Highlands Fellowship The Power of Prayer Transcript

0:00 Well, hey, everybody, and welcome to Highlands Fellowship. I wanna welcome each and every one of you here, to those of you in Bristol, Marion, the Chapel, and Highlands Country, online, on TV, in the cafes, here at our Abingdon campus. We are one church in multiple locations, and we're all going after the same mission and same vision to help people experience life with Jesus as we make disciples, love our communities, and change the world.

0:26 And if you're new with us today, I want you to make yourself feel right at home. You are our special guest because as we like to say around here, Highlands is home. And I'm telling you right now, I mean, this summer has been absolutely awesome. You've just seen the Windshape video. 14 people accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

0:46 Let's just praise the Lord for that. That's really, really exciting. We just finished up Love Week. I mean, we've had so much stuff going on, mission trips. It's amazing to see what God is doing. I'm actually excited to be back with you today, sharing this message. Pastor Steve and Pastor Tyler both did an amazing job sharing God's Word in a very practical way.

1:09 We're just absolutely blessed to be able to have a teaching team who love God, who love people, and they truly live out God's Word, and they teach it in very practical ways and different perspectives. It's just wonderful. A couple of weeks ago, I was actually able to go to Belize with one of our mission teams, and we had an amazing experience sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with some beautiful people, and we'll share a little bit more about that in a week or two.

1:36 But last week, I had the privilege to go and be with you at the Bristol campus for the first service and for the first part of the second service, and then I made my way up to the Marion campus because they were kicking off Love Week with a block party. And I just absolutely loved getting to see so many of you, and it absolutely blows me away every time I think about the scope of Highlands Fellowship and the reach that God has blessed our church with.

2:05 And listen, I could go on for hours and hours and hours, but I won't. All right? I won't. But today, I am finishing up our series on the Book of James, where we've been in this thing since Easter, and in this series, we've been talking about all of this authentic faith that James wants us to live out every single day.

2:24 And as I said in the very first week, one of the biggest causes of problems in our world today is immaturity. It's not a lack of information, it's not a lack of opportunity, but a lack of maturity. And when I say maturity, I don't mean just getting older. Maturity is not just an age, but it's about your response in the way that you think, the way that you believe.

2:49 And it's the ability to think clearly instead of reacting emotionally to everything. It's choosing what's right instead of what's easy. Maturity is responding with wisdom instead of impulse. It's really remaining steady when life is extremely difficult. And when that kind of maturity is missing, you start to see all kinds of immaturity everywhere.

3:14 People say things that they shouldn't say. They make decisions that they shouldn't make. They react instead of respond. They let their emotions drive their actions. And if we're honest, it's not just a world problem, like people out there. We see this in our own lives too. We've all said things that we regret.

3:35 We've all made decisions that we wish we could take back. We've handled situations poorly because we just weren't thinking clearly. And at the root of so many of our problems is this simple truth: we haven't learned to respond with maturity. And deep down, we know it. We feel the tension. We feel the gap between where we are and where God wants us to be.

4:02 And my desire is that we would begin to close the gap by doing what's necessary to become more like Jesus in the way that we think and in the way that we live. But for some reason, when it comes to our faith, spiritual growth is treated as optional. We often assume that time actually produces maturity. But in reality, it's only intentional faith that produces maturity.

4:30 So here at Highlands Fellowship, growth isn't just encouraged, but it is expected. So if you have your Bible or a Bible app, go ahead and open those up to James chapter 5. That's where we're gonna be as we finish up the Book of James. James chapter 5, verses 13 through 20. This is what scripture says.

4:53 "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.

5:13 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. 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.

5:38 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover a multitude of sins." You know, James had a reputation of being a man of prayer, and there is tremendous power in prayer.

6:02 Prayer, I think, is one of the greatest privileges that we have as a follower of Jesus, like being able to talk to God. And it has, like I said, tremendous power. We talk a lot about prayer. We study about prayer a lot. And a lot of us are not too satisfied with our prayer life. So today what we're gonna do is we're gonna look at when I should turn to God in prayer, who can actually pray with confidence?

