5:16 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.1Jn_1:9 I think many of us coming from church backgrounds have a misconception of the idea of confession. I know I did. For many years, I believed that if there was any unconfessed sin in my life, God would not hear my prayers. Consequently, I went through decades gripped by the “paralysis of analysis.” I knelt at my bed or by my desk trying to confess everything I did or thought that day or that week, wondering all the while if there was anything I left out, any unconfessed sin that would keep me from being heard by my Father in heavenor, worse yet, which would prevent me from being forgiven by Him. If, like me, you were ever under that impression, I have good news for you today: According to the context, 1Jn_1:9 is not talking about you, but about those who don’t even acknowledge that they’re sinners. You see, in John’s day, a school of thought called Gnosticism propounded that because the material realm is not eternal, it doesn’t matter what a man does with his flesh. He can eat, drink, and be merry because only the spiritual is eternal. This is the issue John was dealing with when he said, “If you say you have no sin, you deceive yourselves and the truth is not in you. But if you confess your sinif you admit that you’re a sinnerGod will be faithful and just to forgive your sin and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” In other words, “You cannot be forgiven, you cannot be born again, you cannot be saved until you admit you’re a sinner in need of a Savior.” I don’t think many of us are involved in the gnostic heresy. We know we’ve sinned; we know we’ve blown it; we know at least one time somewhere we dropped the ball and messed up. And once we acknowledge this, our sin is forgivenfor on the Cross, Jesus didn’t say, “To be continued if you continue to confess.” No, He said, “It is finished” (Joh_19:30). This means that we can stand confidently in the presence of Godnot because of who we are, but because of what He did for us on the Cross of Calvary. “Okay, then,” you say, “if that’s true, then how do you explain the text before us: ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed”’? Confession is not for the purpose of restoration to our Savior. Confession is for liberation from our sin. We don’t have to worry about being restored to the Lord once we believe in Him because He paid for every sin we’ve ever done, are doing, or ever will do. The veil is rent. The way is open. The invitation is given to us to come boldly to the throne of grace to find mercy and help in time of need (Heb_4:16). It’s a done deal. Thus, the purpose of confession is not for God’s sake. It’s for ours. It’s not for restoration, but for liberationto set us free. Consider four ways confession liberates us from sin… Confession Promotes Prayer Confession promotes prayer. How? Confession produces compassion, and compassion produces intercession. Human nature is such that most of us don’t pray very intensely for people we think are doing well. But because our hearts go out to those we think are hurting or struggling, we find ourselves praying on their behalf. Therefore, if you want people to pray for you, one of the most practical things you can do is confess your faults to someone or to a small group of people. Then watch how they’ll pray for you. Confession Provides Protection Confession provides protection from potential hostility. The Enemy seeks to cause whatever I’m struggling with, whatever you’re wrestling with to be exposed. That’s his method of operation. He sucks us into sin, then publicizes our sin to bring consternation, embarrassment, and division. As Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, Luke records that the other eleven disciples stood with him (Act_2:14). Keep in mind, it had only been a month or so since Peter had denied even knowing Jesus. Thus, by standing with him, the other disciples were in effect saying, “We know Peter’s history. Yet we continue to stand by him. So pipe down, you who would be hostile and critical of him.” That’s what confession does. It disarms the Enemy. Confession Prohibits Pride In the interest of accountability, three ministers gathered to confess their faults to one another. “I’m sad to say this,” said the first minister, “but I’ve been struggling with whiskey. I just keep hitting the bottle after every service and every evening.” The second minister said, “I must confess quite frankly that I’ve been struggling with women.” The third minister said, “I confess I have a problem with gossip, and if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to make some phone calls…” People say, “If I confess my faults to another, what will happen if they leak out?” You know what will happen? Your pride will be destroyed, and that’s the best thing that could happen! Although we’re so careful to cultivate a certain image, the Lord has ways of making sure it never lasts because pride leads to destruction and a haughty spirit to a fall (Pro_16:18). Ask Lucifer. It was when pride filled his heart that he was cast out of heaven (Isa_14:12-15). Confession prohibits pride, and in so doing, it breaks our otherwise tragic fall. Confession Produces Praise The church of Jesus Christ is the only place I know where people come together and admit they’re a bunch of losers who have problems. Go to the Elks Club or Rotary or the GOP fundraisers, and you’re not going to see a group of people saying, “We’re idiots. We failed again. We dropped the ball.” It just doesn’t happen that way! In every other organization, people get together to say, “Aren’t we great?” But we, the church, come together to say, “Isn’t God gracious? That He would use people like us with all our faults and failings is nothing short of amazing!” Sin will