https://bible.com/events/48857744

James and Elijah: One Like Us

When was the last time that you believed your prayer really mattered to God?

‭‭James‬ ‭5:17-18‬‬
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭17:1‬‬
Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭18:27-29‬‬
At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭18:36-38‬‬
At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

We know that prayer was essential to Elijah because:

– He had to depend on God completely
– The importance of prayer outweighed the risk of prayer
– He knew God and trusted him

Bottom line: not only should we commit our lives to prayer, we must.

1. Prayer draws us near to the heart of God
2. God responds when we pray

James in 8 Minutes
This overview video on the book of James breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY

James and Elijah: One Like Us (ER)

East Rock Campus
James 5:17-18

Welcome back to our “white flag lap” of our journey through the book of James.

Towards the end of Chapter 5, James catches a deep breath of sorts, and gives us a few parting thoughts before he closes out his letter.

These were likely some of the last words of a man who would face death because of his faith in Christ. As we saw last week in our study, one of James’ primary concerns is that we would be people of prayer.

One of the key points James makes in this teaching on prayer, is that it is for everyone. The promise of powerful and effective prayer is for every follower of Jesus who has experienced forgiveness and new life in Him.

That begs the question of us today- Do you believe that?

As we continue in our teaching text today, James highlights a well-known character in the Old Testament- The prophet Elijah

‭‭James‬ ‭5:17-18‬‬
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Notice here in the text, before he says anything else on the matter, James emphasizes, that Elijah was not a super-being, but a human just like James’ readers.

When James wants to illustrate for us that “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” he brings the well-known prophet Elijah. A man just like us, who staked his life on prayer.

‭‭James‬ ‭5:17‬‬
Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.

We find the story of Elijah that James is referencing in 1Kings 17-19:10

Ahab was the king of Israel during the time of Elijah and things were not going so well.

1 Kings 16:33 records “Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him”

So literally, this was the worst king the nation of Israel had ever had.

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭17:1‬‬
Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”

In response to the nations sin and idolatry, God brought about a drought so severe that not even the morning or evening dew fell upon the ground.

In the story, the Lord tells Elijah to head east and hide out for a while, because the kings wife is out to kill all of the prophets of the Lord.

As the story goes on, three years pass before the Lord’s next command comes to Elijah. Sometimes, impossible prayers often involve impossible amounts of patience and waiting on the Lord.

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭18:1-2‬‬
After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria,

3 years without rain has left the land desolate and the King was desperate, and more than a little angry with the Prophet Elijah.

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭18:17-21‬‬
When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.

Through bold courageous faith, Elijah calls for a showdown between the prophets of Baal and the Lord

What follows is story of victory that was etched into the minds of the people of God for generations to come.

This was the amazing story that James is calling on to remind his readers that the power of prayer, the power of this story, is still available for believers today.

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭18:22-24‬‬
Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”

The prophets of Baal called upon their gods all day, with no response.
No fire came down, nothing happened. Elijah even begins to taunt them, saying their god must be asleep, or busy, or in the bathroom. So they cried out more fervently, but nothing happened.

Finally, that evening, Elijah invited all to come near and see the Lord move. Elijah ordered that water be poured over the wood, the bull, and the altar until it was completely soaked. There was no way this thing was going to catch fire.

Then Elijah, the man, Prayed…

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭18:36-39‬‬
At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Elijah prayed and the Lord moved mightily, accomplishing the impossible.

Do you believe today that your prayers have that kind of power?

Do you believe that through prayer you can see impossible things happen because you have sought the Lord?

Do you believe that your family can change? That relatives can be saved? That healing can happen? all because you prayed?

Do you believe that your community can see revival- that Elkton, VA could be known as the place that the Lord started the next great awakening?

The worst mistake a Christian can make is to assume that, just because the Lord might not have answered some of your past prayers in ways that you desired or expected, you shouldn’t bother praying. That’s the devil’s favorite tune.

When James invites his people to tap into the power of prayer- I believe he knew that they were wrestling with these doubts.

He knows that we have a tendency to elevate characters of the bible to a super spiritual status, that us normal folks can never attain to.

That’s why the first thing he says about Elijah is that he is a man just like us. He had doubts, struggled with depression, fear, and frustrations, just like you and me!