6:32 That's a question I think a lot of us have. And then, how can I experience the power of prayer? All right, so let's start with the first question. When should I turn to God in prayer? When should I pray? And I think the quick and easy answer to this is all the time. We should pray all the time. But James, in this particular passage, mentions that there are 3 specific times when I really need to pray.

6:59 The first one is this: when life feels heavy. I think we can all relate to this one. There are times when we're just hurting emotionally. James chapter 5 in the first part of verse 13 says, "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray." And the word in the Greek literally means to suffer misfortune, to endure hardships, to be under stress, under tension.

7:24 And so he's talking about internal distress that's caused by external circumstances. And it may be financial problems, it may be relational problems, something that's absolutely breaking your heart, the tension's high. When life gets hard and feels heavy, that's what he's talking about. So David said this in Psalm chapter 18 in the first part of verse 6, "In my distress I called to the Lord."

7:49 So you pray about the problems and the things that are creating stress in your life. The second part of James chapter 5 verse 13 says, "Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise." Have you ever noticed that life is like this series of highs and lows, of feast and famine, of problems and joy? The Bible says that we weep with those who weep, and we rejoice with those who rejoice.

8:14 And you know, if there's one thing that I've learned being a pastor for a number of years is that's to shift gears pretty quickly. I mean, there's a lot of people who are up, and there's a lot of people who are down, and you can have a few of those conversations in just a few minutes. So we gotta recognize that there are times when life feels heavy and you need to pray.

8:36 And when you're happy, be grateful and live it out loud in praise to God. It's not uncommon for somebody to come here to church for the very first time, a first-time visitor, and then they leave out of here saying, "The joy is contagious here." I mean, you can really sense it. And I think followers of Jesus, they ought to be contagious people.

8:59 I think church ought to be a fun place to be. I think the Bible says that, "I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let's go to the house of the Lord.'" Wasn't bummed out, wasn't sad about it. I was glad about it. So when life becomes overwhelming, prayer should be our first response, not our last resort, and when there's good things in life, we sing songs of praise to our Heavenly Father.

9:23 The second time that I need to go to the Lord in prayer is when I need God's healing in my life. And there are times when we are hurting emotionally, and then there are times where we're hurting physically, and James says that both of those moments are times when we should turn to the Lord in prayer.

9:42 James chapter 5 verses 14 and then the first part of verse 15 says this: "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." And so the word James uses for sick means to be without strength, and he's describing someone that's facing a very serious illness, not just a minor inconvenience.

10:12 So this is the same word that's used to describe people like Lazarus, who became sick and died, and others in scripture who were facing life-threatening conditions. So James is talking about those moments when we recognize our need for God's intervention in our lives physically. Now, there's a lot of different thoughts today about healing, so we need to understand what scripture teaches about it.

10:39 I think the Bible shows us that sickness can happen for a number of different reasons. Sometimes there's sickness to the point of death, and God allows for some illnesses to be the doorway that he uses to bring his children home. If every sickness was always healed, believers in the Lord would never die.

11:02 But our ultimate healing is not always physical, but it's being with our Lord and Savior forever in heaven. Sometimes there's sickness that's connected to discipline. And scripture teaches that sin can have consequences in our lives. And in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, Paul explains that some believers are experiencing sickness because they were living in disobedience toward God.

11:28 And sometimes there is sickness for the glory of God. In John chapter 9, Jesus healed a man who was blind from birth. When the disciples asked whose sin caused his condition, Jesus said it wasn't because of someone's sin, but so that the works of God could be displayed through him. So how should we respond when we are sick?

11:54 Well, James says that we pray to the Lord. We pray. And notice what he says. He says, "Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them." And so the person who is sick takes the initiative. They call the spiritual leaders of the church to come and to pray. And this really reminds us of the importance of belonging to a local church.

12:17 Christianity was never designed to be lived alone. We were created to be part of a community where people know us and they care for us, and they stand with us during difficult seasons in life. In the New Testament, it doesn't describe Christians as people who were simply attending occasionally or people who move from one place to another without connection.

