In this sermon, Brother Denny begins by introducing the book of James and expressing his desire for the listeners' lives to be blessed and changed by the message. He emphasizes that the sermon is not copyrighted and encourages the audience to share it freely. The main focus of the sermon is on the importance of prayer, as mentioned in James chapter 5. Brother Denny shares a personal story about his daughter's illness and how he and his wife surrendered her to God's will through prayer. He concludes by reminding the audience to delight in the Lord and trust in His will, knowing that it is ultimately for their good and for the glory of God.

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold. You are welcome to make copies for your friends and neighbors. If you would like additional messages, please go to our website for a complete listing at www.charityministries.org. If you would like a catalog of other sermons, please call 1-800-227-7902 or write to Charity Ministries, 400 West Main Street, Suite 1, EFRA PA 17522. These messages are offered to all without charge by the freewill offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. Amen, Lord. Purify my spirit. May my will be bowed, surrendered to Thy will, Lord. Amen, Lord. Father, we do come in Jesus Christ's name at this hour, Father. Father, we come, Lord, looking away from ourselves and looking unto our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Captain, the Offer and the Finisher of our faith. Father, we ask in Jesus' name that You would sanctify each one of us, Lord, through and through, Father. Wash us in Your blood, Lord. Father, that Your will may be a delight to us. Father, we ask in Jesus' name that You would speak forth through Your servant today Your word. Father, that You would anoint it and bless it. Thank You for each one here, those who may be listening over the telephone or by tape, or whatever means, Lord. Father, we just pray. Let Thy word have free course in our hearts. In my heart first, Lord, and in the hearts of my brothers and sisters and each one that is here today. Father, thank You that by the hearing of the word cometh faith. Father, we pray that today the word that we hear, it would be mixed with faith in those that hear it, Father, and bring forth its effect in our lives, good fruit, 30-fold, 60-fold, and 100-fold. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. Open your Bibles to James, chapter 5. Title for the message today is Let Us Pray. We'll pick up in James, chapter 5, verse 13. Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. 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. 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. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain. And it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth and one convert him, 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. In these verses, verse 13 through 18, every verse speaks of prayer. Let him pray. Let them pray. The prayer of faith, pray one for another. The effectual fervent prayer, and in verse 17, prayed earnestly. And in verse 18, prayed again. Brethren, let us pray. We have been going through the book of James, and I do desire, if time will permit, to do a bit of a panoramic view on the book at the closing here. We have not yet looked at these verses, verse 14 on to the end of the chapter of chapter 5. And so we want to look at those this morning, and see what the word of the Lord says to us. He says, is any sick among you? You know, Christians who are saved, and they are healed from their sin sickness, washed in the blood, at times, they may become physically sick. He says, is there any sick among you? Among the children of God, is there any sick? Well, if he asks the question, would it be safe to imply that, yes, there are sometimes sick among the Christians. Is that right? In fact, it does tell us in the scriptures, that Paul at one point, he left this brother there sick, and his other brother for the sake of the gospel, and he is giving his life away for the gospel. He was sick, he was nigh unto death. Oh, but the Lord had mercy, and He healed him, and He raised him up. So we should not be surprised, if there at times is sickness comes upon a child of God. There is a doctrine, I must say, that I do not believe is rooted and grounded in the word that says, the children of God should never be sick. And that if they are sick, it is because of their sin, or it is because of their unbelief. Now, it may be that it could be because of their sin. It could be. But to make a blanket statement that says that the children of God should never be sick, and if they are sick, it must be because of sin. I think that does violence to the scripture. That is taking it and resting it. He tells us, is any sick among you? What shall we do? Oh, I like this. Don't be discouraged. Don't faint in your heart. I have given you a directive. I have given you a clear answer. Call for the elders of the church. I have placed you in a body of believers. I have surrounded you with brothers and sisters. There are elders in the church. That the church has called forth to offices of eldership and to administrate and direct and guide the church. By the grace of God, they are just under shepherds. Jesus Christ is the chief shepherd. But are you sick today? Call for the elders of the church. And let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. I would just like for us to be able to lift this scripture up for exactly what it says. Not adding there to or taking away. He says, if there is sickness, call for the elders and let them pray over him. So our first response is, let us pray. Now we live in a land of many medical inventions and many doctors and many possibilities. And I believe sometimes we fail to seek first God's remedy. Seek first God's answer. And we wait until the man is might near dead before we anoint with oil. And I'm not finding fault this morning. Please understand. It is right to anoint with oil at any stage, I do believe. But I believe the Lord would have us run to him sooner than we do many times. Come to me first. Now sometimes people go off on extreme views. And they say, well, we're just going to pray and anoint with oil and we're not going to seek medical attention. I believe the Lord would have us come to him and seek his faith and pray earnestly. That we might be healed and that he would be glorified. He's a miracle working God. He's a healing God. I know that all of us in this room, I would expect, can point to a testimony of someone who was healed. And it was a miracle. I know of quite a few. I mean, the doctors gave up hope. It was that late hour. Sewing back up. The cancer is advanced. Go home. Prepare to die. But God had other plans. He was anointed with oil. He was prayed over. And he steadily began to improve. And he went back to work. And that's three years ago already now. And he's still working today. And he's in good health. We know testimonies like that. 