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Gratitude Sermon Series: Week #4 “Overflow” Colossians 2:6-10

Gratitude Sermon Series

Overflow

Colossians 2:6-10

Introduction

Salem Witch Trials – 1692, Salem Massachusetts

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/history/influence-of-the-puritan-religion-on-the-salem-witch-trials.php

FF76FW SALEM WITCH TRIAL, 1692. /nA witch trial at Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. Lithograph, 19th century.

This disaster happened due to a blending of false doctrine, Catholic and Protestant beliefs, etc. Every church has to be alert to watch out for encroaching worldy beliefs.

Prayer

Thankfulness As a Defense Against False Doctrine (vv. 6-7)

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

In the first century, when the church was very young, there were a group of people who believed that they were Christians but they were not. These Gnostics believed that there was a sharp distinction between the man Jesus and a spiritual intermediary “the Christ”, which they called an “aeon” who came upon him at his baptism and left when on the Cross. Paul is refuting this type of false teaching.[1]

We don’t know exactly which false belief that Paul is addressing, but we can get clues from what he chooses to emphasize in the text. “It is not merely the identity of Jesus and Christ that Paul here emphasizes but his Lordship and leadership, whether the Messiahship is directly in mind or not.”[2]

Other’s false beliefs (specifically leaders in the church) had put the understanding of the Lordship of Jesus in jeopardy. So Paul reminds the church that they had received, “Christ Jesus the Lord,” – “Colossians, don’t be misled. Let your life (your “walk” or conduct) continue to be in harmony with the fact that you have accepted Christ Jesus the Lord as your tradition.”[3] According to the Scriptures.

Christ meaning the promised Messiah that will save the world from its’ sin, Jesus emphasizing his humanity – he was fully man, who died a painful death on a Roman cross, he laughed, wept, slept, was tired just like any other man, and he was also Lord – the eternal God equal with God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit as the Tri-une God.

Paul then gives three mixed metaphors 1) walking in Christ, “It is the Christ path, the Jesus road.” 2) being rooted 3) as a building being built up. They walk as men, they take root like a tree, and they are built up like a house.”[4] In all three of the metaphors there is movement. Walking along a path, roots growing down and outward, and the building growing upward and layer upon layer of material is added.

All of these metaphors all reference the idea of abiding in Christ. John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

If they do these things, then they will naturally be “abounding in thanksgiving.” Being thankful, and showing gratitude to God is a natural way of defending ourselves against false beliefs. Christ has given us all that we need (salvation, eternal life, an inheritance in heaven, a purpose and calling, etc.)

But Paul is not encouraging them to be thankful, but that they should be “abounding in thanksgiving” – it’s a pool and the water is overflowing the sides. Let what’s already in our heart, overflow to others. Also, “Faith and the nature of a Christian foundation are often invisible, but thanksgiving is a visible response to the grace of God in their lives.”[5] Also, a strong indicator that a person has stepped away from their relationship with the Lord is a lack of being thankful (Romans 1:21).

Watch out For Kidnappers and Robbers (v. 8)

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

We don’t know what the heresy that Paul is addressing, only his response to it. Paul warns the church to watch out for a leader or leaders who potentially will carry them off as booty, spoil, or as being taken captive.

The word for “captive” was used in other places like where a man’s daughter is kidnapped, the plundering of a house, seducing a maid, captives in a war.[6] But perhaps the best rendering for the passage would be “see to it that no man robs you.”

Those who persuade people to abandon truth for error are seducers and robbers.[7] The false beliefs that Paul is about to talk about will rob a person of a life that is lived out in truth. What is a person robbed of by believing false beliefs? They would be giving up the truth as it is in Christ Jesus the Lord for a lie.

Paul is concerned that the persuasive arguments against Christ may lead people away from Christ and cause their confidence in Christ to fade. He calls this subversive system of thoughts and morals, of rules and regulations “philosophy and empty deceit.” “The false teacher in Colosse is a con artist who uses Christian clichés and slogans to deceive immature believers.”[8]

How important is the truth of who Jesus really is?

Paul then gives the false teachings that the church is be on the alert for “by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world” – There are four things mentioned and they all seem to further explain what Paul means.

This is the only time that the word philosophy is used in the New Testament. Paul calls it “falsely named knowledge” in 1 Timothy 6:20. He is not referencing science, and he is not referring to the Greek philosophy of Socrates or Plato, or the philosophers that he argued with in Acts 17:18.

To seek knowledge and understanding is not wrong, but a godless philosophy is dangerous. When we seek after knowledge apart from understanding who God is very dangerous. “This teaching represents man’s attempt to arrive at the truth. It was therefore, a nonrevelational attempt to solve ultimate questions of life.”[9]

So Paul further adds to his warning by saying, “empty deceit” – “The word deceit means to “trick or cheat” and is opposed to the word of truth. “It is deceptive, for, while it promises big things to those who obey its ordinances, it cannot redeem its promises.”[10]

The teacher’s that Paul is referencing may have been “trying to harmonize Christianity with the prevailing religious outlook of the pagan culture which had molded their own thinking before the gospel came to them. They may have been unaware that their attempted synthesis of Christian and pagan ideas was destroying the unique and liberating power of the new faith in Christ.”[11]

They may even have thought they were improving Christianity, giving it wider appeal, but if they had been successful Christianity would have been clumped in with the rest of the world’s ideas and empty philosophies and lost.

Then he adds “human tradition” – tradition means something that is handed down from generation to generation. So that is not necessarily wrong. The Hebrew tradition of passing on the oral story telling of the Bible to its’ eventual writing down, and then copying was meticulous in its’ attention to detail.

