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[ LPM Friday Service - 28th
September 2007]
James
5:13-18
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 have 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. (Jas 5:13-18)
We are given
reasons to pray:
- suffering afflictions (verse 13)
- sickness (verse 14)
-
confession
of sins (verses 15-16)
- the
healing of the sick (verse 15)
- forgiveness
of sins (verse 15)
The text also gives an Old Testament
example of the power of prayer. Verses
17-18 site Elijah praying to God to
stop the rain and then for it to
return three and a half years later.
This account is recorded in 1 Kings
17-18.
The effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much. (Jas 5:16)
4 Lessons:
1.Prayers Are Effectual
2.Prayers Must Be Fervent
3.Prayers Must Come from the
Righteous
4.Prayers Will Avail.
Prayers
Are Effectual
"The effectual fervent
prayer..."
The Greek word for "effectual" is
energeo,
which means, "to be active,
efficient" (Biblesoft)
The root word also means
"operative" and "powerful". (Biblesoft)
Thayer Definition:
1) to be operative, be at work,
put forth power
1a) to work for one, aid one
2) to effect
3) to display one’s activity, show
one’s self operative
Conclusion: our prayers are
operative in that they produce
action.
Prayers Must
Be Fervent:
"The effectual fervent prayer..."
Webster defines fervent as "intensely
devoted or earnest" .
A fervent prayer is one offered with
great devotion, or with a great amount
of
feeling and conviction.
According to Strong's, the
Greek words for "effectual" and
"fervent" are linked
together, coming from the same word.
Fervent comes from
the Greek word deesis,
which means petition or "an
approach to God in prayer, where the
emphasis is on the sense of need
characteristic of the one who
supplicates“.
An inferior
approaches a superior using devotion
to have a need met.
Conclusion: a fervent prayer is offered with a great amount of
devotion.
Fervent prayer is praying with
THE WHOLE HEART - prayer that
will not give up
until the answer comes. It is the
prayer of FAITH.
Prayers
Must Come from the Righteous
"the effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man."
The Greek word for “righteous" is
dikaios,
which means, "equitable (in
character or act); by implication
innocent, holy
(absolutely or relatively): -
just, meet, right (-eous)” (Strongs)
Thayer Definition:
1) righteous, observing divine
laws
1a) in a wide sense, upright,
righteous, virtuous, keeping the
commands of God
1a1) of those who seem to
themselves to be righteous, who
pride themselves to be righteous,
who pride themselves in their
virtues, whether real or imagined
1a2) innocent, faultless,
guiltless
1a3) used of him whose way of
thinking, feeling, and acting is
wholly conformed to the will of
God, and who therefore needs no
rectification in the heart or life
1a3a) only Christ truly
1a4) approved of or acceptable of
God
Thayer Definition:
1b) in a narrower sense, rendering
to each his due and that in a
judicial sense, passing just
judgment on others, whether
expressed in words or shown by the
manner of dealing with them
"A 'righteous' man is one who
does right. But, only those
who keep the
commandments do right; therefore,
a righteous man is one who keeps
the
commandments“. (Woods commentary)
Therefore as by the offence of
one judgment came upon
all men to condemnation; even
so by the righteousness of one
the free gift came upon
all men unto justification of
life. For as by one man's
disobedience many were made
sinners, so by the obedience
of one shall many be made
righteous.
(Rom 5:18-19)
For the eyes of the Lord
are over the righteous,
and his ears are open
unto their prayers: but the
face of the Lord is
against them that do evil.
(1Pe 3:12)
Conclusion:
Righteousness is the act of
pleasing God. The blood of
Jesus has made us Righteous.
If we walk in the Spirit and
not the flesh we will not
experience condemnation as we
approach the Throne of God in
prayer.
Prayers Will Avail
"the effectual fervent prayer
of a righteous man availeth much."
The Greek word for “availeth"
is ischuo”
which means, "to have
(or exercise) force
(literally or figuratively): -
beable, avail, can do
([-not]), could, be good,
might, prevail, be of
strength, be whole, + much
work.” (Strongs)
Webster defines avail as "to
be of use, help, worth, or
advantage"
We also notice the word
"much." This word is an adverb
describing a degree or amount.
Webster uses "great in
quantity, amount, degree,
etc." to define it.
Availeth much, then, gives a
meaning of great use or
advantage.
1)
to be strong
1a)
to be strong in
body, to be robust, to be
in sound health
2)
to have power
2a)
to have power as
shown by extraordinary
deeds
2a1)
to exert, wield
power, to have strength to
overcome
2b)
to be a force,
avail
2c)
to be serviceable
Conclusion
An effectual prayer is one that is able to produce.
A fervent prayer is one that is offered with much
devotion.
A righteous man is one who obeys
the commands of the
Lord and is
born-again.
A prayer that availeth is one that produces benefits due to great power.
Much indicates a large quantity.
Prayers offered with devotion by those who obey
the Lord are able to
produce a large quantity of benefit due to great
power.
Siva Moodley
www.sivamoodley.com
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