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. The prayer of faith shall save the sick. When ye pray, believe that the things that ye desire ye have, and ye shall have them, said Jesus. When ye pray according to the will of God, and ye know that the Lord heareth you, you have the petitions ye desired of Him. Hallelujah! These are beautiful, powerful words. Oh, but my humanity, my weakness wants to quickly qualify all those beautiful promises. But let's just believe the Lord. Let's just take the word. And what it says? The prayer of faith shall save the sick. And the Lord shall raise him up. It does us good to examine our own hearts. The prayer of faith shall save the sick. Not to come under condemnation. But it does us good to examine our own hearts. Lord, why isn't this dear child of God being healed? It does say, the prayer of faith. Jesus in his own hometown couldn't do many mighty works or miracles there. Except he laid his hands on a few sick folk and healed them. Other places it says he healed every one of them. All those with diseases and sicknesses and all manner of ailments. They brought them and he healed them all. But in his own town? Ah, we know him, the carpenter's son. Him. Altogether born in sin. Born of fornication. Why hear ye him? And they didn't believe to the extent that Jesus marveled at their unbelief. And their rejection. Oh, the faith of the four. Who let their friend down through the roof. Tore up the roof. And let him down before Jesus. The prayer of faith shall save the sick. Oh Lord, open our eyes to see the provision, the promise, the blessing. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church and let him anoint him with oil. Praying over him in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick. I have felt sorry for those, though, who the elders said, Well, you mustn't have enough of faith. That's why you're not healed. Whoa, stop. What about the elders? And I've seen this shifting of blame. And I felt very sorry for the sick individual. Well, you must have some gross hidden sin in your life. That's why you're not being healed. And the elders washed their hands. And there are all these extremes and all these abuses. And therefore, sometimes I believe we tend to back away. And we become a little bit... We hold it a little bit at arm's length. Because we don't understand it all. I don't understand it all. I'm not God. His ways are so much higher than my ways. Maybe He says, I'm going to raise them up. Through the prayer of faith. And I'm going to raise them up so high, that they're going to be with me. Going to take them home to me. It's their time to go to be with the Lord. Maybe. How do I know for sure? But that shouldn't stop us from praying and asking to be anointed with oil. It shouldn't stop us from expecting and believing God to heal and to raise up and restore the sick unto health. I do have a testimony here that I thought I would share. From George Mueller. Answers to Prayer. George Mueller. And this little book, Answers to Prayer. It's from Moody Classics. And I'm reading from page 84. We all know Mueller as a man who prayed. He had a burden to prove that God answers prayer. And that God alone can do great and mighty things. You don't have to go out and do big fundraisers and all these things. And George Mueller raised up many orphanages and prayed. And prayed. And God sent the resources. And here he says of a test that came to him. It pleased the Lord to try my faith in a way in which before it had not been tried. My beloved daughter and only child and a believer since the commencement of the year of 1846 was taken ill on June the 20th. This illness at first a low fever turned to typhus. And on July 3rd there seemed to be no hope of their recovery. Now was the trial of faith. My beloved wife and I were enabled to give her up into the hands of the Lord. And he sustained us both exceedingly. But I will only speak about myself. Though my only and beloved child was brought near the grave. Yet was my soul in perfect peace. Satisfied with the will of my heavenly father. Being assured he would only do that for her and her parents. Which in the end would be the best. She continued very ill till about July the 20th. On August 18th she began to be restored. And finally she was so restored that she could be removed to Clevedon for a change of air. Though still exceedingly weak. It was then 59 days since she was first taken ill. Parents know what an only child, a beloved child is. And what to believing parents an only and believing child must be. Well the father in heaven said as it were by his dispensation art thou willing to give up this child to me? My heart responded as it seems good to thee my heavenly father thy will be done. As our hearts were made willing to give back our beloved child to him who had given her to us. So he was ready to leave her to us and she lived. Delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. The desires of my heart were to retain my beloved daughter if it were the will of God. The means to retain her were to be satisfied with the will of God. So I was enabled to delight myself in the will of God and I felt perfectly sure that if the Lord took this beloved daughter it would be best for her parents and for her and more for the glory of God than if she lived. For this better part I was satisfied with and thus my heart had peace. Perfect peace. And God restored her to health. Is it the pivotal point as some have stated already that if we say the will of the Lord be done that's unbelief and we have surrendered. I don't think so. I don't think so. I believe according to the Scriptures and according to the sovereignty of God. We pray. We anoint with oil. We expect God to heal. Yet at the finality of the depth of the bottom of my heart I must say, Lord, not my will, but thy will be done. George Mueller's testimony of his daughter was that when they came to the place of total surrender and giving up to the will of God trusting the Lord that he will do that which is best that is where the turning point came and their daughter began to amend and to be restored. That's one testimony. There are multitudes of testimonies and right in this room of the grace and the power and the healing of God in miraculous ways and sometimes He chooses to work and work out a healing through the doctors and I don't believe it's faith to just tenaciously hold on and say I will not avail myself to the medical availabilities that we have for healing. If the arm is broken a simple setting of the arm and putting it in the cast will be wisdom and to deny that and deny the child or the individual of that and have the arm be healed crooked that wouldn't bring glory to God, would it? May the Lord help us as we look at these scriptures and as we trust God and believe God and that we are earnestly desirous for His will and for His name to be exalted. It's not my heart's desire to add or to subtract from this this morning and I welcome you to share with me. The prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up. If he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 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. There may be many reasons why people are healed or why they are not healed. And I believe sometimes we don't understand all of those reasons. Because we are not God. The Sovereign Lord He will do as He wills. He has appointed a day for our death. He knows my days are numbered. Oh, may I be wise and apply my heart unto wisdom that my days may be fulfilled in glorifying Christ. Yes, there may be sin. He says, confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed. That may be. Many times in anointings of oil there is confession of sin. And that's right. It is a good time to examine our hearts and to look and ask the Lord to search us and allow the affliction and the sickness to have a sanctifying effect upon our heart. And that we examine our heart. Lord, is it because of sin? But not in a condemning way that we condemn ourselves and we just go over our life with a fine tooth comb and try to find something. No, not that way. The Lord is clear when He speaks. When He convicts of sin, He does it in a clear manner. And He doesn't leave you hanging with a fog and a cloudiness and wandering. When God speaks, He speaks specifically and clearly. But sometimes we may need to persevere in prayer in seeking the face of the Lord that the clouds may be pushed back that we can see Why aren't people healed? I don't know. It could be because of sin. It could be maybe because we don't keep on praying. Because He gives us His example. It could be because we're not praying in faith. It could also be that it's the will of the Lord to take this person home to be with Him. Or to do a deep work of purifying the soul through affliction. Do we have room in our theology for that? Before I was afflicted, I went astray, said the psalmist. I know the testimony of a man that before his cancer, he wasn't walking with God. But after his cancer experience and he was taken through the valley of the shadow of death, it was a crying out to God and God revealed Himself in his sickness in a beautiful way and the man was gloriously saved. And he testified from a weak body that could hardly speak. A testimony that just brought a hush and a holy awe settling down on the hearts of all who heard. God was there in the midst. And the Lord raised him up. And today he's healthy. And healed. But some, oh, there's such a deep purifying in the life. And God takes him home to be with Himself. Now, how do we view that? May I be very frank this morning? Do we view that as the devil won the victory? Please don't say when I am laid in the casket that the devil won the victory. Because my life is in the hands of the Lord. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. But you know, we don't understand everything. God's ways are so much higher than our ways. It's not just a matter of believing prayer. I don't want to subtract from the word, but I know of situations where there was professed believing prayer being made by many. And my cousin, she died. She held on to faith, herself, right up to the very last that she's going to be raised up out of her sickbed. And finally in the end, it was with almost, I shouldn't say bitterness, but at least a great disappointment and hurt. Why, Lord, didn't you heal me? You know, finally, reality set in, I'm going to die. And I don't think we should be in denial. We shouldn't stick our heads in the sand and be in denial and say, well, you know, no, we just have to accept God, you're so much greater, you're so much bigger than I. Your plans are so much higher than mine. Lord, be glorified in my life, whether by life or by death. Elias, he was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly. And you know, we can read over that and it just sort of flies over our head. Elias was like you and I, brother. He was a human being just like you and I of like passion. Oh, we think of Elijah as this great man of faith and such a hero for God and he had such great faith. Well, what is great faith? It's either faith or it isn't, right? Either we believe God or we don't. But he believed God. And it tells us that he prayed earnestly that it might not rain if you wait not on the earth by the space of three years and six months and he prayed again and the heavens gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit. Well, if you examine that scripture and we won't take time this morning, I do want to get a bit of a panoramic view of the book. Elijah, he knew that God said if I shut up heaven that it rains not because of the people sinning against God and departing from God and going into idolatry and all of these things which they did, God's going to shut up heaven. He said he would. So Elijah, knowing God, knowing what God said, I believe he was not just saying, you know, I think I'll try this. No, he knew God had said. And the departure and the backsliding and the departure from God of Israel at that time, I mean, the worship of idols and everything that was going on, he could take one look and say, Lord, isn't it time that you honor your word and according to thy word he spoke to Ahab that day and he prayed and God heard and answered his prayer and it didn't rain. And then, of course, there's the Mount Carmel experience where all of these false prophets and everybody's gathered together and he says, let's have a test. Let's see who is God. The God that answered us by fire. Let him be God. And they all said, yep, this is a good test. And we know the story. And Elijah built an altar there and he dumped water on that altar he wanted to make so sure that nobody can say, well, he somehow rigged this thing. No. But he gave them first opportunity, you know, and they cried a lot all day and they cried unto Baal and Elijah even mocked them, said, oh, your God must be on a journey. Maybe he's sleeping. Cry louder. You know, he did all those things. But there was no answer. Neither voice. Nothing. Just nothing. Of course, idols of wood and stone and silver and gold had no breath in them. So, toward the time of evening sacrifice, he built up the altar of the Lord and he dumped the water in there and prayed unto the Lord. And before he was even finished praying, the fire fell. And everybody fell on their faces and said, the Lord, He is God. And then there was the great slaughter of all those false prophets and then Elijah prayed again and the heaven gave rain. Now, here's what I want us to see. This time, Elijah bowed