James’ audience also knew what happened next in Elijah’s story

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19:1-5‬‬
Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”

The man who just challenged 450 pagan prophets, call the king a troubler of the nation, called down fire from heaven to consume a waterlogged sacrifice, then chased down and executed the false prophets

That guy- Elijah- was afraid for his life and ran 80 miles away and told the Lord he wanted to die, that he was done.

A character that we may have chalked up as a superhero, suddenly becomes very human doesn’t he?

He becomes frail, weak, and emotional- just like us.

In his final parting words on prayer James has chosen a character from scripture that I think we can all relate to, to show us that the power of prayer is for everyone.

People who struggle with depression, people who get frustrated, people who have fears, people who feel like they are all alone-People just like you.

What would it look like for you to pray like Elijah today?

You see the invitation of James to prayer is not that we should pray- but that we MUST pray- no matter what.

James in 8 Minutes
This overview video on the book of James breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY

http://bible.com/events/48855600

James and the Power of Prayer
Prayer is not a last resort for the powerless.
It is the first weapon we have from an all-powerful God.

‭‭James‬ ‭5:13-16‬‬
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

-In trouble? Pray
-Happy? Sing songs of praise to God
-Sick? Ask the elders to pray over you
-Sinned? Go to God in prayer for forgiveness

No matter what your situation – no matter what – go to the Lord immediately.

-Prayer is ultimately about coming to Him
-Prayer does something in me, as I pray
-Prayer does something in us, as we pray together
-Prayer is powerful

“The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” James 5:16 (The Message)

Prayer is not a last resort for the powerless.
It is the first weapon we have from an all-powerful God.

Verses for further study/reflection:
Philippians 4:6-7
1 John 5:14
Mark 11:22-25
Matthew 18:19-20
Romans 8:26-27

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:5-13‬‬
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’

‭‭James‬ ‭5:13-16‬‬
Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out. Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.

James in 8 Minutes
This overview video on the book of James breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY

http://bible.com/events/48855600

James and the Power of Prayer
Prayer is not a last resort for the powerless.
It is the first weapon we have from an all-powerful God.

‭‭James‬ ‭5:13-16‬‬
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

-In trouble? Pray
-Happy? Sing songs of praise to God
-Sick? Ask the elders to pray over you
-Sinned? Go to God in prayer for forgiveness

No matter what your situation – no matter what – go to the Lord immediately.

-Prayer is ultimately about coming to Him
-Prayer does something in me, as I pray
-Prayer does something in us, as we pray together
-Prayer is powerful

“The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” James 5:16 (The Message)

Prayer is not a last resort for the powerless.
It is the first weapon we have from an all-powerful God.

Verses for further study/reflection:
Philippians 4:6-7
1 John 5:14
Mark 11:22-25
Matthew 18:19-20
Romans 8:26-27

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:5-13‬‬
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’

‭‭James‬ ‭5:13-16‬‬
Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out. Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.

James in 8 Minutes
This overview video on the book of James breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY

http://bible.com/events/48849730

James and the Power of Patience
“Be patient and stand firm because the Lord’s coming is near.” James 5:8

‭‭James‬ ‭5:7-11‬‬
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

-This is not just a call to patience in general, but rather a command to be patient in suffering.
-Farmers don’t plant seeds and expect instant crops. They wait. That’s the visual here.
-In essence what James is saying is, “Don’t give up (be patient) and as you are enduring, encourage yourselves, strengthen your hearts (stand firm).”
-The reality of Christ’s return is a promise that we are not alone in our suffering. He is with us now through the power of His Spirit, and He is coming back!

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24:10-13‬‬
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Applying these truths in our lives today:
1. STOP being surprised
-we cannot be surprised when hard times come in our lives
-“consider it joy when you face trials” (James 1:2)
-Jesus said “in this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33)
2. START standing firm
-Don’t be surprised. Hard times will come. Challenges will come. This broken world will experience more brokenness. Be patient. Stand firm.
-We can stand firm, because our eyes are fixed on Him.
-We can stand firm, because His promises are true.
-We can stand, because His Spirit is within us. And this is not the end.

Verses for further study/reflection:
Romans 12:12
Galatians 6:9
Romans 8:25
Ephesians 4:2
Psalm 37:7-9

‭‭James‬ ‭5:7-11‬‬
Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time. Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner. Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.

James in 8 Minutes
This overview video on the book of James breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. In this book, James combines the wisdom of his brother Jesus with the book of Proverbs in his own challenging call to live a life wholly devoted to God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY