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James Chapter Five

 
Chapter Five General Review
 
OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THE CHAPTER
 
1) To appreciate the need for patience in times of oppression
 
2) To see the value of prayer and confessing sins in times of sickness
 
SUMMARY
 
The final chapter opens with a strong condemnation toward the rich who
were oppressing the poor while living in pleasure and luxury. Most 
likely these were rich unbelievers such as those mentioned earlier (cf.
2:6-7). The Lord heard the cries of those defrauded, and judgment was
to come upon the rich who had condemned and murdered the just. This
passage may be an allusion to the destruction of Jerusalem foretold by
Jesus in Matthew 24 and fulfilled in A.D. 70. James counsels his
brethren to patiently wait for the coming of the Lord, and to establish
their hearts. Appealing to the farmer, the prophets, and to Job as
examples of patience, he also warns against grumbling against one
another and swearing rash oaths (1-12).
 
The last half of the chapter provides a call to prayer and praise. The
suffering are to pray, the cheerful are to sing praises, and the sick
are to call for the elders of the church.  The elders were to pray over
the sick and anoint with oil in the name of the Lord. What is 
uncertain is whether the anointing was sacramental or medicinal (I
think the latter, see Review Questions below). In answer to the prayer
of faith, the Lord will raise the sick and also forgive sins if they
had been committed. In this context James encourages Christians to
confess their sins to one another and pray for one another that they
may be healed. He reminds them of the value of fervent prayer by the
righteous, using Elijah as an example of how God answers prayer
providentially. The epistle then closes with a reminder that turning a
sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover
a multitude of sins (13-20).
 
OUTLINE
 
I. TRUE RELIGION DISPLAYS PATIENCE UNDER OPPRESSION (1-12)
 
 A. GOD'S ANGER AT RICH OPPRESSORS (1-6)
 1. The rich are called to weep and howl for the miseries to come
 upon them
 a. Their riches are corrupted
 b. Their garments are moth-eaten
 c. Their gold and silver are corroded
 1) Which will be a witness against them
 2) Which will eat their flesh like fire
 d. They have heaped up treasure in the last days
 2. The reasons for God's anger against the rich
 a. They have defrauded the laborers who mowed their fields
 1) Keeping back wages owed them
 2) The cries of the reapers have been heard by the Lord of
 Sabaoth (Hosts)
 b. They have lived in pleasure and luxury, fattening their
 hearts in a day of slaughter
 c. They have condemned and murdered the just who does not
 resist them
 
 B. A CALL FOR PATIENCE UNDER OPPRESSION (7-12)
 1. Be patient until the coming of the Lord
 a. Consider the patience of the farmer
 b. Establish your hears, for the coming of the Lord is at hand
 2. Do not grumble against one another
 a. Lest you be condemned
 b. The Judge is standing at the door
 3. Remember the examples of suffering and patience
 a. Such as the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord and
 are blessed for their endurance
 b. Such as the perseverance of Job, to whom the Lord proved
 very compassionate and merciful at the end
 4. Above all, do not swear (make rash oaths)
 a. Either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath
 b. Let your "Yes" mean "Yes," and your "No" mean "No"
 c. Lest you fall into judgment
 
II. TRUE RELIGION BLESSED THROUGH PRAYER, SINGING, AND CONCERN FOR THE
 ERRING (13-20)
 
 A. THE BLESSING OF PRAYER AND SONG (13-18)
 1. If anyone is suffering, let him pray
 2. If anyone is cheerful, let him sing psalms
 3. If anyone is sick, let him call for the elders of the church
 a. Let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name
 of the Lord
 b. The prayer of faith will save (heal) the sick, and the Lord
 will raise him up
  c. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven
 d. Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one
 another
 1) That you may be healed
 2) For the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man
  avails much
 a) The example of Elijah, a man with a nature like ours
 b) He prayed that it would not rain, and no rain fell
 for three years
 c) He prayed again, the heaven gave rain, and the earth
 produced its fruit
 
 B. THE BLESSING OF LOVE FOR ERRING BRETHREN (19-20)
 1. He who turns back one who wanders from the truth will save a
 soul from death
 2. He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will cover a
 multitude of sins
 
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER
 
1) What are the main points of this chapter?
 - True religion displays patience under oppression (1-12)
 - True religion blessed through prayer, singing, and concern for the
 erring (13-20)
 
2) Who is being condemned in verses 1-6 of this chapter? (1)
 - Those who are rich (probably unbelievers who had been oppressing
 Christians, cf. Ja 2:6-7)
 
3) What sort of miseries were to come upon them? (1-3)
 - Their riches are to be corrupted, their garments moth-eaten
 - Their gold and silver will be corroded, and serve as a witness
 against them
 - Such corrosion will eat their flesh like fire
 
4) Why is God so angry at these rich? (3-6)
 - They have heaped up treasure in the last days
 - They have defrauded their workers by keeping back what is owed
 them
 - They have lived in pleasure and luxury, fattening their hearts
 - They have condemned and murdered the just, who does not resist
 them
 
5) What are the Christians to do in response to such oppression? (7-12)
 - Be patient until the coming of the Lord
 - Establish their hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand
 - Don't grumble against one another, for the Judge is standing at
 the door
  - Do not swear (make rash oaths), but let their "yes" be "yes" and
 their "no" mean "no"
 
6) What three examples does James provide to encourage patience? (7-11)
 - The farmer who waits patiently for the precious fruit of the earth
 - The prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord
 - The perseverance of Job
 
7) What does James encourage one to do when suffering? When cheerful?
 (13)
 - To pray when suffering
 - To sing praises when cheerful
 
8) What is one who is sick to do? (14)
 - Call for the elders of the church
 
9) What are they to do? (14)
 - Pray over the sick, anointing with oil in the name of the Lord
 
10) Is "anointing with oil" sacramental or medicinal?
 - "Some commentators consider this anointing with oil to be a 
 sacramental anointing, but others consider it a medicinal anointing.
 In defense of the medicinal anointing, Burdick wrote the following:
 `There are a number of reasons for understanding this application of
 oil as medicinal rather than sacramental. The word aleipsantes
 ("anoint") is not the usual word for sacramental or ritualistic 
 anointing. James could have used the verb chrio if that had been what
 he had in mind. The distinction is still observed in modern Greek,
 with aleipho meaning "to daub," "to smear," and chrio meaning "to 
 anoint." Furthermore, it is a well-documented fact that oil was one
 of the most common medicines of biblical times. See Isaiah 1:6 and
 Luke 10:34. Josephus (Antiquities, 17, 172 [vi. 5]) reports that
 during his last illness Herod the Greek was given a bath in oil in
 hopes of effecting a cure. The papyri, Philo, Pliny, and the 
 physician Galen all refer to the medicinal use of oil. Galen 
 described it as "the best of all remedies for paralysis" (De 
 Simplicium Medicamentorum Temperamentis, 2.10ff.). It is evident,
 then, that James is prescribing prayer and medicine.'" (New 
 Commentary, James, Fausset, and Brown)
 
11) What will save (or heal) the sick? Who will raise him up? (15)
 - The prayer of faith
 - The Lord
 
12) What if the one who is sick has committed sins? (15)
 - He will be forgiven
 
13) What are Christians to do? Why? (16)
 - Confess sins one to another and pray for one another
 - That they may be healed
 
14) What avails much? Who is a good illustration of this? (16-18)
 - The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man
 - Elijah
 
15) What happens when one turns a sinner from the error of his way?
 (19-20)
 - A soul is saved from death
 - A multitude of sins is covered

When God Gets Angry At The Rich (5:1-6)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. Compared to many people in the world, we are indeed blessed; in fact,
 in comparison with most people who live now and who have lived in the
 past, we are VERY RICH!
 
2. Now, it is important to stress that God does not condemn the rich for
 being rich...
 a. Some of the godliest people in the Bible were rich
 b. E.g., Job, Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, Barnabas, Philemon
 Lydia
 
3. However, Christ does speak of the difficulty of the rich being saved
 - cf. Mt 19:23-26
 
4. And there are times when God is very angry at the rich, as in our
 text:
 
 1 Go to now, [ye] rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that
 shall come upon [you]. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your
 garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the
 rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your
 flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last
 days. 4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your
 fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of
 them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of
 sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton;
 ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6 Ye have
 condemned [and] killed the just; [and] he doth not resist you.
 (James 5)
 
5. As we consider this passage more carefully, we shall do so by trying
 to answer four questions:
 a. Who is James addressing in this passage?
 b. What is in store for these rich people?
 c. Why is God so angry at them?
 d. What applications can we draw from this passage?
 
[We begin, then, with the first question...]
 
I. WHO IS JAMES ADDRESSING IN THIS PASSAGE?
 
 A. ARE THEY CHRISTIANS?
 1. Are these rich Christians who had been guilty of oppressing
 their brethren?
 2. Possibly, but unlikely for several reasons...
 a. They are not addressed as "brethren" as is often done in
 this epistle - Ja 1:2,19; 2:1,14; 3:1,10; 4:11
 b. There is no call to repentance in this passage
 1) As there is throughout this epistle in those passages in
 which it is clear brethren are being addressed
 2) Here there is only condemnation!
 c. The brethren are not addressed until verse 7, in which
 THEY are told to be patient in light of what has just been
  said
 
 B. MORE LIKELY, THOSE ADDRESSED ARE RICH UNBELIEVERS...
 1. Who had been oppressing the Christians - cf. Ja 2:6
 2. This tirade of judgment upon them appears to serve the purpose
 of comforting the brethren who were being oppressed by them -
 cf. Ja 5:7
 a. The Lord has heard their cries - Ja 5:4b
 b. Judgment is coming upon these rich oppressors
 c. Therefore the Christians are told to be patient
 
[But even if this passage does not have direct reference to rich 
Christians, there are still things to which we should give careful heed.
 
And so, we ask...]
 
II. WHAT IS IN STORE FOR THESE RICH OPPRESSORS?
 
 A. MISERIES THAT WILL CAUSE THEM TO "WEEP AND HOWL"! (1-3a)
 1. So certain are these miseries to come, that James speaks of
 them already occuring!
 a. Riches are corrupted
 b. Garments are moth-eaten
 c. Gold and silver are corroded
 2. When this "corrosion" of their riches occurs...
 a. It will serve as a witness against them (that they were
 guilty of the things to be mentioned shortly
 b. It will eat their flesh like fire
 1) The anguish and misery of poverty usually affects the
 hardest those who were once rich!
 2) Thus, when poverty strikes, it will make them "weep and
 howl" as though they were on fire!
 
 B. THE MISERIES SPOKEN HERE MAY HAVE REFERENCE TO WHAT LATER OCCURED
 IN THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM IN 70 A.D.
 1. Not long after this epistle was written, Jerusalem was destroyed
 by the Romans
 2. Many of the rich Jews who had oppressed their Christian brethren
 literally "weeped and howled"
 3. What they had failed to realize was that they had heaped up
 treasure "in the last days" (Ja 5:3b)
 a. Like the man in the parable of the rich fool (Lk 12:16-21),
 they thought they were laying up riches for their latter days
 b. When in fact, it was the "last days" of the Jewish economy
 when they were so busy storing up wealth!
 c. Like some today, who store up for retirement and then die
 before they retire!
 
[The miseries that came upon these rich people were terrible indeed (as 
described by Flavius Josephus, an eyewitness of the destruction of
Jerusalem).
 