himself to the earth with his head between his knees and then he sent a servant, said, now go look out toward the sea and see if you can see any clouds. Servant came back, said, no clouds. Elijah, with his head down, bowed before the Lord, continued in prayer according to James here. He sent his servant again. Go look. Did you see any clouds? He said, I don't see anything. Nothing. Now, can we stop right here just for a moment and apply this to our situations. Let us pray. But Lord, we did pray. She wasn't healed. But pray some more. Could it be? Could it be that's what God is saying? Seven times, he was bowed to the earth, praying. Seven times sending his servant. I believe this all happened in succession, I do believe. One long season of prayer, sending the servant seven times and continuing and believing God to send the rain. And we can apply that to many things in our lives. And we can go right into the New Testament teachings where Jesus says, keep on knocking, keep on asking, and you shall receive. It's not just a once and done. Keep on imploring and begging, even though it's midnight. Yes, because of her infertunity, that widow. He rises and gives as many as he needeth. And will not your Heavenly Father avenge those who cry unto Him day and night? It didn't stop just because you didn't get an answer in the day. The prayer goes on over into the night with a burden. Lord, I need bread. Lord, stretch forth thy hand to heal, they prayed in the book of Acts, that signs and wonders may be done in the name of thy holy child Jesus. Lord, glorify your name. Maybe we give up too soon. We anoint with oil and we pray, and then if there's no healing, well, must have not been the will of God. When the Lord would have us to keep on praying, and keep on praying, prayers of faith that would glorify the Lord and honor Him. And I speak that to my own heart. Pray, pray, pray. Verse 13, verse 14, verse 15, verse 16, verse 17, and verse 18. Pray, brethren, pray. Pray again. Pray earnestly. Pray in faith. Yes, confess your faults one to another. Verse 16. And pray, one for another, that ye may be healed. And I don't believe that that healing there in verse 16 is necessarily speaking of just physical bodily healing. But rather, that there be a healing. You know, when faults are confessed, and we humble ourselves, and we break that proud heart of stone, and we go to our brother and say, I'm sorry. I have a fault here. I've hurt you. I've spoken harshly. Will you please forgive me? Oh, and there can be prayer, one for another. And healing takes place. Husbands and wives, children and parents, employer and employee, brothers and sisters in Christ, maybe even an unbelieving neighbor, that you wronged. And you think if I go back to him and tell him that I wronged him, he would say, yeah, I see you hypocrite. No, actually, he might already see you hypocrite. And if you go back and say, I wronged you, I'm sorry. Would you please forgive me? He says, oh, this man's religion is real. He's genuine. Yes, confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. And the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. You know, it's more than just a little I lay me down to sleep prayer. But it's fervent. It's born out of a burden. Oh, that my eyes, the rivers of water, would run down with tears for the transgression of my people. Fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Are you on praying ground, brother? Are you on praying ground, sister? Or are your prayers stopped up? Am I on praying ground? Or are my prayers stopped up with sin in my own life? The prayer of a righteous man, it availeth much. Verse 19, Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth and one convert him, let him know that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his ways shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins. Oh, this takes. This takes humbleness and brokenness and Holy Ghost anointedness and Christ-likeness. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth and one convert him, to convert one that errs from the truth to bring him back, you don't see that a whole lot. Thank God you see it at times. That is not a work of the flesh. That is not a work of human psychology. That is a work of the Spirit in the heart and life of a child of God. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth and one convert him, oh, that God could find us faithful that He can use us in this way. That if there's those that err from truth, that there can be a turning and a converting rather than a going out and turning their back. I wonder how many have gone out and turned their back on God. Am I blameless? Or do I have blood on my hands? Beautiful promise, beautiful truth. Let him know that he that converteth the sinner from the error of his ways shall save the soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins. Yes, this is no little matter. He shall save a soul from death and hide a multitude of sins. Oh, the brother restored is a brother one. The sister restored is a sister one. Indeed. Amen. Let us go back to James chapter 1. We'll do a very quick overview. And as we do this, let us remember the book of James. If we were to summarize the book, it is defining true faith. It's a faith that produces works. I believe already in James this day when he was inspired by the Holy Ghost to write this, there was already a corruption of the word and meaning of faith. And God breathed out this letter by His Holy Spirit to correct this error and to bring a clear definition of faith before our eyes. Correcting the error of, it doesn't matter how I live, all that matters is that you believe in Jesus. James' burden was if you are truly born of the Spirit of God and have faith, it must produce works. Chapter 1. Faith produces victory over temptation. Chapter 2. Faith produces love toward all men so that we're not partial towards anyone. Chapter 3. It controls your tongue. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. It brings purity and patience in my life and separation from the world. As we look at these chapters very briefly, let us hold up the mirror of the Word of God before us and let's examine ourselves whether we be in the faith. The true faith as defined in the scriptures in the book of James and there have been many other scriptures we could look at. But is your faith real this morning? Is my faith real? Let us do a check-up by the Word of God and see whether our faith is genuine. Whether it's a real thing. Whether this is a real $10 bill or whether it's counterfeit. Whether this note is really of value or whether it's examined by the scrutiny of those who know how to examine the money and determine whether it's real, they will say it's counterfeit. So is a profession of faith that does not have these characteristics and fruit of the life as we will read here in James. Let us very quickly do a summary. Faith in chapter 1 is tested. Your faith and my faith is tested. It is tried. And when we are tested and tried this will show whether our faith is genuine or whether it is counterfeit. When we are entered into trials, difficulties in life, testings of our faith, sickness, financial reversals, opposition and we start to complain and we start to lose our confidence and steadfastness in the rock that will not move and we are shaken, it is testing our faith whether it's real and genuine. And we should be glad that our faith is tested and tried now. And the Bible says that we are to count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations knowing that the trying of your faith it worketh patience. When our faith is tested it will produce a patience. If I become impatient and irritable and just lose my way when my faith is tested it proves that it's lacking something. Not genuine. Because when it is tested it will produce patience. How do I respond in trials? Am I patient? Or do I become impatient and irritable and demanding and whatever all else the flesh wants to bring out. But our faith when it is tested He says it will produce a patience and patience will have a perfect work that you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing. That's James chapter 1 verse 4. And then he goes on to speak of wisdom and we'll move through these very rapidly. Wisdom he says if you lack wisdom ask of God. And we need wisdom in the trials and testings of life of our faith. Let us ask of God. And God He will not upbraid. And that word upbraid we might not quite get the definition today so I will give a further definition. God will not scold us. He'll not say you dummy, you should have known better. No, He won't. He says ask of me and I will give you the wisdom you need and I will not scold you. I will not upbraid you. I will not belittle you for coming to me with your questions and your need for wisdom and answers. Wisdom in trials. And He says you must also ask in faith which we have been talking about. We must come believing that He is and that He will answer and He will give us what we need. God giveth liberally abundantly more than what we can ask or think. It will be given Him. But let Him ask in faith nothing wavering because as the wave of the sea comes in and then the wave of the sea rolls back out and then it comes back in and then it rolls back out so is the unstable man or the double-minded man who says well yes, I believe God will give me what I need although I see it receding I don't think He'll give me what I need and then it comes back in oh yes, I believe God will give me what I need and He's wavering like the sea. The Bible has a promise for that man don't let that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord because you must come in faith. Let us examine our faith this morning. Is it the genuine faith that is spoken of in the Word of God? Let's move down to verse 12. Now He speaks of a different testing of faith and He says Blessed is the man that endures temptation for when he has tried he shall receive the crown of life and now when He's speaking of enduring temptation I believe here it is a temptation to sin which is very clearly spelled out in the Scriptures. He says Blessed is that man that endures temptation for when he has tried he shall receive the crown of life. Let us understand that no man when he is tempted should say I am tempted of God. This temptation to sin does not come from God and I think sometimes we get this thing confused and we almost blame God because you say well Lord you could have stopped it. God you allowed it. But God didn't tempt you. Rather temptation comes from within our own lust and enticed when we are enticed by our own lust. That old carnal man. That old nature. It comes from the devil putting thoughts into our mind like he did to Jesus. Told Jesus well if you are the Son of God then do this. I don't know that Jesus heard a voice audibly but these things were put in his mind. But Jesus rejected those thoughts and he rebuked the devil and he said we shall live not by these things or by bread alone but by every word of God that proceeded out of the mouth of God. My dear brothers and sisters today is our faith genuine in that we are overcoming sin and we understand the difference between temptation and sin. Sometimes I believe we get confused in this and we feel like an evil thought or a temptation like that to sin is already sin. But the evil thought and the temptation to sin is not already sin unless we start dwelling on it and we agree with it and we take it in and then it conceives as the scripture says there in James and then sin comes forth. There has to be an agreement with that. An example would be in our immodest world that we live in if you have a temptation to the lust of the eye and you see something that is wicked well we live in a wicked world. We can't help but what we see at times but we can help from dwelling on it and turning and taking a second look. Is that understood? Do we understand? And so that first sight if it wasn't relished and received is not sin. If it's refuted and rejected no, I will not dwell and think on those things. Thoughts are not sin but temptation. But if we agree with them and let them enter in then that is sin. Perhaps sometimes you become discouraged in that because you think as a Christian I should never have any temptations to sin. Well James was written to Christians but he says you shall overcome those temptations and you are blessed when you do. And so see God is testing God is testing us to see whether our faith is genuine and real. So don't be confused and become discouraged if you have temptation to sin. If you do not embrace it and receive it and conception take place then it is not sin to be tempted. But this victory over sin must come from above. He says in verse 17 Do not err my beloved brethren every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. Comes down from the Father of lights with whom is no viableness nor shadow of turning. Verse 19 Wherefore my beloved brethren let every man be swift to hear and slow to speak and slow to wrath. We are examining our faith whether it is genuine brothers and sisters. Am I swift to hear and slow to speak or must I get my word in there and interrupt and walk over top what the other person is saying. That's a need in my life. The Lord has been convicting me of that. Because I'm thinking what I'm going to say while the other person is speaking. And I don't want to forget my thought. It's important you know. It's more important than his. So I interrupt. Is my faith genuine? Swift to hear. Slow to speak. Just listen. Listen. Listen. And slow to wrath. It looks to me like these all go together. A man swift to speak may also be swift to wrath or anger. And he says, verse 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. The wrath of man, the anger of man it never works the righteousness of God. And then he gives us this beautiful picture of a mirror. Just like this morning. We are hearing the word of God. And it's like we're looking into a mirror. And we hear what God is saying. And I can think in my own heart and mind you know the message I heard that really convicted me. That message two weeks ago. And while I was sitting in church hearing the message I need to do something about that. But when I got out away from the message and the freshness of it on my heart be doers of the word and not hearers only because if you just are a hearer and you can say amen but we don't do. It deceives us. We deceive our own heart. Now verse 26 He gives us a verse here ahead of its time. But we'll read it. If any man among you seem to be religious and bridal if not his tongue but deceive of his own heart this man's religion is vain. Now let's just hold that one till we get over to chapter 3. And let's look at verse 27. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this is to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world. Is my religion and my faith genuine? It is clearly manifest. It cares for the poor. It cares for the orphans. It cares for the widows in their affliction. It doesn't just go to church Sunday morning. But it's real and genuine in ministering to the poor. Jesus said the poor you always have with you minister to the poor. Give to the poor. Is my religion that kind of a religion? Is my faith genuine? In that it gives to the poor. It reaches out beyond myself. And I don't just have my hands clenched to hold on to all my things. All my wealth. All my goods. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the widows to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction. Oh and it does something else. And to keep oneself unspotted from the world. And now let's not turn that on the other person. May I just turn it on myself. When we think of unspotted from the world often it goes to external things that are more temptations for young people. What about me? At age 49 how am I unspotted from the world? Or how am I spotted? With the world. Do I have the value system of the world? At age 49 materialism wealth these things Am I different? From the world? Unspotted from the world. Oh so many things. Chapter 2 Faith that is real that works. Will not have respect to persons. The faith that God breathed out through James says if you have respect to that man who's got it all together he's got all the right clothes on has enough of money to take care of himself and I mean he's a right godly steward of all of his money he's got all his ducks in a row and he comes in there to your church and you say this man you sit up here and then the poor man comes in he's needy he doesn't have it all together doesn't know how to comb just right doesn't know how to wear all the right clothes she hasn't learned how to sew perfectly yet and all these different things and then we say to the one sit you here ah you're a good person and the other person well you have a long way to go yet you sit back here and we may not do that in in physical practice of where people sit in the church but if that attitude is in the heart you have respect to the one who wears the gay clothing say sit down here but you say to the other sit under my footstool you know how is it is it the wealthy is it the successful in business that get the seats of honor and that poor soul who's struggling God delivered him from their life of sin but my they had a lot of debt and a lot of stuff to make up for and they're a righteous man so they're not going to file bankruptcy so they're still paying on those things on credit cards from their years wasted in sinning and they can't afford to buy a property they're still renting their children wear a little less nice clothes they have to get them at the goodwill you know oh Lord is our faith genuine or do we have respect to persons and are become partial in ourselves verse 4 and become judges of evil thoughts verse 9 if you have respect to persons he commits sin you know this is really serious he says if one keeps the whole law yet if any one point he's guilty of all for he that said do not commit adultery also said do not kill if thou commit no murder or adultery yet if thou kill it art becoming transgressor of the law you know and so I think he puts his respect to persons right in with adultery and murder it's sin oh verse 13 he shall have judgment without mercy that has showed no mercy oh God grant me to always remember the depth of the pit from where I've been digged that I have mercy on my dear sinner friends and show mercy this faith works it gives to those in need in the church verse 15 there is a brother or sister who is destitute of daily food it's real not just talk but it's real verse 26 of chapter 2 is sort of a conclusion as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also now we have the whole chapter 3 on the tongue and I wonder as I look at my own heart do I take this serious as God does do I take this thing serious like the Lord does he says if any man seek to be religious and bridle doth not his tongue he deceiveth his own heart and if man's religion is vain and that word vain it's just very simply it's worthless it's just like 1 Corinthians chapter 13 though I have all these works though I can do miracles and have not love it's zero so he says here we may have all these works we have all these things that which passes for godliness it has an appearance of godliness and righteousness but if the tongue if my tongue is unbridled my religion is vain it's worthless zero do I really believe it do I really believe it Lord that you say all my religion all my exercises of godliness all my separation from the world all my doing good all my regular church attendance all my communions all my foot washings they're nothing if I'm a gossip if I can't control my tongue he gives the illustration of horses gives the illustration of ships though so strong a horse if there's no bit in his mouth he just runs wild and he's useless that great ship with all of its compartments to store all of its goods that it's going to float across the ocean you cut that rudder loose and it'll run afoul and aground it'll never reach its destination just that little rudder I believe that's what he's trying to get our attention with in our Christian life all of those other things may be in order and they're right and good and necessary but if I cannot control my tongue oh, what a fire of hell who's a wise man? oh, wisdom from heaven it's pure glory it's peaceable it's gentle easy to be entreated it's full of mercy good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace is my faith real? or is it counterfeit? chapter