“This philosophy and empty deceit” were merely “the tradition” passed from one to another, from one generation to the next. The Essenes were the predecessors of the Gnostics, who claimed to possess secret knowledge. The Essenes had a secret oath to pass on their doctrines as they had received them. “The later Jews gave the name “kabbala” or tradition to their mystic theology.”[12]

And then adding “the elemental spirits of the world” – there is no clear understanding of what Paul means by this[13], other than to say there is a worldly way, and a spiritual or Christ like way of moving through life. Don’t be fooled into believing that salvation can come from following the rules and regulations of this world, only through a proper understanding of Christ as revealed through His Word.

One way to interpret “the elemental spirits of the world” – is where forces within nature control the actions of people. “If man’s nature and destiny are determined by the elements that make up the physical world, including structure of the human body, whether these are considered simply as natural substances, or as natural substances controlled by spiritual beings and powers, then human personality is not spiritually free and self-determining but the product of the interaction of these natural and amoral elements.”[14] The sense of guilt vanishes when we lose moral freedom and responsibility.

Also notice how Paul seeks to persuade them toward the truth. “He respects their integrity, and approaches them with love guided by intelligence, and with intelligence illuminated by love.”[15]

The Truth of the Deity of Christ (vv. 9-10)

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

Paul again is arguing against false beliefs that were threatening to “carry off” the church, specifically that Jesus was fully God. The “fullness of deity” dwelt within Christ. He was not partially man, and partially God – he was fully God, and fully man. All the attributes of God dwell in the Son of God who also is the Son of man, the incarnate Son of God.

Christ in his human incarnation (body) has fully revealed the moral nature and the loving heart of God. We can understand what God is like by observing Jesus.

Athanasius and Arius Controversy – “The issue was settled at the Council of Nicaea. The bishops of the church discussed and debated the issue and finally decided by overwhelming majority that homoousious (“same substance”) best encapsulates the teaching of the New Testament on the nature of Jesus. The Nicene Creed was the result of this meeting and reads in part,

“We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.” That last phrase of one being is a translation of the Greek word homoousious. The word homoousious is not found in Scripture, but the Council felt this was the best word to describe orthodox biblical teaching concerning Christ.”[16]

“you have been filled in him” – In Christ we have all we need, we have been given all that is needed for salvation, and a relationship with God. We can grow in that relationship, and we can grow in our knowledge and understanding of God, but we have all we need, “we are filled” in Christ. There is no need to seek another savior, spiritual guidance, or rely on anything other than Christ.

“who is the head of all rule and authority” – Christ is the creator and sustainer of all that exists, therefore He alone is its’ ruler and has authority over everything.

It’s not just enough to know the facts about Christ, as in knowing the correct doctrine, if it does not mean anything to you personally. “Biblical faith is very concrete, rooted in the teachings and work of a person, Jesus of Nazareth, and embodied in personal and social relationships.

Thus, when one’s understanding of Christian faith centers on a collection of elegant, even powerful ideas at the expense on an experience of God’s love, it quickly becomes an idolatry; the idea of God replaces a life-transforming relationship with the Lord.”[17]

Bad ideas of Jesus are dangerous because it effects how we relate to Him – A worldy view of Christ is that He is was a great teacher, a moral man. If we bring Him too close, we lose his divinity. If we put Him in the cosmos somewhere, then we lose his humanity. We therefore look to the Bible to show us what He is like – not man-made traditions, flowery elegant words – simply what the Bible says.

_____________________________

[1] John Phillips, Exploring Colossians and Philemon (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Kregel Publishing, 2002) 108.

[2] A.T. Robertson, Paul and the Intellectuals, The Epistle to the Colossians (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press; 1956) 76.

[3] William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Book House, 1994) 107.

[4] Robertson, 77.

[5] Richard R. Melick Jr., The New American Commentary, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman and Holman Publishing, 1991) 248.

[6] Robertson, 77.

[7] Phillips, 114.

[8] Wall, 101.

[9] Melick, 253.

[10] Hendriksen, 109.

[11] Buttrick, 190.

[12] Robertson, 79.

[13] 2 Peter 3:15-16 “ . . . Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”

[14] George Buttrick, Gen. Ed., The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 11 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1955) 192.

[15] Ibid, 191.

[16] https://www.gotquestions.org/homoousious.html

[17] Robert W. Wall, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Colossians and Philemon (Downers Grove, Illinois; Intervarsity Press, 1993) 99.

Gratitude Sermon Series: Week #3 “Gratitude Is a Choice” 1 Peter 1:3-7

Gratitude Series: Week 3

Gratitude Is a Choice

1 Peter 1:3-7

Introduction

An estimated 10,000 physicians have phony foreign medical degrees that brought one broker of fraudulent diplomas $1.5 million over three years, a congressional panel was told. Claude Pepper, Democrat-Florida, said many American citizens may be receiving medical treatment from doctors who lied on their medical school loan applications, and used the money not to go to school but to pay a broker for fake documents claiming they completed school and training.