Even if it did not come in the destruction of Jerusalem, it certainly 
came upon them when they died, as it did upon the rich man in the story
of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31)!
 
This leads us to the third question...]
 
III. WHY IS GOD SO ANGRY AT THESE RICH PEOPLE?
 
 A. BECAUSE OF HOW THEY GOT THEIR WEALTH...
 1. It was through wicked means - 4
 2. Specifically, by withholding wages from those who had worked
 for them
 3. Just as some people today get rich through dishonest schemes or
 unjust labor practices!
 
 B. BECAUSE OF HOW THEY USED THEIR WEALTH...
 1. They hoarded their wealth - 3b
 2. They spent it on themselves with pleasures and luxury - 5
 (fattening themselves like cows for the slaughter!)
 3. They used the power that comes with wealth to oppress "the
 just" - 6
 a. Possibly a reference to Christ
 b. Or the Christian whom they also oppressed
 
[The manner in which they got their wealth and used it caused those who
were oppressed to cry out, and the Lord heard their prayers (4). Now,
God who is just is about to bring judgment upon these rich oppressors!
 
Having examined this passage more closely...]
 
IV. WHAT APPLICATIONS CAN WE DRAW?
 
 A. WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL HOW WE OBTAIN OUR WEALTH...
 1. To do so at the expense of others will bring God's wrath upon
 us! - cf. Deut 24:14,15
 2. It is wrong to think that success can only come by stepping on
 others
 3. This might be an appropriate place to add what we learn from
 Paul in 1 Ti 6:9-10
 a. It is not riches that are wrong, but the DESIRE TO BE RICH
 that is wrought with many dangers!
 b. Riches are not wrong if they are the BY-PRODUCT of our
 endeavors, not the GOAL of those endeavors!
 1) I.e., one may desire to be a doctor to help the sick, or
 a plumber because of one's skill or interest in such 
 matters, and receive riches as a by-product because of the
 value society might place on such services
 2) But to enter such professions solely because one's goal is
 to get rich thereby, then we are ensared by the love of
 money!
 4. So how do we obtain our wealth?
 a. If we do it honestly and in compensation for a job well done,
 then God is not displeased
 b. But if we do it by hurting others and by making wealth our
 primary object, then we are in danger of God's wrath!
 
 B. WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL HOW WE USE OUR WEALTH...
 1. To spend it on luxurious living when others are suffering...
 a. Is exactly what James has described in this passage
 b. Is an indication of the lack of the love of God - 1 Jn 3:17
 2. According to the New Testament, the purpose of working is not
 to obtain wealth for our own gratification, but to help those
  less fortunate!
 a. As commanded by Paul - Ep 4:28; 1 Ti 6:17-19
 b. As exemplified by Paul - Ac 20:34-35
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. Living in the country and society in which we do, we have much for
 which to be thankful
 
2. But we also have much of which we need to beware:
 a. We live in a society where it is quite easy to become wealthy
 b. We live in a society where covetousness or the desire to be rich
 are not considered sins
 c. We live in a society where heaping up treasures for our own
 gratification is considered an inalienable right!
 -- It is easy to be influenced by these values!
 
3. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves constantly: Are we laying up
 treasure in heaven, or on earth?
 a. Those who lay up treasure in heaven are those who use their wealth
 to do good and help the poor and less fortunate - cf. Mt 19:21;
 1 Ti 6:18-19
 b. Those who lay up treasure on earth are actually storing up for
 themselves miseries and wrath!
 1) Miseries...when their wealth fails them in their time of true
 need
 2) Wrath...from God in the Day of wrath that is yet to come
 
These are sobering thoughts worthy of our careful consideration...Have
you even begun to lay up treasure in heaven by obeying the gospel of
Christ?

When You're Being Oppressed (5:7-12)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. Do you feel like someone is out to get you? That they are trying to
 take advantage of you? That you are being oppressed?
 
2. What should you do when you are oppressed? What should you NOT do?
 
3. In James 5, we find James giving instructions to those who appear
 to have been oppressed by the rich
 a. Notice Ja 2:6
 b. The rich had been holding back their wages - cf. Ja 5:4
 c. The rich had been oppressing the righteous - cf. Ja 5:6
 -- What were the oppressed Christians to do?
 
4. In Ja 5:7-12 (and surrounding verses), we find principles and
 instructions which should govern Christians when they are oppressed
 
[These principles are just as applicable today when we are oppressed by
others. Let's notice what they are...]
 
I. DON'T RESIST
 
 A. SUCH WAS THE BEHAVIOR OF THOSE BEING OPPRESSED IN JAMES' DAY...
 1. Notice Ja 5:4,6
 2. Though treated unjustly, they did not resist
 
 B. NOT RESISTING IS CONSISTENT WITH THE TEACHING OF CHRIST AND HIS
 APOSTLES...
 1. Consider Lk 6:27-30
 2. Also Ro 12:19-21
 3. And 1 Pe 2:18-23
 
 C. ADMITTEDLY, NOT RESISTING IS CONTRARY TO HUMAN NATURE AND WISDOM...
 1. Human nature moves one to react in "justifiable anger"
 2. Human wisdom calls for "standing up for one's rights"
 
 D. BUT NOT RESISTING IS BASED UPON TWO THINGS...
 1. AN AWARENESS that the Lord is coming to judge - Ja 5:8-9
 a. The coming of the Lord in this passage may have reference
 to His coming in judgment upon Jerusalem (as foretold by
 Jesus in Lk 21 and which occured when Rome destroyed
 Jerusalem in AD 70)
 b. But it may also refer to the Lord's final coming on the Day
 of Judgment which has yet to occur
 c. Likewise, we can look for the coming of the Lord in judgment
 in various ways (death, the second coming, etc.)
 2. A WILLINGNESS to let Him be our avenger - cf. Lk 18:7-8
 
[It is not easy to keep one's self from resisting, and to wait for the 
Lord to take care of it. That's why there is a need for the next 
principle...]
 
II. BE PATIENT
 
 A. THE WORD FOUND HERE IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT THAN THAT FOUND EARLIER
 IN THIS EPISTLE...
 1. In Ja 1:3, the word is "hupomone"
 a. Which means to bear up under trials
 b. Which normally means to be patient in reference to THINGS or
 CIRCUMSTANCES
 2. In Ja 5:7-8,10, the word is "makrothumia"
 a. Which means to suffer long
 b. Which normally means to be patient in reference to PEOPLE 
 (like those who oppress you)
 c. As Vincent defines it:
 1) A patient holding out under trial; a long-protracted
 restraint of the soul from yielding to passion, especially
 the passion of anger
 2) The thought links itself naturally with that in the
 preceding verse: "the righteous does not resist"
 
 B. THREE EXAMPLES ARE GIVEN TO ENCOURAGE US TO BE PATIENT...
 1. The FARMER: "Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the
 precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it,
 until he receive the early and latter rain." - Ja 5:7
 2. The PROPHETS: "Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have
 spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering
 affliction, and of patience." - Ja 5:10
 3. JOB: "Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard
 of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that
 the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." - Ja 5:11
 
 C. EACH OF THESE EXAMPLES TEACH US...
 1. To place our trust in the Lord, that He will eventually reward
 us for our trust in Him
 2. To be stedfast, in the meantime, in our service to Him
 
[But such patience or long-suffering is not easily acquired. Therefore,
there is a need to apply the third principle in this passage...]
 
