Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland
Pastor: Colin Maxwell. Email: colin.maxwell@fpcmission.org
FREE PRESBYTERIAN ISSUES -- GOSPEL ISSUES -- PROTESTANT ISSUES -- EVANGELISM ISSUES -- CALVINISM
ISSUES -- C.H. SPURGEON INDEX -- SERMON NOTES -- MAIN
The immediate context of this text lies in the exhortation that James has been giving to warring Christians
This lies both before and after the text at hand
[i] Before: Where faults are to be confessed one to another
[ii] After: Words of v19-20
There is nothing like prayer to sort out erring Christians
Of course, we are to reason and plead and rebuke and even discipline where necessary - always put feet on your prayers!
But all these various routes could be gone down and no change effected
There is no automatic "how to" in God's work
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it (Psalm 127:1)
They might lay a good foundation - erect good solid walls etc.,
but if God is not there to bless the efforts, then it is all in vain
Perhaps it alludes to the building of a family and we might think of a man desiring the best for his offspring etc.,
He may teach them to pray from an early age and read the Bible
He may prevent certain things from coming into the house etc.,
But we all know that this in itself does not automatically mean godliness
Likewise when we come to this matter of erring Christians - would that
it were as easy to sort out as sitting down for a nice but firm wee chat
That every hitch was a little one and easily mended
But this is not so!
Therefore James enjoins and enlarges upon thought of prayer
This is where the necessary spark will come from - the great wind that makes the dry bones live once again etc.,
4 matters on this subject that James introduces us to:
1) THE SCRIPTURE VINDICATED:
Scripture here is vindicated in two ways:
[i] There is a good use made of it
Obviously mere common sense alone cannot sort out any problems
While no solution will be contrary to sound/common sense, yet (again) in itself, we cannot be assured that it will work
We need to fall back on the word/God for spiritual matters
Bible is eminently suited to every situation
All scripture is given by inspiration
of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness:
(1 Timothy 3:16)
Here in most difficult/circumstances where sin, possibly causing
affliction, to the perpetrator and distress/rupture to the saints
James does not abandon the Book for a quick fix job or for pragmatism
Rather, he runs to the Book to provide a foundation for what is to come
Let us do likewise in our situations
This is to honour the Book which God has given
It elevates it to its rightful place as the final authority
It recognises God's place in His own church
The Councils of men will have their place - do not be so hasty in
casting out past wisdom - but let it all be subject to what is written
in the Book
This was Luther's earthshaking charge at the Diet/Worms
It is formally formulated in the COE Prayer Book (Cranmer)
But such can never be attributed to the Scriptures/Truth (definition)
[ii] He made good use of the OT - a collection/books perceived by many to be about wrath and anger and everything negative
[iii] He made good use of the case of Elijah in particular
If ever a man/Bible would have been rejected by the religious
establishment and the powers that be - the respectable/Israel: Elijah
He was a fighter and a contender for the faith
He was not a mouth foamer or a name caller and nothing else
But he was did not pull back either and confronted the apostasy/Ahab full time and big time
Ahab hated him with a vengeance and called him; "Troubler/Israel"
He mocked the prophets/Baal and saw them utterly wiped out
This is the man (a fighter) to whom James turns to stop a fight!