Pedro DeMesones, who served a three-year prison sentence for mail fraud and conspiracy, told the panel that in three years of “expediting” medical degrees, he provided about 100 clients with false transcripts showing they had fulfilled medical requirements of schools they didn’t attend. “Clients paid me from $5225 to $27,000 for my services, ” DeMesones said. “In all I earned about $1.5 million in those three years. I only got to keep about $500,000 of this total. The rest went for bribes and expenses.”[1]

Wouldn’t you want to know that the doctor you go to is a real doctor and not one that bought a phony degree? Sure you would. Also, wouldn’t you want to know if your faith in Christ is genuine or fake? Peter takes us through this idea in 1 Peter 1:3-7

Prayer

_______________

The real test of thankfulness comes not when things are going great, but when the bottom falls out and things fall apart. The Bible says we should remain full of gratitude for what trials can produce within our lives. Like fire refines and purifies metal, so suffering and difficulty purify our lives as well.

I. Praising God Because of His Promise (vv. 3-5)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled[2], and unfading[3], kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Peter began this section stating that God is to be blessed because he has caused us to be born again. Our praise and thanksgiving should be directed to God because it is he who gave his Son so that we may have hope.

“The word “blessed” here is eulogétos, a word applied to God alone in the New Testament. We derive the word eulogy from it. It means to praise or speak well of someone. We are to eulogize the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our thoughts and hearts are to rise at every thought of Him.”[4]

The word “According” points to reasons we should be grounded in our salvation – it is because of his great Mercy is not getting what you deserve. How deep, how wide, how immense is God’s span of mercy?

We are born again to “a living hope” – our hope of eternal life is not rooted in superstition, wives’ tales, but in the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ who was dead (not a comma, or swooned, or passed out from blood loss). The hope mentioned here is not “Are you saved?” “I hope so,” No – our assurance of our salvation is a hope in the living Lord. It is a living hope.

Hope is an essential element in human life. “without it even the finest and best which earth can yield is shrouded with a deadly miasma of futility. Lacking a realizable future, our most meaningful experiences of – and our most profound confidences in – reality are but tantalizing projections of our fancy. Of what value is the education of man, the cultivation of his implanted capacities, the arousal of his noblest potentialities, if he at last is enveloped in the dark night of death and the unfeeling grave of extinction?”[5]

“God foresaw the fall of Adam and the subsequent ruin of the human race. He knew what He intended to do about that. When Father, Son, and Spirit decided that they would act in creation, they knew that the time would come when they would have to act in redemption. The plan of redemption also involved regeneration, giving us back in Christ what we had lost in Adam.”[6]

“The human spirit was to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Man would thus be enabled to cooperate with God in all aspects of his life. When sin entered into Adam, however, the Spirit of God departed from the human spirit, leaving Adam, and his race, permanently crippled.”[7] Regeneration happens when that spiritually crippled descendant of Adam receives Christ’s gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit comes into the believer’s soul and serves as proof of salvation in heaven.

Ephesians 1:13-14 “In him [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

You usually don’t receive an inheritance unless someone dies. Peter uses several analogies that direct our thinking to death – the word eulogy (blessed), being born again – indicating that we were spiritually dead, a living hope (pointing to Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and then the promise of an inheritance, which again, you don’t receive until someone dies.

Then Peter gives a description of what awaits believers when they die. He describes it as an inheritance.[8] In the Old Testament the inheritance is the land that God promised the people.[9] Abraham is promised an inheritance of the land of Canaan (Gen. 15:18; Acts 7:5; Heb. 11:8).

“In the Promised Land, every Israelite had his own possession, sat under his own fig tree, and enjoyed the fruit of his own vine (1 Kings 4:25).” But this Promised land was never safe and secure. “Marauders from the desert would invade the land and plunder the possessions of the inhabitants.”[10] There was constant fear of insects and drought.

The things we consider wonderful fade – we may have wealth today, but tomorrow the market could crash. We have popularity today but tomorrow the crowds seek to cancel us. We have power today, but tomorrow we are voted out of office, — everything this world has to offer fades, spoils, and decays.

The “Peter used a triple word picture to describe this inheritance. Our inheritance can never perish, spoil or fade. These verbal adjectives indicate that our inheritance is untouched by death, unstained by evil, and unimpaired by time. Our inheritance is death-proof, sin-proof, and time-proof. This inheritance is kept in heaven, for believers.”[11]

How do you explain eternal life, salvation, an inheritance in heaven? Peter has to describe them in negative words (perishing, spoiling, fading) because this is all we understand. “The glory of our heavenly inheritance is so far beyond human conception that the Scriptures must often resort to figures of speech instead of the literal terms or to weak comparisons with earth and thus to negatives, which tell us what will not be in heaven. The realities themselves transcend human language.”[12]

For the believer, the inheritance already exists and is waiting for them in heaven. No matter what difficulties we endure in this life, there awaits an eternal life in the life to come. We don’t have to worry about losing it – for it is God’s power that guards it and keeps it.

This inheritance is also described as a salvation. “Salvation can be defined as being rescued from God’s judgement or wrath on the last day (1 Pet. 4:17; cf. Rom 5:9; 1 Thess. 5:9).[13] Peter describes salvation as something that will be received in the future, it is a promised inheritance.