12:41 No, it describes believers as members of the body of Christ. And why does that matter? It's because there will be times when you need somebody to pray for you. And James says that the elders are to pray over the person and anoint them with oil. And listen, the oil is not what heals. The power is not in the oil or even in the person praying necessarily, but the power is in our Lord and Savior.

13:10 And all throughout scripture, oil is often used as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and it's a reminder that God is the one who brings healing and brings strength. So James says that they pray in the name of the Lord. That's how they pray. That means healing comes from God's character and from God's power, not from the person, not necessarily from the oil either.

13:36 So what's the result here? James chapter 5 in the first part of verse 15 says, "The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up." Notice who receives the credit here. It's the Lord. God can heal instantly. God can heal through doctors, and he can heal through medicine. God can give strength through a long season of suffering.

14:04 And sometimes God brings ultimate healing by calling someone home to be with him. But in every situation, we pray because God is the one who holds our lives. You know, in our church, we've seen God answer prayers for healing. We have. We've also prayed for people who eventually went home to be with the Lord. And in all of those situations, we trust him because he is good.

14:32 And notice James gives this instruction in a very personal setting. This isn't about putting someone's suffering on display, but it's about surrounding someone with love and care and prayer. When people are hurting, they don't need to feel like a project, but they need to know that they are loved. They need to know that they're not alone.

14:56 They need to know that their church family is standing and praying for them. So James reminds us when life feels heavy, we pray. When we need God's healing, we pray. And then the third thing is this, when I need spiritual restoration. So not only do I need to pray when life feels heavy and when I need God's healing in my life, James also says that I need to pray when I need spiritual restoration.

15:26 And these are those times when you're hurting spiritually. So James chapter 5 in the first part of verse 16 says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Now, in Jesus' time and in many places today, it's thought that all sickness is a result of sin. Like if you were ill, then supposedly you had done something or you had had some sort of hidden sin in your life.

15:56 And if you confessed and you still were sick, then you still had some hidden sin, maybe another hidden sin in your life. But Jesus blew that idea out of the water in John chapter 9, where he said to the man who had been blind since he was born that nobody sinned. I mean, you think of babies who are born with birth defects.

16:18 Guys, we live in a fallen world, and part of that problem is that there are illnesses and disease and all other kinds of issues. On the other hand, Jesus did teach that a lot of the sicknesses that we get or that we go through, we kinda bring those on ourselves. And if I don't follow God's principles, my body is gonna find out about it.

16:43 Like, if I don't take care of my body, if I don't eat right, if I don't sleep enough, if I don't exercise, then all kinds of issues are going to happen at some point. They're just gonna happen. And if I don't listen to God's Word where it says, "Don't be anxious about anything, but pray about everything," and I worry and I get anxious and I get an ulcer, well, that could've probably been avoided.

17:07 It really could've. Like, if I allow resentment to build up in my life. Some people say it's not so much what you eat, but it's what's eating you that matters. Well, I think it's probably both. It's both of those things. But resentment can take its toll on your body, no question about it. So if I don't trust God and I allow things to come into my life, there will be sin.

17:35 "Therefore confess your sin to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Sometimes the greatest obstacle to God's work in our lives isn't necessarily our circumstances, but it's what's happening in our hearts. God created us as these whole people. We are physical, we are emotional, and we are spiritual beings, and all of those parts of our lives are connected.

18:07 And when we're struggling spiritually, it often affects us emotionally. And when we're carrying emotional burdens, it can take a toll on us physically. That's why James doesn't separate these things. He reminds us that God cares about every single part of our lives. Now, I think that raises a question that a lot of people are asking: If God can heal, why isn't everyone healed?

18:36 And the truth is, I don't know the answer to every situation. I don't know. But I do know this: God always has the power to heal, but He doesn't always choose to heal in the way or at the time we expect. The Apostle Paul is a great example of this. He pleaded with God over and over again, 3 times, to remove what he called the thorn in the flesh.

19:06 But instead of taking it away, God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." So sometimes God demonstrates His power by removing the struggle, and sometimes God demonstrates His power by giving us the grace to endure it. James then points us to something that is often overlooked in James chapter 5, first part of verse 16, where he says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed."

19:41 Notice what he doesn't say. He doesn't say, "Hide your struggles." He doesn't say, "Pretend everything is fine." He says, "Confess." And most of us would rather cover up our failures than bring them into the light. We become experts at hiding. We love to wear masks, and we try to convince everyone around us that we're doing just fine, when on the inside, we're carrying around guilt, we're carrying around shame, we're carrying around fear or bitterness.

20:17 But healing begins where honesty begins. There's something incredibly freeing about bringing your struggles into the light, when you stop pretending and you make room for God to begin restoring your heart. You know, I've sat across from people in conversation who have said things like this, "I've never told anybody this before."

20:44 And when I think about that, I think about every single time I know this person is about to experience some freedom. Not because I have the answers, but because they are finally laying down a burden that they've been carrying all alone. God never intended for us to fight our battles in isolation. Now, does James mean that we need to stand up in church and confess every sin to everyone?

21:14 No, not necessarily. But I will say this: every follower of Jesus needs at least one person, another believer, that they can be completely honest with, whether it's a spouse, a close friend, a pastor, or a mature Christian who will pray with them, who will encourage them and point them back to Jesus Christ. You know, one of the greatest gifts that God could give us is the church.

21:42 We weren't meant to simply attend together. We were meant to carry one another's burdens. There are moments when our faith is weak, and we need somebody else's faith to kinda help steady us until we can stand again. Jesus said that the world would recognize His followers by the way they love one another. One of the greatest expressions of love is creating a place where people don't have to pretend to be perfect.

22:13 They can be honest. They can experience the grace of God and find healing. So when should we pray? James' answer is simple: whenever we're overwhelmed, we pray. Whenever we're sick, we pray. Whenever our hearts need restored, we pray. And obviously, there are other times that we should pray as well. We're not limited to praying in just these circumstances, but these are the specific ones that James addresses in this particular passage.

22:46 The reality is this: prayer isn't just something we do in emergencies. It's the way we stay connected to the God who cares about every single part of our lives. James reminds us that no burden is too small and no wound is too deep, and no situation is beyond the reach of a God who hears the prayer of His people.

23:12 So we've talked about the first question, which is, when should I turn to God in prayer? And so now let's look at the second of our 3 questions for today, and that is, who can pray with confidence? This is a big one. Who can pray with confidence? And the answer to that question is this: ordinary people who trust an extraordinary God.

23:37 You know, one of the biggest misconceptions about prayer is that it's only for, like, super Christians. We sometimes think that God listens more closely to pastors or missionaries or people who seem to have everything together. And we tell ourselves, "I could never pray like that," or, "God answers their prayers, but I don't even know if He would even answer mine."

24:03 James reminds us that that isn't true. Listen to what he says in James chapter 5, in the first part of verse 17. "Elijah was a human being, even as we are." And I love that James chose Elijah as his example, and if you know Elijah's story, you know that he wasn't fearless all the time. He wasn't always confident. He wasn't always strong.

24:28 And really, after one of the greatest victories recorded in the Old Testament when God answered his prayer with fire from heaven on Mount Carmel, Elijah ran for his life because Queen Jezebel threatened him. And in first Kings chapter 19, we find him exhausted, discouraged, afraid, and he's sitting under a broom tree praying, "Lord, I've had enough.

24:52 Take my life." Now, does that sound like a superhero to you? Not at all. He experienced fear. He battled loneliness. He wrestled with discouragement. He felt overwhelmed. In other words, he was just like us. Just like us. That's exactly James' point. God doesn't answer prayer because someone has a perfect record. He answers prayer because He is a faithful God.

25:25 When Elijah prayed for rain, he didn't pray once and then just give up. He kept praying. 7 different times he sent his servant to look at the horizon. 6 times there was nothing. On the 7th time, the servant came back and said, "I see a cloud about the size of a man's hand." And that tiny cloud was all that Elijah needed.

25:52 He knew that God was at work. Prayer isn't about having perfect faith. It's about placing your faith in a perfect God, and God delights in using ordinary people who trust Him. If you're willing to pray, God is willing to hear. And that brings us to our last question for the day: How do I experience the power of prayer?