III. ESTABLISH YOUR HEARTS
 
 A. THE WORD "ESTABLISH"...
 1. Means "to fix, make fast, to set" (VINE)
 2. Is translated "strengthen" in other places
 3. To establish one's heart, then...
 a. Involves strengthening our heart in a certain way
  b. Here, it means to strengthen our heart so as to be patient
 and not resist the evil being done
 
 B. THE "KEY" TO ESTABLISHING OUR HEARTS...
 1. Is the Word of God - cf. 2 Pe 1:12
 2. Through constant and careful study of God's Word...
 a. Our faith in God and His eventual justice is made stronger
 b. Patience and strength to not resist is developed - cf. Ro
 15:4
 
[With hearts rooted and established in God's Word, we are more likely 
to act as we should when oppressed.
 
But there are some things we are likely to do when under stress due to 
unjust oppression. James goes on to mention two that we are to avoid. 
The first of these is...]
 
IV. DON'T GRUMBLE
 
 A. ESPECIALLY AGAINST ONE ANOTHER (9)
  1. When others oppress us, we are likely to vent our frustrations
 as those closest and dearest to us
 2. For example, a man after a bad day at work often takes it out
 on his wife and family
 3. So brethren are likely to direct their frustration towards each
 other when being oppressed from outside
 
 B. WE HAVE GOOD REASON NOT TO GRUMBLE...
 1. "lest you be condemned"
 2. The sin of grumbling is a serious one - cf. 1 Co 10:5-11
 3. The same Lord who will judge those who oppress others will 
 judge those who murmer and grumble!
 
[So don't let the oppression of others cause us to be condemned by our 
mistreatment of our brethren.
 
Another warning is given...]
 
V. DON'T SWEAR
 
 A. THIS IS SOMETHING ELSE ONE IS LIKELY TO DO WHEN IN TROUBLE...
 1. In other words, make rash promises
 2. Promises which God will hold you to, even if not serious - cf.
 Eccl 5:1-7
 
 B. THIS PROHIBITION APPLIES ESPECIALLY TO "FLIPPANT OATHS"...
 1. In Jesus' day, many Jews were prone to swear in this fashion
 2. Where they made a distinction between oaths using God's name
 and other oaths (those using His name were considered binding,
 while the others were not)
 3. Both Jesus and James condemn this distinction between different 
 kinds of oaths - cf. Mt 5:33-37; 23:16-22
 
[The solution is to refrain from oaths altogether, and stand by your 
word.
 
Finally, in times of oppression, those who are God's children have a 
powerful weapon in their arsenal. To utilize it, they should...]
 
VI. PRAY
 
 A. THIS IS THE KEY THING TO DO WHEN OPPRESSED...
 1. As we learn from Ja 5:13
 2. This is what the Christians of James' day were doing - cf. Ja 
 5:4
 
 B. WHEN WE PRAY, GOD HEARS!
 1. As seen in Ja 5:4
 2. As promised by both Jesus and James, the Lord will avenge His 
 righteous ones - Lk 18:7-8; Ja 5:7-8
 3. It may not come when we want it, and the Lord may "bear long
 with us" - cf. Re 6:9-11
 4. But when the time is ripe, the oppressed will be avenged!
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. Therefore, when we are being oppressed...
 a. Don't resist
 b. Be patient
 c. Establish your hearts
 d. Don't grumble
 e. Don't swear
 f. PRAY!
 
2. When we react this way to oppression...
 a. We follow the example of Christ and the early disciples
 b. Who committed themselves to God who judges righteously
 1) Christ - "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he
 suffered, he threatened not; but committed [himself] to him
 that judgeth righteously:" (1 Pe 2:23)
 2) The disciples - "Wherefore let them that suffer according to
 the will of God commit the keeping of their souls [to him] in
 well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. (1 Pe 4:19)
 
3. With such a righteous God on our side, it should be a lot easier to
 endure those who oppress us!
 
Is the righteous God on your side? Or rather, are you on His side?