four ye adulterers and adulteresses verse four know ye not that friendship of the world is enmity with God whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God he is friend of the world is the enemy of God friend of God? the world is crucified unto him is your faith real? we live in a day when it says you can be a Christian and love the world too and go to heaven at the last that's false it's a lie from the pit of hell he that will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God ah genuine faith real faith it's humble submits itself to God verse seven, verse eight nine and ten humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord he shall lift you up real faith draws an eye to God and it cleanses from sin verse eight and it purifies the heart humble dear brothers and sisters is my faith genuine and real according to the scripture this is a real note of currency that under the examination of the author it will stand the author of this currency he will test it it will stand the author of our eternal salvation will one day examine our faith we will stand before his piercing eyes and he will try every work faith that worketh by love it's real faith without works is dead it's been a challenge to hear the laying out this test of faith for every one of us I would encourage each one of us to take these things to heart and continue your meditation on God's word some have said that the book of James is not really in agreement with the book of Romans where Paul says that faith about faith and works he says salvation is not of works it's by faith alone not of works and then James comes along and says some things in a different way but there is a middle road there is a place where yes salvation is by faith alone but the person that has true faith that will work itself out in these areas of life according to the book of James I do believe that I see it being worked out I know it's real and there is a real peace and joy as we experience God's blessing in our life in this area of faith these things do become reality if they're not reality in your life then I would encourage you to seek God as to what the problems would be also thought about the teaching on faith for healing there I thought of Elijah and his passion he was a man of like passions as we are and I think his passion is what caused him to pray he had a passion for God he had a passion for the righteousness of God and for God's people and that caused him to do something about it also about the healing I think Aaron did a good job of laying out that scripture anointing of oil for healing and so forth it says that the prayer of faith shall save the sick this translation doesn't necessarily say heal the sick but save the sick and I do believe that the overall thing is that God wants our souls to be in right standing with him whether we get healed physically or not he does want us to be healed spiritually that is the real goal I was blessed with the testimony of a brother up in Manitoba when we were up there this older brother came and visited and he shared some of his testimony I was really blessed and he was in the hospital he had contracted cancer and was very sick this man had lived in a life of sin all his days he had run away from home he had lived it out in the world in all kinds of evil and so forth and his life was just a mess and he knew it and he said the doctor pulled the chair up beside his bed and he said the doctor does that to you when you are in a hospital bed you know it is going to be serious and the doctor told him he has cancer and he said it is in bad shape and then when he said to the doctor he said something to that extent he said you know what doctor the problem is not the cancer the problem is there is no Christianity in me and upon that confession of that man saying that he got saved things immediately changed in his life simply by confessing that there is no Christianity in me actually he was saying I am a sinner that is really what he said to God but in his own language it came out that way that man found Christ and I was so blessed to hear that testimony so I do believe God's overall purpose in trials and testing and all these things whether it be by difficult life circumstances whether it be by sickness God's design for us is that we might come to know him and we come to know him through these things he does want to manifest himself he does want to prove himself to each one of us he wants every one of us to realize that he loves us and he cares for us in every way amen is there anybody that has a testimony to share I am not going to give much time but if you have one pressing on your heart I will let you share one over here I do have a testimony pressing on my heart so I should share it it involves two healings in the last two years with my children and my background is a conservative one even though it was an evangelical one, healing was not something that was very frequent in my circles so I I want to give glory to God for genuine healing. The first occurred with my son who had what is called a hydroseal the only method of curing that after he reached a certain age was surgery and I brought him before our elders here at charity and they anointed him and there wasn't a healing and I set a date for the surgery and it was confirmed that is what he needed and I didn't have a piece if I had the resources the time to proceed I didn't have a piece and I began to ask the Lord what do you want to show here Lord is there something in my life that is amiss. Well at the time I was starting a home business and God began to reveal to me just a spirit of forcefulness I was driven to get this business off the ground and God began to show that there was a correlation in my life and in my sin and what was happening. I don't want to say that that's always the case but in this my testimony that was the truth so I began to repent and cry out to the Lord and show me and he showed that I needed to lay that business on the altar and it was another year before he allowed me to pick it up again but I held it with a loose grip and over the course of that year my children and I were praying, my wife as well but my children were checking off days in their little journals and after about 80 days of concentrated prayer my little boy was and is completely healed and the surgery was not necessary. I was very thankful to God for that but then recently God humbled me again and a couple of weeks ago we had noticed that our little girl was not doing well we assumed that it was a teething fever but it hung on and it came during a busy time, in fact we had had hospitality, a lot of folks over but once people had left our home, her symptoms became very apparent. My wife began to search through a medical encyclopedia that we have and it was obviously signs of what is called spinal meningitis. Well, three