26:20 James gives us several practical principles for effective prayer. The first one is this: pray specifically. You know, in the last part of James chapter 4, verse 2, it says, "You do not have because you do not ask God." And sometimes we wonder why we don't see more answered prayers, but we've never really asked God for a specific thing.

26:45 Too often our prayers are way too general, like, "Lord, bless me," or, "Lord, help us." There's nothing wrong with those prayers, but throughout scripture we see people bringing specific requests before the Lord. So be honest, be clear, be bold. God already knows what you need, but He invites you to ask because prayer is about relationship, not just the exchange of information.

27:12 You know, one of the most faith-building things that I've ever done was to keep a prayer journal. I'd write down the request, maybe the scripture that I was praying through, and then leave room for God's answer. And looking back over those pages reminded me that God had been faithful time after time after time.

27:35 Specific prayers help us to recognize specific answers. Another one is this: we have to pray with the right heart. James continues in James chapter 4, verse 3, "When you ask, you do not receive because you ask with the wrong motives." Prayer isn't about convincing God to accomplish my agenda. It's about aligning my heart with His.

27:59 And sometimes we ask, "God, bless my plans," but a better prayer is this: "God, help me to become part of your plans." And when our greatest desire is God's glory rather than our own comfort, our prayers begin to reflect His heart. Another one is we gotta pray with a life that honors God. James writes in James chapter 5 in the second part of verse 16, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

28:32 James isn't talking about perfection. If God only answered perfect people, none of us would ever see an answered prayer. He's talking about a life that is surrendered to Jesus Christ. A righteous person isn't somebody who never sins. A righteous person is somebody who belongs to Jesus and is walking in fellowship with Him each and every day.

28:57 When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, we don't ignore it. We confess it. Psalm chapter 66, verse 18 says, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." Unconfessed sin doesn't change God's love for us, but it can affect our fellowship with Him. Prayer flows best from a heart that is open, from a heart that is honest, a heart that is yielded to God.

29:30 And then the 4th thing is this: pray with an expectant faith. We gotta expect God to do some amazing things. James says earlier in his letter in James chapter one, verse 6, "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt." Faith doesn't mean demanding that God answer exactly the way that we want. Faith means trusting that God will always do what is best no matter what His answer is, because sometimes the answer is yes.

30:03 Sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes the answer is wait. But every answer comes from a Father who loves His children. So when you pray, pray expecting God to work, even if He works differently than what you might imagine. You know, as I think about prayer, I'll be honest with you, I still want and I still need to grow a lot in this area.

30:32 I talk with the Lord throughout the day, but I want my dependence upon Him to grow even deeper than what it is now. I don't ever want to become satisfied with a shallow prayer life because I believe that God still does what only He can do through people who seek Him. That's my prayer for our church as well.

30:55 I don't want us to become known simply for great music and effective ministry. I want us to be known as people who pray. A church where lives are changed, where marriages are restored, where people come to faith, where hope is renewed, where the only explanation is that God showed up. Because when ordinary people begin trusting an extraordinary God, extraordinary things begin to happen.

31:28 Would you pray with me today? God, we thank you so much for your Word and for this book of James that presents the gospel to us in such a practical way about how we're to live out an authentic faith each and every day. So God, we thank you for our time. I know we've spent quite a few weeks in this book, but it's been well worth it.

31:54 You've revealed things to us that we need to know. You've shown us some things that we've needed to see. And God, my prayer is that we would put those things into action and we would actually do what it is we see and what it is we say we believe in your Word. So God, keep working on us. Keep speaking to us. Keep showing us the way.

32:19 And my prayer today is that if somebody here has never accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, that today would be the day, that your Holy Spirit would work in their hearts and work in their lives to convict them of their sin and allow them to accept the free gift of grace that you give, and that they would follow you with everything in them and give their hearts and lives over to you.

32:45 God, we love you. We praise you. We're thankful for our church. We're thankful for the ability to go and to serve our communities, to love on them well, and we trust that you're doing amazing things in and through your church today. It's in Jesus' name we pray, and everybody said, "Amen."