lose its grip if you take seriously this command, this invitation to confess and pray for one another. Whatever you do, know this: You are forgiven and you can experience liberation if you confess your faults one to another. I love the Lord. I love the theology of being forgiven. I love the practicality of confession. I’m so glad I’m saved. And I’m glad you are too. Effective Prayer A Topical Study of Jas_5:16-18 All of us know there is power in prayer. Most of us understand that our priority is to be prayer. After all, we know that although the disciples observed Jesus raising the dead, healing the sick, feeding the multitudes, preaching the Word, walking on water, and casting out demons, they asked Him to teach them how to do only one thing. They asked Him to do the one thing they understood to be foundational to everything else He did. They asked Him to teach them to pray (Luk_11:1). We, too, understand that there is power in prayer, that our priority is to be prayeryet most of us have a problem with prayer because simple exhortations like the one before us become subtle intimidations to us. In our text, I suggest the problem lies in three words… Effectual James tells us very clearly that it is effectual prayer that avails muchand uses a man named Elijah as an example of effectual prayer… The first time we meet Elijah, he’s storming into King Ahab’s court, saying, “It’s not going to rain but according to my word.” Scripture records that the clouds, indeed, went away and no rain fell on Israel for three and a half years (1Ki_17:1). How could Elijah speak with such boldness? James tells us something we wouldn’t know from reading the Old Testament account when he tells us Elijah prayed earnestly. What does it mean to pray earnestly? The Greek word translated “prayer” is deesis, which means “to bow down.” The Greek word translated “earnestly” is proseuche, which means “to pray.” This means Elijah could speak to Ahab with certainty and could pray effectively because he was bowed down, submitted to the Scriptures. You see, Deu_11:16-17a text Elijah would surely have knownsays this: Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; and then the LORD’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. Aware of this promise, Elijah could say to Ahab, “Because of what you have done in this land by introducing Baal worship, it’s not going to rain.” Time passed, and in a confrontation with Elijah, the prophets of Baal found themselves on Mount Carmel praying hour after hour for their god to send fire as they danced and screamed and slashed their bodies. Finally, Elijah said, “You’ve been going all day, boys. Your god has baal-ed out. Now it’s my turn.” And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.1Ki_18:36-37 And, after praying this prayer that takes about seven seconds to utter, fire came down. “Do not be like the heathen who think they are heard because of their much speaking,” Jesus said (Mat_6:7)and then gave us for a model a prayer sixty-five words long that takes less than fifteen seconds to say slowly. We think we have to impress God with lengthy prayers and fancy words. Jesus says, “No, that’s the way of the prophets of Baal, the way of the heathen. Just talk to Me simply.” Elijah knew the Word, was submitted to the Word, and prayed according to the Word. So, too, we must understand that to pray effectively is to combine prayer with reading the Word. You will never again snooze through a service or doze off during devotions if you are praying while you’re listening. That is, when a point comes to you that you know is convicting you, talk to the Lord about it right then. For years, I didn’t know this. I thought the right way to fellowship with God was to read a chapter or two in the Word and then pray. But that is as silly as if I called Tammy and said, “We’ve got to talk,” and then I proceeded to talk for ten minutes straighttalk, talk, talk, talk, talkbefore saying, “Now you talk"at which point she’d talk, talk, talk, talk to me. That’s the way I thought I was supposed to communicate with the Lord. “Okay, Father, I know You speak to me through Your Word, so I’ll listen, listen, listen, listen. Done. Now it’s my turn. Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray.” I’m not saying you can’t do it that way, but there’s a much better way. That is, as you are reading the Word, a phrase or two will strike you, and you pause right then to talk it over with the Father. You pray about it right then. Then you read a verse or two or three more until something else stirs your thinking or strikes your heart. You pause, then talk to the Lord again. With tens of thousands of precepts, principles, and promises in this book, I guarantee you’ll never have a boring devotional time if you pause, then talk to the Lord again. With tens of thousands of precepts, principles, and promises in this book, I guarantee you’ll never have a boring devotional time if you pray with open Bible and talk to the Father about you read. So, too, if you go to church on a Sunday morning or Wednesday evening and say, “Every time a point hits me, confuses me, or stirs me, I am going to pray about it right then.” Bible studies will never, ever again be drowsy for you because it’s just impossible to talk to the Father as you’re taking in the Word and find yourself bored and slumbering. “If you abide in Mestay close to Meand My words abide in you,” Jesus declared, “you shall ask whatever you will and it shall be done” (see Joh_15:7). “If My Word is stirring in you and you’re staying close to Me, you’ll be able to ask whatever you want as you pray biblically, and it will happen. You’ll see.” To pray effectually is to pray biblically. Fervent James tells us that it is not only effectual prayer that avails much, but fervent prayer. And, again, Elijah is our model… After calling down fire with a prayer that took only five or six seconds to utter, and after telling Ahab it was going to rain, Scripture records that there, on the top of Mount Carmel, Elijah placed his head between his knees and prayed for rain. “Any clouds coming?” he asked his servant. “There’s not a cloud in sight. It’s clear and sunny,” his servant answered. So Elijah put his head between his knees again and prayed some more. “Any clouds yet?” he asked. “It’s as clear as a bell,” his servant answered. So Elijah put his head between his knees and prayed a third time. “Any clouds yet?” “Nothing.” Elijah did this a fourth time, a fifth time, a sixth time. But when he popped up the seventh time, his servant said, “There’s a little tiny cloud the size of a man’s fist on the horizon.” “Great!” said Elijah. “Batten down the hatches! A storm’s coming!” And indeed it did (1Ki_18:45). If you lived in Bible times, you would know that to give birth, a woman would place her head between her knees. That’s exactly what Elijah was doing. Prior to this, we saw him standing serenely and praying expectantly. Now we see him praying with fervency, with his head between his knees. “But I thought we didn’t have to go through contortions when we pray,” you say. “I thought prayer was to be simple.” It is. Then what’s Elijah doing? There come times, gang, when in prayer I will go to the Father and I will pray like Elijah in the first example. I’ll pray simply, casually, and comfortably. But the fire doesn’t come down or the heavens don’t open up, and I wonder why. I have learned that during such seasons, the Father is saying, “Pray fervently. Come back a second time and a third time, an eighth time and a twelfth time. Why? Because I know what’s ahead.” You see, as the story unfolds, on the heels of his incredible victory on Mount Carmel, we will see Elijah fall into such depression and despondency that he will despair even of life itself (1Ki_19:4). Knowing this, God says to Elijah, “What you need, Elijah, is not for Me to respond immediately, but to come into My presence repeatedly. I know what’s comingand you need to log in time with Me.” So, too, sometimes I pray, “Father, Your Word promises this…” and boom! It happens immediately. Other times, God says to me, “You think you need that relationship resolved or that ministry opened, or that financial matter worked out. But I see where you’re going to be tomorrow. I see that what you’re really craving is not what you’re asking. You’re craving Me. So come back three times, seven times, twenty-seven times, forty-two times and spend time with Me.” And you know what I have discovered, dear precious people? In coming back over and over with my head between my knees, so to speak, laboring and wondering, I find that what I was so concerned about fades from importance, for I find in Him everything my heart desires. What was birthed by Elijah that day on the mountain wasn’t a rain cloud. It was a relationship. That’s what it means to pray ferventlynot to get God’s attention, but to birth a deeper relationship with Him. Righteous James tells us it is not only effectual and fervent prayers that avail much, but effectual and fervent prayers prayed by a righteous man. Again, Elijah is our example… James calls Elijah a man of like passionsa man with the same vulnerabilities we have. That explains why, after calling down fire from heaven, and hacking up four hundred fifty prophets of Baal single-handedly, frightened by the words of a woman, Elijah ran seventy miles like a chicken with his head cut off only to end up in a cave depressed, discouraged, and defeated. Here’s a guy who’s just like me. One minute he’s up on the mountain; the next minute he’s in a cave. One minute, he’s victorious over Baal; the next minute, he’s done in by despair. Yet James refers to Elijah as a righteous man. Why? Because in the New Testament particularly, righteousness is not dependent upon the way we behave. It is dependent upon what we believe. How do I know this? In Romans 4, Paul reaches back through the tunnel of time and grabs a name for our consideration: Abraham. Simply because Abraham believed God would do what He said He would, that God is who He declared Himself to be, Abraham was declared righteous (Rom_4:3). Do you believe God? Do you believe the foundational fact of faiththat Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the Cross for your sin and after three days rose again? Do you believe He is your Savior? If so, you are righteous. “Oh, but you don’t know where I was last year,” you say. 2Co_5:17 says that if any man be in Christand you arehe is a new creation. Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. Therefore, regardless of where you’ve been or what you’ve done, you’re a new creation in Christ. You’re righteous. “Yes, but I have sinned greatly even after becoming a new creation, a believer.” Paul goes on to say, “And He made Him who knew no sin to be sin that we might be the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” (see 2Co_5:21). That means God put our sinpast, present, and the stuff we haven’t even done yeton the Son. Therefore, if you are a believer, you are surrounded by Christ, covered with Christ, and washed by the blood of Christ. And you can’t get any more righteous than that. The effectual, fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much. “Effectual,” “fervent,” and “righteous” are words that, unless understood biblically, can intimidate us and keep us from praying consistently. But once we understand their meaning, all that remains is to understand the word “much"for “much” is what God has done and wants to continue to do in our lives as we walk with Him and wait on Him in effectual, fervent prayer. Amen.