A Call To Prayer And Praise (5:13-18)
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. As is common in many of the New Testament epistles, we find various
 commands and exhortations as we draw near to the end of the epistle
 of James
 
2. In Ja 5:13-18, we find a call to pray and sing praises, with
 guidance as to what to do and when
 
[For example...]
 
I. IN TIMES OF SUFFERING, LET US "PRAY" (13)
 
 A. WHAT KIND OF SUFFERING DOES JAMES REFER TO?
 1. The word used refers to suffering of any kind
 2. Such as sickness, bereavement, disappointment, persecutions,
 loss of health or property
 3. Later, James will deal specifically with sickness
 
 B. FOR WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY?
 1. For the REMOVAL of the suffering, if it be the Lord's will
 - cf. Paul in 2 Co 12:8
 2. For the STRENGTH to endure the suffering, if it be the Lord's
 will that we bear with it - cf. 1 Co 10:13
 a. God may not always remove the source of our suffering, for
 it may be for our ultimate good - cf. Ps 119:67,71,75
 b. But at least He promises to help us endure it!
 
 C. FOR WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY?
 1. Certainly for ourselves, as implied above
 2. But also for those who may be the source of our suffering
 a. As Jesus taught in Lk 6:28
 b. Doing this can help greatly to endure the suffering
 
[So in times of suffering, let us pray! It is a wonderful privilege to
pray, and a great source of comfort when afflicted.
 
Next, we learn from James that...]
 
II. IN TIMES OF CHEER, LET US "SING PRAISES" (13)
 
 A. THE WORD "CHEERFUL"...
 1. Denotes pleasantness, agreeableness
 2. It suggests a state of mind free from trouble--the opposite
 of affliction--happy!
 
 B. IN SUCH A STATE OF HAPPINESS, ONE SHOULD SING PRAISES!
 1. For singing praises is becoming of God's people
 a. Consider the attitude of David, the sweet singer of Israel -
 Ps 92:1-2; 96:1-2; 101:1; 111:1; 113:1-3; 146:1-2; 147:1;
 149:1
 b. David was a man after God's own heart, shouldn't we be also?
 2. For singing praises has the power to make a good situation
 even better - cf. Ep 5:18; Co 3:16
 
 C. WHY DON'T SOME CHRISTIANS SING PRAISES MORE OFTEN, MORE FERVENTLY?
 1. Are they that "afflicted"? 
 2. Hasn't God done enough in our lives to prompt us to praise Him
 fervently in song?
 3. What excuse can we possibly give for refusing to praise God 
 for His glory and goodness?
 a. We cannot use the excuse that we cannot sing
 b. God "commands" all to sing, and unless we are "mute" the
 command applies to us
 c. Fortunately, God is not concerned with how it sounds, but
 that it is coming from the heart, therefore all who can speak
 can and should sing!
 4. Heaven is described by John in the Book of Revelation as a
 place where singing praises to God and Christ is an on-going
 activity
 a. If we don't sing praises to God on earth, though able...
 b. Can we really expect to be allowed to praise God in heaven?
 
[Singing praises to God is just as important as praying to God! Perhaps
our prayers would be answered more often, if we would praise God more
often!
 
The rest of our text deals with prayer as it applies to a special
need...]
 
III. IN TIMES OF SICKNESS, LET US "PRAY" (14-18)
 
 A. ADMITTEDLY, THIS PASSAGE IS DIFFICULT...
 1. Questions abound concerning it
 a. Is the sickness physical or spiritual?
 b. Is the anointing with oil medicinal or symbolic?
 c. Is the healing through providential means or miraculous?
 d. Is the healing spiritual or physical?
 2. First, I believe the sickness and healing in this passage is
 physical, though spiritual needs are taken into consideration
 a. This is in view of the phrase "and IF he has committed sins,
 he will be forgiven"
 b. This implies the sickness is physical, though it MAY be
 accompanied with spiritual sickness as well
 c. But the conditional "IF" makes it clear that the illness
 may not be accompanied by sin, which if true, would mean the