days into it, it's pretty well set. Even antibiotics will take a couple of days and some of the causes or results are brain damage or death and when I realized what had happened I just said, Lord, I need to act quickly here. So I went up to my office my wife had spoken to our midwife as well as a physician, they said you need to get her to the hospital immediately. But again, I felt a heaviness in my spirit that there was something wrong with me as well. And I fell on my face and in desperation I cried out, Lord, show me what is going on with me and I'm ready to take her to the doctors, I've been to the doctors before, I'm not against it. But I was raised in that kind of thinking as I said, I was not raised in a charismatic mentality. But I cried out to the Lord and he said, Jeff you are holding a grudge against a brother. And I began to repent of that and I said, Lord, if you're going to choose to touch my little girl, please do it quickly or I'm going to take her to the hospital. Immediately she began to just brighten up, to be clear, to smile, to coo, and I just said, Lord, you're touching her. This is about me. Well, we decided not to take her because to diagnose it as a spinal tap, it's a very painful procedure. The next day she was very weak. The healing didn't occur. Even as with my little boy, it didn't occur immediately. God had to do further breaking. But each day as that little girl got stronger, I felt I was getting weaker in my pride and my self-righteousness. This was a sin that I had against a brother. My little girl is doing great. She's completely restored. And I can say that my heart, I can say that my soul, to be specifically towards my brother, is restored. By God's grace, I called him and I said, you know, I want to ask you something. I know we have a disagreement, but in our interaction, have you felt judged by me? Have you felt I've been angry or harsh? He said, no. He says, I don't at all. I have not felt that between us. I said, well, I just wanted to seek that. Would you tell me if I was or am or would be in the future? This is a blind spot I have. When I feel I know a truth and someone disagrees with me, I get very fervent. He said, well, I've seen that in you, but no, you've not been rude or harsh with me. So I felt clear with that. Then after I got out the phone with him, I realized the Lord was saying, Jeff, it's me that you have grieved. Maybe you could be, by my grace, collected on the outside, but inside you have justified wrong thoughts and wrong feelings. God humbled me. I just thank God for His mercy in these two particular situations to do healings in my children, but also to do healing in my soul and show me how important it is to walk in God's grace. Brother Denny's message last Sunday was perfect. Again, I want to thank the Lord for Brother Aaron and his message today. I felt it was just very balanced, very clear, very biblical. I just bless God that when there are afflictions and trials, if we seek Him, there are answers behind them. God is not a God of chaos. He's a God of order. If we will humble ourselves and ask Him, many times He will show us the reason why it's behind an affliction. I'm not saying He always does. I'm not that well versed in this. This is, for the last two years, a new theme or a new work of grace in our lives. But I am very thankful for God's healing, again, in my children and in my own soul. Thank you, Jeff, for that testimony. Of faith. Yes, I really appreciate the message also on the healing. I thought it was very well balanced. We see those Scriptures where we believe. I believe very strongly and firmly God can heal. He has the power to do that. I believe it's right to call for the elders for anointing. I was reflecting on my own experiences past year or so with my wife being quite ill. We had her anointed a few times during that time. We learned many lessons and the Lord showed us that He is sovereign. That He is in control. My wife and I both believe very strongly in God's power to heal. It was not a lack of faith that prevented that kind of a miraculous healing or healing as a direct result of prayer and anointing. We do have that faith. We do believe. But God showed me that He is sovereign. That He is in control. We had to learn those lessons as we walked it out. As we walked through it. I reflected often on different Scriptures especially in the Gospels of Jesus healing many times and I said, okay Lord, I believe this. We believe it. But God has other ways. God has things He wants to work out sometimes as it was mentioned in times of trial. We did turn to the doctors. We did turn to medical help. As many of you know, my wife had surgery four weeks ago. It's recovering. It seems like it has a good effect. It might take some time to recover fully because she was sick for so long. For me, in a way, it was a humbling. I had to admit, okay Lord, we have to go to this route of doctors not just for medication but a pretty serious step of surgery. We had to go through that. We had to allow God to work even in that way. I had to face some things in my own heart because whenever you face surgery, the thought is what if it doesn't turn out the way you hope? What if the person that you love most in the world other than the Lord maybe doesn't make it through? I really felt the Lord at one point brought that into my heart saying, Ron, can you face that? Would you face even that if it would be my will? That wouldn't have happened if she would have been healed earlier. Sometimes the Lord wants to use these things and that was a very difficult thing for me to face. My wife and I even talked about it as we were in the van driving to the hospital that day to have the surgery. The children were taken care of by others and we actually were able to talk about how it would be. I never thought we could do that but we actually had the grace of God to talk about that. It was a real thing that I had to face. And we could only face it because we believe that God is sovereign. He's allowing it to go this way. We have to face these things. God gave us the grace to do that. The grace to trust him. And so yes, God is sovereign and we're grateful for the way that it turned out. But I'm glad I was able to to avail myself of God's grace to be able to face even that. And so we all have to think as we go through these difficulties and trials. Yes, we have to believe. Yes, we have to have faith. But then we have to see, Lord, what do you want to do? What is your will? You're sovereign. What are you trying to do in our lives? What are you trying to work out? We need to see that also and pay attention to that also. And that involves faith as well. So thank you for the message, brother. It was I thought it was well balanced. It spoke to my heart. Okay, thank you, brother, for sharing. I see our time has gone by.