Salvation is discussed here in three different tenses. “As to the past, it cancels all of our sins, and because of Calvary, it cancels the penalty of sin as well. As to the present, by means of the indwelling Spirit of God, it deals with the power of sin. As to the future, we anticipate the return of Christ and an ultimate end to the very presence of sin.”[14]

The power of God mentioned here does not shield believers from trials, suffering, anguish, or persecution. “It means that God himself guards and watches over our salvation, our inheritance. Our relationship with God now as we grow more like Christ is a foretaste of that salvation which will be revealed when Christ returns.”[15]

Not only does God guard our inheritance in heaven, but he also guards us so that we do not lose our salvation. God does not operate in or upon our faith but above, over, and around us, upon our enemies. “It kept Daniel in the lion’s den, the three men in the fiery furnace, set bounds for Satan in afflicting Job, freed Peter from Herod’s prison, preserved Paul amid dangers, hardships, persecutions, etc. Great and wonderful is this protection of omnipotence, without which we should soon be overwhelmed.”[16]

In the Greek, this verb “shielded” or “guarded” (v. 5) is a military term that can mean either “to protect someone from danger” or “to prevent someone from escaping.” It is the same word used in Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”[17]

“guarded through faith”[18]– When we speak of faith, Peter mentions both God’s protective power and human responsibility. Although, God has promised to protect us, we must employ our faith in our fight against the evil one. Ephesians 6:16 “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;”

“It is as faith which commits one to the keeping power of God. It is not man’s power but God’s power which, like the watchman of a city gate, guards the security of the one who is trusting in him.”[19]

II. Praising God Because of His Provision (v. 6-7)

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

In response to this wonderful inheritance of salvation that is being guarded by God himself, “In this you rejoice” Our response to life, with all its’ pain and suffering is to rejoice, to have gratitude in this life. Peter says that these trials “though now for a little while,” are for a purpose. But to remember that this life is but a speck in light of eternity.

He also explains that there is a purpose behind the various trials. The explains this purpose with the illustration of a goldsmith. “To form a useful object, raw gold must be melted, requiring a temperature of 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit. When the gold is melted, the impurities rise to the surface, where they are skimmed off or burned off.

A goldsmith knows the gold is ready to cast when the liquid gold becomes mirror-like and he can see his face reflected in the surface.”[20] Peter does not mention a refining, only a determining a genuineness.

The language of this illustration may also refer to the first-century process of making pottery. Potters baked clay pots to give them strength. The process sometimes cracked pots that had flaws, but the ones that survived the process were marked with the Greek word Peter used here (dokimos) for “genuine.”

“Sufferings function as the crucible for faith.”[21] Our tested faith by the trials of life will prove to be far more valuable than gold when Christ returns, “at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Earlier, in verse 5 where it says, “to be revealed in the last time” is where we get the word apocalypse – “ready to be revealed” is a day when Christ is revealed in all his glory and power.

The sufferings and trials that we endure here and now are purifying and giving value to our faith, that will last for all of eternity. The faith we take with us, that has been found genuine, refined and purified will be with us forever.

We are to value the trials because they reveal our flaws and impurities. They are an opportunity to change. But Peter explains, “What God now finds is what pertains to the reward of grace which he will bestow upon us at the last day.”[22] While I am here, I can change and become more like Christ, and God is working to make me more like Christ (through trials).

When it was time for me to get an engagement ring for Kimberly, I drove and hour and half to a business building where I was buzzed in to meet with Tom Neville in Montgomery, Alabama. Tom is a retired NFL football player and opened his jewelry business in 1983.

He met with just me, and walked me through the different kinds of diamonds, colors, how they were classified and got out trays of diamonds for me to look at and for me to pick the right one. Even later after she said yes, he mailed me three diamond wraps for Kimberly’s wedding ring. But one of the things that stuck was that there are no natural flawless diamonds – every natural diamond is flawed, it just to what degree; can you see it with normal eyes, or does it require a microscope?

A diamond after years of tremendous pressure is fixed. It is then shaped to the shape the jeweler desires. It can’t change, continued pressure does nothing to it. Gold can be purified, and purified, and purified. Gold and diamonds have impurities, but only one can change that.

_____________________

[1] Spokesman Review, December 8, 1984

[2] “The Greek word amiantos, which means undefiled, refers to a mineral found among the rocks and made into a fire-resisting fabric. Though soiled, it turned pure white when placed in the fire. Romans paid generously for it; in it they wrapped the remains of their dead, so that in cremation the precious ashes would be preserved in a fabric unaffected by the consuming fire. The Christian’s inheritance is free from the taint of defilement; it is unaffected by the fiery judgement.” George Arthur Buttrick, Gen. Ed. The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1957) 94.

[3] “The Greek modifiers (imperishable, undefiled, unfading) all begin with the letter “a” imparting the kind of alliteration frequently used in sermons: aphtharton, amianton, amaranton.” Clifton Allen, The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Publishing, 1972) 151.

[4] John Phillips, Exploring The Epistles of Peter (Grand Rapids Michigan; Kregel Publishing, 2005) 36.

[5] Buttrick, 92.

[6] Phillips, 38.

[7] Ibid, 39.

[8] “Peter uses an astonishing variety of expressions for the coming salvation of the end-time. (for example, “a living hope” [1:3], God’s “wonderful light” [2:9], “the gracious gift of life” [3:7], “inherit a blessing” [3:9], “crown of glory” [5:4], and “eternal glory” [5:10]. (Kistemaker, 44)

[9] Num 32:19; Deut. 2:12; 12:9; 25:19; 26:1; Josh 11:23; Ps 105:11; Acts 7:5

[10] Simon J. Kistmaker, New Testament Commentary, Peter and Jude (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Book House, 1987) 43.

[11] Max Anders, Gen. Ed., Holman New Testament Commentary, 1&2 Peter, 1,2,3, John, Jude (Nashville, Tennessee; Holman Reference, 1999) 8.

[12] R.C. Lenski, The Interpretation of 1 and 2 Epistles of Peter, the three Epistles of John, and the Epistle of Jude (Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1966) 34.

[13] Thomas R. Schreiner, The New American Commentary, 1, 2 Peter, Jude (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman Publishing, 2003) 63.

[14] Phillips, 47.

[15] Anders, 8.