Is that not strange? Not meek/lowly Moses but the fiery prophet Elijah
We must examine this further
2) THE PROPHET EXAMINED:
We have given some details already about Elijah
Called/God to be a fighter - a scrapper with apostasy and fought well
But there is more to Elijah than this
Elijah was not a crank - He was a prophet (God's prophet)
A/ Notice his weakness: A man of like passions as we are
He knew fear and thoughts of loneliness etc.,
He wanted to be loved and accepted by others and feared rejection
These are natural feelings that normal people desire
They only become wrong if we put them ahead of faithfulness to God
Faithfulness/God often robs us of these basic requirements, but still:
Elijah was no superman - but flesh/bones like the rest of us
That's all God wants to use - ordinary people sold out to Him
B/ He was a man of strength: He was a righteous man (v16)
His righteousness was two fold:
[i] It was imputed righteousness; Jeremiah 23:6/1 Corinthians 1:30
If he didn't have this- then he wasn't justified before God
[ii] It was a practical, holy, outward righteousness (Sanctification)
This is the evidence that we are dealing here with a saved man and
therefore the best example possible to deal with warring Christians
Elijah was a holy man/God - not without fault - but holy nevertheless
C/ Elijah knew how to pray
Note the powerful adjectives associated with his prayers:
Effectual/fervent/earnest - this wasn't half hearted stuff
Here is the secret of Elijah's success story
Without deriding the praying of others/Bible - like Jacob who wrestled
with God or Daniel or David/Psalms - God chose Elijah was an
example
D/ Elijah knew what to ask for when he prayed: (v17-18)
Pastoral approach brought needed judgement followed by needed relief
He was no soft touch, riddled with compromise, nor was he a hard man wanting his last pound of flesh
Here was a work to be done and Elijah was balanced enough to do it
E/ Maybe this example of Elijah frightens you
That he was a man/like passions does not (as it should) allay your fears
Please remember: His strength here is not in his indomitable personality
Yes…he just burst on to the scene in 1 Kings 17 like a clap of thunder
He goes head to head with Ahab and answers back fearlessly when charged
as a troubler/Israel - he throws the accusation back into Ahab's face
and adds a bit more: thou and thy father's house
His performance/showdown with prophets/Baal amuses and challenges
His faith as he waits for the fire to fall sends shivers down our spines
He is the OT Luther and Calvin and Knox all rolled into one man
He is a Reformer, a Puritan and a Covenanter all at one/same time
He did these things when convinced (although wrong in his calculations)
that he stood alone: Did not know of the 7,000 other faithful ones
But even his error only serves to magnify the man
F/ But where does James draw his lessons from?
The fact that he prayed earnestly to God
When we pray to God for help, we implicitly admit our helplessness
If we were not helpless but self sufficient, we would not need to pray
We could almost talk to God (on this matter) as an equal
If I talked to a world leader, I might not be able to say, "I have your
power/authority etc.," but I could say: "I don't need your money"
I could refuse any cheque he might want to give me and not starve
But on this great matter, I cannot turn away anything God would give me
From the beginning to the very end and all in between, we are dependent
upon God - we come as complete beggars (like mighty Elijah had to do)
3) THE PROVIDENCE EXPLAINED:
A/ Doubtless there were many answers to prayer on Elijah's part
The most dramatic was doubtless at the showdown/the prophets of Baal
But this is not the example which James uses to encourage us
It is the meteorological one about when the rainfall (!)
B/ It would be amiss to read too much into this one, especially when we think about warring Christians etc.,
Better to retain the dignity/Bible than look for a fancy interpretation
So we will again draw the lesson mainly from the fact that all this was
in answer to prayer: Elijah himself could not control the weather
God alone is in control of the weather
Man can hardly predict it or track it, never mind control it
All these things are in the hand of the sovereign God of Heaven:
And also I have withholden the rain
from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused
it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city:
one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not
withered. (Amos 4:7)
Again (in a wonderfully devotional piece) we read of the Lord Jesus:
And he said unto them, Where is your
faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What
manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and
they obey him. (Luke 8:25)
C/ I know that some church disputes can get very bitter indeed
But God can change hearts just as He can change the weather
Our prayers do not give Him more strength to do so, but we are encouraged to make use of means that these things might be so
4) THE APPLICATION WIDENED:
A/ There are principles here that are wider than a problem in the church between squabbling Christians
B/ Think of evangelism where immense difficulties arise in getting people just to listen to the gospel never mind receive it
Does Elijah not provide us with the answer? He prayed earnestly
He had all the passions we have
He desired God's glory - He knew the value of man's soul and the horror
of its irrecoverable loss etc., and he could do little else but pray
Yes…he put feet on his prayers
I remember reading the illustration about a man who just sat on a park
bench and prayed that God would save the lost but did nothing else
Point was made that he should certainly pray, but also engage in some
evangelism - a few tracts and conversations would greatly help
C/ Think of others matter where we cannot afford to be left on our own
without Divine help - here is a key passage to turn to
Prayer (humanly speaking) changes things and that for the good
Let us not fail to make recourse to the chief weapon in our armoury
THE END