James 5:19

The Greek word translated “err” is planao, from which we get our word “planet.” It literally means “heavenly wanderer” and in this context refers to one who is headed for heaven ultimately, but is wandering presently. Those who “err from the truth” may, indeed, be born again. They may, indeed, have a relationship with the Lord. But it’s distant because it lacks the connection that was there previously. What causes a person to become planao, to become spiritually spaced-out? Because at the heart of every problem lies a problem of the heart, I believe a person stops traveling with the body of Christ when a problem in his heart causes him to be uncomfortable in the presence of God’s people. Such was the case with Demas. “Demas has forsaken us,” said Paul. Why? Because “he has loved this world” (see 2Ti_4:10). If you asked Demas about his absence, he might have been able to justify it doctrinally, saying, “I’m having a problem with Paul’s doctrine of justification. I find it to be too grace-oriented. So now I’m just seeking God and getting instruction on my own.” Just as he did with Demas, Satan wants to see us disconnected, out in space, cut off. But James says that if we convert such a one, if we get him to turn back and get involved once again, we have actually saved him from death. What kind of death? First, we have saved him from physical death (1Jn_5:16). There is a sin, in which, if a man or woman continues to persist, God will take him or her home prematurely. If a person is rebelling against the Lord and walking farther and farther away from Him, such a one is in danger of being blown out into outer darkness. So God in His mercy may say, “It’s time to take this person to heaven.” While this obviously doesn’t mean that anyone who dies before the age of ninety is out of fellowship, the Word does, indeed, declare that there is sin that will cause a person’s life to end sooner than it would have had he continued walking in fellowship. “Why should we try to convert such a one if he’s headed to heaven anyway?” you ask. The answer is that, although he will make it to heaven, he will enter in as though by fire, bankrupt spiritually, lacking the rewards that will affect his ability to enjoy heaven eternally (1Co_3:15). Second, if we convert a brother who errs, who has wandered away, we save his soul from spiritual death. Because the wages of sin is always death, as you watch people who aren’t plugged in, who aren’t walking with the Lord as closely as they once did, you see death in their livesthe death of joy, the death of purpose, the death of peace. Their eyes become dull. Their faces become drawn. They start looking sad as they trade vitality for mortality. Third, saving an erring brother from death could mean saving him from eternal death. The reason the debate has gone on for centuries concerning whether a Christian can go so far that he ends up forfeiting his salvation is because Scripture can be used to argue both sides. If this issue were cut and dried, a lot of people would drift farther and farther out in space. But because it is not, we have to realize that one’s eternal destiny is at stake. The interesting thing about this phrase is that, linguistically, one can’t be sure if it’s the sins of the sinners that are covered, or those of the person who converts him. Commentators are divided on this question, yet all I know is this: Every time I talk to someone who has wandered away, every time I see the unhappiness and emptiness of his life, I find myself turning, repenting, and hating sin all over again. Conversely, like the shepherd who found the one sheep that was lost, when I am able to return to the fold someone who was lost and wandering, I experience an explosion of joy within my own heart. How are we to convert those who err, those who wander away? First, we’re to be men and women of prayerwe’re to talk to God about people. Second, we’re to be men and women who sharewe’re to talk to people about God. After engaging in a real estate deal that resulted in the death of an innocent man, Ahab, king of Israel, was confronted by Elijah the prophet. “Because of what you’ve done, because the dogs have licked the blood of the man you killed, the dogs will lick your blood and the blood of all of your children,” Elijah declared. “If they die in the city, the dogs will lick their blood. If they die in the fields, the birds will peck their flesh. You crossed the line, Ahab. You went too far. And your family’s going down as a result” (see 1Ki_21:19). The account in 1 Kings goes on to say that after Ahab heard Elijah, he rent his clothes, wore sackcloth, and walked softly, stooped over, broken. Because Ahab humbled himself, God instructed Elijah to tell him that his family wouldn’t be annihilated. So here’s the wickedest man in the history of the nation Israel, and what does God do? Because Elijah talked to him, he repented and God was able to show him mercy. Talk to the Lord about people. Then talk to peopleeven if they’re Ahab-likeabout the Lord. Your own sin will be covered in the processand you will save from death the soul of the one with whom you share. It’s a tall order to be involved in the restoration of a sinner who was once part of the kingdom. It’s also a great privilege. The Epistle of James ends in a most unusual, but not very surprising manner. Most New Testament Epistles end with a closing benediction. Not James. There is no closing benediction. There is no doctrinal conclusion. There is not even a prayer of intercession. In fact, in closing his book simply with a practical and pointed exhortation, it’s as though James is saying, “I’ve given to you the Word of the Lord. Now go do it.”