[16] Lenski, 36.

[17] Kistemaker, 44.

[18] Revelation chapters 2-3 seem to indicate that there are angels for each church? Are there angels that stand guard for churches today?

[19] Allen, 151.

[20] Ibid, 9.

[21] Thomas R. Schreiner, The New American Commentary, 1,2 Peter, Jude (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003) 67.

[22] Lenski, 40.

A Quick Comment About Bible Teaching – Isogesis

Isogesis – This is where we bring our own presuppositions, opinions, backgrounds, biases, etc. to the text and make it say what we want it to say, instead of letting the text speak for itself.

Gratitude Sermon Series: Week # 1 “The Man Who Remembered to Say ‘Thank You'” Luke 17:11-19

Gratitude Sermon Series

The Man Who Remembered to Say “Thank You”

Luke 17:11-19

Introduction

Jesus tells a story about ten lepers who are healed. Two shocking facts are revealed. The first is that only one of them comes back to say, “Thank You.” The second is that that one who returned was a Samaritan. God’s grace is available to all people, even your enemy. We must be careful to not just receive God’s blessings, but to thank Him for them.

From Exclusion to Inclusion (vv. 11-14)

“On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.

Jesus is on his final journey to Jerusalem[1], “The Lord was still in Perea when word reached Him of the serious illness of His friend Lazarus of Bethany. A few days later, He went to Bethany, raised Lazarus, and, because of the increasing plots against Him, retired to an unknown location. He took the disciples into retirement before going to face the final storm in Jerusalem.”[2]

The words “On the way to Jerusalem” remind the reader to the reader that Jesus is moving toward his passion. From where Jesus is you can almost see the city.

“he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance” – If you were a leper (today it’s called Hansen’s Disease), you had to announce yourself when you approached a person or group, in medieval times a leper would ring a bell, and yell “unclean!”[3] You had to stay at a distance or people would throw stones at you.

There were also varying local customary expectations, “Two rabbis disputing the question maintained, one, that it was not fit to come within a hundred cubits of a leper; the other within four cubits, when he stood between them and the wind. Another would not eat an egg if laid in a courtyard where a leper was.”[4]

“and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” – In the previous healing of the lepers[5] he touched them and they were healed, but here he tells them to, “14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”[6]

Jesus commands them to do what a cleansed leper was supposed to do. Yet they stood there, looking as though they had crawled from out of a grave, in various stages of decay and disfigurement, clothing torn from constant mourning, skeleton heads and sunken eyes layered with rags soaked in decaying and putrid flesh.

Leviticus 14:2 “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest, . .” They are on their way to have the purification rights performed for them by the priests. “If they were cured, they would joyfully undergo an eight-day ceremony and then be reunited with their families.”[7]

“And as they went they were cleansed.” – This reminds us of the Old Testament story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:10,14. “Naaman was a foreigner who was healed of leprosy by Elisha; Naaman was then converted to Israel’s faith.”[8] 14 “And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” . . . “14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” As the men were going about doing what they were told to do, they were cured.

If you are absolutely on the bottom, you have nothing to lose in trying Jesus, and taking Him at His word. So, the consensus was to begin the leper’s pace of hobbling to the Temple, which would have been a considerable walk. There were no mirrors out on the road, but as these ten men begin the trip suddenly, they begin to see each other change.

“From cadaverous faces reemerged ears, noses, eyebrows, lashes, hairlines. Feet – toeless, ulcerated stubs – were suddenly whole, bursting through small little sandals, Knobby appendages grew fingers. Barnacled skin became soft and supple. It would have been like being born again. The dust of a wild celebration quickly began in the bright sunlight.”[9]

From Inclusion to Perception (vv. 15-19)

15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner[10]?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Why does the one turn and head back to Jesus once “he saw that he was healed?” As he is running to the Temple, he realizes that he has been healed, and then realizes that Jesus is something more than he understood and he returns because he perceives that there is more to life, than to be cured and to return to a “normal life.”

So the one leper “turned back” – “ceremony must yield to substance, and that main points of obedience must take place of all ritual complements.”[11] “Christ had ordered it, and the Law demanded it. But the letter killeth. Love overrules Acts of Parliament. The nine held by the Law, but the one got the grace.”[12]

Jacob wrestling with God – you have to deal with your relationship with God. Genesis 32:22ff.

“Now he was a Samaritan[13]” – The lepers were all together, Jews and Samaritans – when you are a leper, politics, racism, Jewish history really doesn’t matter. When you are a social outcast, hated by society, the lowest of the low, and having to beg to eat, there is no hope for you to be anything but a leper, and eventually die.

To be a leper was awful, but to add the fact he was a Samaritan just doubled the fact that he was an outcast. But as the one man was healed, he had a choice to run to the temple, begin the ceremony and rejoin his family, or go back and thank God for his healing. If he waited, he may not be able to find him to thank him.

“It is the Gentile, the Samaritan, the outcasts and sinners, who respond enthusiastically to the offer of the Good News. Unlike the religious and proud, who assume that their piety guarantees their salvation, the outcasts and sinners assume no such thing (see 18:9-14) and eagerly accept God’s gracious invitation (see 14:15-24). The foreigner is the only one who came back to give thanks to God, because only he recognized his sin and his need to repent.”[14]

So, at this point the Jewish 9 separated from the 1 Samaritan. Their illness had drawn them together, but their freedom caused them to separate. What do you do with the freedom that Christ has given you? For these men they are free to go to their homes, begin working again, rejoin society – feel the touch of others, to be accepted by people. That overwhelming desire to belong, outweighed the spiritual obligation to be thankful.[15]

What marks the difference between the 10 lepers is not that one is thankful, and the other nine are ungrateful. The difference is that one of the them has the perception to understand who Jesus is. If you are cured then you only need Jesus (miracle worker) once, if you seek Jesus for salvation (Son of God) then you need Him every day.

The nine lepers were cured of their bodily disease (leprosy), they were not aware that they had not been cured of their spiritual disease. 2 Peter 1:9 “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.”

When you understand God to be right before you, you don’t run away from Him, you throw yourself at His feet. When Mary realizes that it was Jesus after He had risen from the dead, she grabs Him and does not let Him go. John 20:16-17a “Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, . . .”

“praising God with a loud voice”— He wanted everyone to know that Jesus had healed him. Earlier, he had pleaded in a loud voice, now he is praising in a loud voice? Who is it that is the most thankful to God? It is those that realize how really sick they are:

Matthew 9:12-13 “And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

“Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner[16]?” – Jesus fully expected that all ten would return. God should be at the center of their gratitude.

But their focus was here and now, temporal. Anyone can be thankful for something, but it is including the eternal God as the ultimate source of all that we have to be thankful for that is essential. Christ wanted these men’s hearts, not just their thanks. The nine missed an opportunity to be with Jesus. The nine missed being saved.

The Jewish people were looking for a Savior, a promised Messiah (Genesis 3), if anyone should have recognized Jesus as the Messiah it should have been the Jewish people, but here a Samaritan is the one who received salvation.

“19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” – “you may proceed to the priest with the assurance that you are thoroughly cured.”[17] The Samaritan leper put God in His proper place in his life, before he started to reorder and put his life back together after his illness. His perception of who Jesus was came from a heart of gratitude.

The other nine are healed, but without God being at the center of their lives and understanding that it is God who heals us, blesses us, saves us, and has a purpose and plan for our lives – then it won’t be very long before the other nine will be sick again – maybe not form leprosy but from a life where God is not the center.

In the original language where it says, “your faith has made you well” it literally says, “your faith has saved you.”[18] The nine had received a cure, the one received a cure and salvation. The one had leprosy on the outside which was healed, but he also had a spiritual leprosy on the inside that was healed as well. Gratitude allows you to be in place of receiving far more than you had anticipated and understanding an even deeper need.

The one is described as both a “Samaritan” emphasizing genealogy and “foreigner” emphasizing nationality. It doesn’t matter what your last name is or where you came from – salvation is received by faith in Jesus.[19] There is an inscription from the limestone block from the Temple of Israel which reads, “Let not the foreigner enter within the screen and enclosure surrounding the sanctuary.”[20]

Where once those who were not Jewish were kept outside – we could not enter into presence of God. But through the healing and cure of Jesus’ death on a cross – we can have salvation and enter into His presence.

The big idea of this passage is that there were people who were excluded, kept outside (because of a disease) that were allowed to enter back into society by being healed, which was emphasized by the fact that one of them was a Samaritan. Then one of the ten were allowed into God’s eternal presence through salvation that came through faith in Jesus.

We should show gratitude toward God because we have been healed of our sin and are now allowed to come into the presence of God and have eternal life. From Exclusion to Inclusion. We show genuine gratitude because it gives us perception to understand that all things come from God and He involved with every aspect of our lives.

This story also shows us that faith and salvation have to merge together. The nine men believed in God, they obeyed what was commanded to them, but once physically healed we don’t have any indication they ever came back. In order for a person to be saved, faith and Jesus have to come together. Just believing in God is not enough, we have to have a relationship with Jesus. We have to perceive that life is more than just getting what we want here and now, but there is an eternal purpose and plan for our lives.

______________________________

[1] Luke 9:51

[2] John Phillips, Exploring The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Kregel Publications, 2005) 225.

[3] Leviticus 13:45; Numbers 5:2; 12:10-12

[4] George R. Bliss, An American Commentary on the New Testament, Mark and Luke (Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Judson Press, 1881) 261.

[5] Matthew 8:1-4

[6] The is no written record that this ritual was ever even performed (Phillips, 226).

[7] R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word, Luke (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2015) 604.

[8] Fred B. Craddock, Interpretation. A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville, Kentucky; John Knox Press, 1990) 204.

[9] Hughes, 604.

[10] This is the only time in the New Testament that this word (foreigner) is used (Green, 626).

[11] J. Willcock, B.D. A Homiletic Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Luke (New York, New York; Funk and Wagner Company; 1896) 472.

[12] Ibid, 472.

[13] “The region of Samaria in Old Testament times (tenth to eighth centuries BC) was inhabited by the ten northern tribes of Israel. Following the death of Solomon, the northern tribes seceded from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the south. The southern kingdom became known as Judah, while the northern kingdom was initially known as Israel, until it eventually came to be called Samaria after its capital city. In the eight century Samaria was overrun by the Assyrians. Its inhabitants were exiled, and in their place foreign peoples were settled. In the centuries that followed a half-Jewish and half-Gentile race of people emerged with which the Jews of Judah to the south and of Galilee to the north frequently quarreled and whom the Jews loathed” (Evans, 258).

[14] Craig A. Evans, New International Biblical Commentary, Luke (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson, Publishers, 2005) 256.

[15] “The story anticipates what is yet to come in Acts: a growing blindness in Israel, a receptivity among Gentiles. Why was this the case? Israel’s special place in God’s plan for the world had turned in upon itself, duty had become privilege, and frequent favors had settled into blinding familiarity (Phillips, 203).”

[16] This is the only time in the New Testament that this word foreigner is used (Green, 626).

[17] Bliss, 262.

[18] Hughes 606.

[19] Joel B. Green, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997) 621.

[20] A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Luke (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1932) 228.

Seeking Wisdom in Difficult Days A Study of James The Power of Prayer James 5:13-19

Seeking Wisdom in Difficult Days

A Study of James

The Power of Prayer

James 5:13-19

Introduction

James concludes his writing with one last big idea. “The main thrust of this section is the power of prayer and its appropriateness in every situation of life. Prayer is encouraged in times of distress (v. 13), elation (v. 13), sickness (v. 14), and sin (v. 15-16a) and in assisting fellow Christians in striving for righteousness and spiritual health (16a).”[1]

Prayer

My Response to Life Is to Pray and to Praise (vv. 13-15)

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? 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. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Suffering

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray” The word suffering does not just refer to bodily illnesses, but rather it means “adversity,” “suffering hardship.” It is the stress of a strenuous circumstance that leads to an action, or a reaction. Its when a person has experienced hardship and now they are affected by the situation. What is the first thing we do or say when hardship, stress, and adversity comes our way?

If we are the person suffering, we are told to pray, but not just one time but as an ongoing habit.[2] “Prayer is a blessing to the heart and to the mental life. It is good to talk with God and our worry disappears in the presence of the Lord.

So, what should we pray for? There are times when we are so stressed and suffering so much we don’t even know what to say, or what to pray for. Often times we want to hardship and suffering to end and we pray for the pain to stop.

Paul prayed that the “thorn of his flesh” would be removed. It wasn’t. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane “that this cup would pass from me.” It didn’t. You can pray for it to end, but sometimes that’s the season you are in. So, here are some things that you could pray for:

Wisdom (James 1:5) One of the things we will see later in the text is that people are watching how you are going to respond – so we need wisdom to respond and deal with the suffering appropriately. Many a foolish word and action has been done while people are under suffering, but God has promised to give you the wise words to say, and the wise action to take, if we ask Him.

Endurance – stress and suffering will over time take it toll on your spirit, your body, your health, so as God for strength to endure.

Reading and Studying the Word of God – as you read and study it, take God’s Word and pray it back to God. When you don’t know what to say, let God give you the Words to say.[3]

Smiling

“Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise” James starts with someone being low, and then turns to someone’s mood being cheerful. How then should we respond when things are good, delightful, and over all calm? Prayer and praise are the Christian’s emotional outlet. When we are troubled we pray, when we are cheerful, we sing. We also should avoid the temptation to pray less when things are good. If times are hard, we pray. If times are good, we pray.

Sick

“14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders[4] of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

If the person is sick they are to call for the elders (plural) of the church. This was already a Jewish custom for the town elders to be called in for prayer when a person was very ill. The emphasis was on the praying, (not healing) and continues the theme from the earlier verses.[5]

The same phrase for “anointing with oil” is used in the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:34 “He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.” Olive oil was thought to have medicinal properties and was used in a wide variety of ailments.

There is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding this verse. For example, Roman Catholics use this verse to support their idea of Extreme Unction – which prepares a person for death, but the intention of the text is to continue life.[6] There are no miracle healers, no matter what they say, no one can lay hands on someone and miraculously heal them. It also is not a mandate to not seek medical attention.

“Some may wonder why James does not mention calling in the doctor! That is where it is needful to keep in mind the New Testament setting of the epistle. Doctors were few in those days; their skills very limited, and they were very expensive – as the woman with the issue of blood, who had spent all her substance in consulting them, in vain, so sadly experienced (Luke 8:43).”[7] The sick Christian today calls the doctor, but James is emphasizing the power of prayer for the sick. It is both, not either or.

The spirit, the mind, and the body are one unit – all need healing, all are affected by our sin, our repentance, and our relationship with other believers.

So, while there may be lots to discuss about the anointing with oil, the basic idea is to surround yourself with leaders from your church who pray with you, when you are gravely ill.

So, the question then is why elders verses any other Christian? Why the pastors, verses people from your Sunday School class? This text is not easy to interpret, so I am going to give you my interpretation. This book was written to the persecuted church, who had been scattered – people had to leave their ancestorial homes, reestablish homes, businesses, and create new lives – while also having to live with the reality that as soon as you do this, you may have to do it again. They were beaten, many were slaves, and they still are living under persecution.

This person who is gravely ill could be sick from all this stress, perhaps abuse from persecution, and they may even be asking, “why is this happening to me?” What have I done to deserve this illness?”[8]

What they need are people to say, “The Lord is with us, You made the right decision by following Christ,” to appropriately rub their wounds with care and concern, and to share Scripture with them, pray with them as they are working out this horrible time in their life.

Jesus in his healing ministry often touched those who were sick. “He touched the hand of Peter’s wife’s mother, and the fever left her (Matt. 8:15); when two blind men called upon Him to have mercy on them, He asked, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” and on their reply, “Yes, Lord” He touched their eyes saying, “according to your faith, be healed,” (Matt. 9:29). He touched the tongue of a deaf-mute (Mark 7:33); He touched the ear of Malchus (Luke 7:14); He touched the leper and made him clean (Luke 15:13); In none of these cases did Jesus need to touch them, He could have done this with a word.”[9]

The sin here may be related to how he has reacted to the stress of the persecution the church is experiencing. They may have lost their temper, grumbled against another church member, got in a fight, who knows what the sin may have been, but they need help in navigating back to God and seeking forgiveness. (which in many ways brings a different kind of healing).

But the result of the elders prayers is two-fold, “(1) the sick person is made well (sozo)’ and (2) the Lord will raise him up (egeiro).”[10]

God’s Response to Our Prayers (vv. 16-18)

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

Whenever we see the word, “therefore” what follows is tied to what came before this word. We are to pray when are suffering, sing when we are cheerful, surround ourselves with fellow Christians when we are ill who are praying for us, therefore –

In order to confess our sins to one another there has to be a high level of trust and love.

Matthew 5:23-24 “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

The power of a righteous person is focused here on interaction with other people. A righteous person is asking forgiveness for sins (from others publicly that they have wronged), they are praying for the sick, for other believers, and a great amount of effort is going into praying.

“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” This means that the righteous person is able to do, or is enabled to do (by the Holy Spirit) – their prayer has a powerful effect. “Such a prayer can have noticeable consequences on a person whose sickness is the result of sin, as long as (or especially if) the sin has been confessed.”[11]

In the original language of James it reads, “prayer to pray” “The Scottish Covenanters used to speak of “gaining access,” – There is a difference between just saying a prayer, and in our praying really to pray: to know that we are not only communing with God, but are constrained to express in prayer the yearnings of the heart of God Himself. That is the “effectual fervent prayer.”

James then gives the example of Elijah, 1 Kings 18:42-45 “And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. 44 And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” 45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.”[12]

He had his weaknesses, as all humans do, but God heard the prayers of Elijah. James is emphasizing Elijah’s effort in prayer, that is why God sent the rain when he asked.

“with a nature like ours” The same man who is mentioned in 1 Kings 18, (a righteous man of prayer) is also the same man in 1 Kings 19 – who runs scared for his life from Jezebel.

He is emphasizing that what Elijah did was not “a magical performance of a superhuman being but the act of man in all regards exactly like ourselves, who simply used prayer as we can likewise use.”[13] Elijah dared to take God at his word.[14]

Elijah’s prayers “resulted in the refreshing rain coming down to the earth, so the prayer of the righteous believer can result in the refreshing and healing of a Christian afflicted by sickness caused by sin.”[15]

Our Response to the Wandering Sinner (v. 19)

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

The very last verse of the book of James deals with a brother in Christ who has wandered from the “truth.” They have believed the lie of the world and have been enticed away. The Greek word for wanders has the “picture of one who is lost in the mountains, who has missed his path. . .”[16]

1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

This last verse speaks of going after someone who has gone astray because you love them (not in judgement, or spite, or to show them that you are right), but simply acknowledging that they are headed into a dangerous area, and you love them enough to pursue them.

The verse is not saying to accept the person’s sin and flaws, but when the person repents the love for them is going to give you ability to see past their previous mistakes. Proverbs 24:24-25 “Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, 25 but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.”

The church is not a country club, a fraternity or sorority, or Kiwanis – membership is open to all based on one condition, and it is one that everyone who calls themselves a Christian must hold to, repentance. All of us have sinned and fallen short, and we all must repent and turn to the forgiveness of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:18 “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” Our collective ministry is to go after the wandering world and reconcile them back to God. In the instances of Jesus’ healing mentioned earlier, Jesus was going to them, or passed by them as “he was going.” Jesus took the initiative, we must take the initiative.

Also, there is no incentive to go after a wandering brother for you, the benefit is that the person may return. Love for someone else is the sole motivation, and this comes from our being aligned with the purpose and calling of Christ. James says, “will save his soul from death”

This life is filled with pain and suffering, and many times it is the result/consequence of our sin. When we reconcile a sinner back to the Lord, we are saving them from this eventual pain and suffering.

“James presents the joy of the winner of souls who throws the mantle of love over the sins of the repentant sinner, the joy of the Shepherd who has found the lost sheep out on the mountain and is returning with him in his arms, the joy of the Father who welcomes the prodigal boy home with the best robe and the fatted calf, the joy of the presence of the angels that one sinner has repented and turned unto God.”[17]

The end result of the wanderer being restored to the Lord, and that he is not remembered, not branded, as the person who sinned and wandered away, the sin is remembered no more.

______________________

[1] Clifton Allen, Gen. Ed., The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Publishing, 1973) 136.

[2] Pray is given as a present tense of durative action. Robertson, 186.

[3] Lehman Strauss, James, Your Brother (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Brothers, 1980) 208.

[4] “The expression “elder” designates persons entrusted with leadership and teaching in the church (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 16:4; 20:17; 21:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-19; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1,2; 2 John 1).” Pheme Perkins, Interpretation A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, First and Second Peter, James, and Jude (Louisville, Kentucky; John Knox Press, 1982) 136.

[5] Allen, 137.

[6] Ibid, 138.

[7] Herbert F. Stevenson, James Speaks For Today (Westwood, New Jersey; Fleming H. Revell Company, 1966) 95.

[8] Peter H. Davids, New International Biblical Commentary, James (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 1989) 122.

[9] Stevenson, 96.

[10] David P. Nystrom, The NIV Application Commentary, James (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1997) 307.

[11] Nystrom, 307.

[12] Elijah’s prayer was for God’s people to turn back to Him, and he did this by praying for a drought. God’s people would suffer during this time. It is given as an example and is linked to other Christians who are praying for other sick or wayward believers. Therefore, one may pray for hardship to come upon someone in order to get them to turn back to God.

[13] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1957) 72.

[14] Strauss, 222.

[15] Nystron, 308.

[16] Allen, 196.

[17] Ibid, 199.