JAMES LESSON 8


     We will begin this lesson in James 5:11 "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."

     In the last lesson, we spoke of the patience of Job. He was,
perhaps, the most patient person in persecution in all the Bible.
"Endure" has a meaning which means continuance. To endure means to
last until the end. We do know that the Lord is full of mercy and
grace. It is by His mercy that any of us are given the opportunity of
salvation. Over, and over, in the Bible, we see statements where the
Lord has heard the cries of His people and answered them. He is there
in time of need for all of us.

     James 5:12 "But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither
by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let
your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation."

     We know of the warning in the sermon on the mount about swearing.
Matthew 5:34 "But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven;
for it is God's throne:"  Matthew 5:36 "Neither shalt thou swear by
thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black."
Anything more than a simple yes or no is presuming that we have more
power than we do. We do not want to be condemned of God for thinking
too highly of ourselves.

     James 5:13 "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any
merry? let him sing psalms."

     "Afflicted", in the verse above, means to undergo hardship. We
see, then, if we are undergoing hardship, we are to pray. I love to
sing the Psalms. It is exciting to sing the Scriptures. So much of the
music today is influencing our children in the wrong things. Music
influences the lives of the people listening. If you listen to songs
that promote drugs, alcohol, homosexuality, and other sin: you will
soon find yourself involved in one, or more, of these activities. On
the other hand, if you listen to beautiful Scriptures, set to music,
it will cause you to draw closer to God. There is a joy in the Lord
that is far greater than any happiness from worldly things.

     James 5:14 "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of
the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord:"

     All believers in Christ have been given authority to use the name
of Jesus to heal the sick. John 14:12 "Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and
greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."
John 14:13 "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son." John 14:14 "If ye shall
ask any thing in my name, I will do [it]." It is the name of Jesus
that heals the sick. It is very important for the person who is sick
to call for prayer. This shows that he believes he can receive
healing. Jesus said, when he healed, Your faith has made you whole.
The anointing with oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit of God. This cannot
be just any oil in your cabinet. This must be pure olive oil. Olive
oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit of God.

     James 5:15 "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the
Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be
forgiven him."

     Not only must the elder who is praying believe, but the person
being healed, as well. In some instances, a member of the person's
family can stand in for them. If they are not available, it is
permissible to have a believer stand in for them. Whoever is being
prayed over must believe to receive the healing. There are exceptions
to this, but this is generally speaking. Sometimes a non-believer will
be healed as a sign from God. Some people believe everyone who is sick
has sin that caused the sickness. That is true in some cases, but not
always. Notice the word "if" in the verse above.  We, also, know that
people like Paul had an illness not caused by lingering sin in his
life. We will see in the next few verses the explanation of this very
thing by Jesus. John 9:1 "And as [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man which
was blind from [his] birth." John 9:2 "And his disciples asked him,
saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was
born blind?" John 9:3 "Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned,
nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in
him."  I love the statement, "His sins shall be forgiven him". God
does a perfect work, when He heals. He heals the Spirit, as well as
the body.

     James 5:16 "Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one
for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much."

     This answers many questions about prayer. To be truly forgiven
for our sins, we must express a sorrow for committing them. This is
what the confessing one to another is all about. This is not
confession to a minister, but to a friend in Christ. This helps us get
it out in the open and deal with it. We are to pray for each other. We
must not just pray for ourselves, but for others. Many times, God
takes care of the needs in our lives as we pray for someone else. This
healing is body, mind, soul, and spirit. We are not just to pray, but
to pray over and over, until we get an answer. This effectual fervent
prayer just means that we are earnestly seeking God. It means that we
are to continue in this prayer for an answer. Notice, also, that the
person doing the praying is righteous {in right standing with God}.
He, or she, is righteous, because they have taken on the righteousness
of Christ and been made sons of God. God hears the prayers of His
children, and answers them.

     James 5:17 "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are,
and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on
the earth by the space of three years and six months."
     This is speaking of Elijah. This just explains that Elijah was a
human being as we are. We do know that he had great faith and was a
righteous man in the sight of God. You can find the Scriptures
covering this in 1 Kings chapter 17 and 18. It is very interesting to
me that this covers a period of 3 and 1/2 years. This is another
Scripture that indicates to me that the believers in Christ will be
upon the earth for 3 and 1/2 years of the 7 years of tribulation. The
mentioning of this here, is in explanation of just how powerful the
prayers of a righteous person are.

     James 5:18 "And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and
the earth brought forth her fruit."

     This withholding of the rain was for a very good purpose. After
the purpose was fulfilled, Elijah prayed and it rained. Notice, the
fruit comes after the rain. As I said earlier, this rain could, also,
symbolize the Spirit of God, which brings forth fruit, as well.

     James 5:19 "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and
one convert him;"

     This is speaking of someone who is believing in error. "Err",
means go astray. Perhaps, this is speaking of the backslidden
Christian, as well as the one who has never known the Truth.

     James 5:20 "Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner
from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide
a multitude of sins."

     This is speaking to the brethren of verse 19. Those who lead
others to the Lord, will have great rewards in heaven. I Peter 4:8
"And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for
charity shall cover the multitude of sins."  It is enough reward to
know that someone you have ministered to will be saved, but God has
more reward for you than that. We will be judged according to the way
we have dealt with our fellowman. If we lead someone to the Lord, it
is because we love them. We have put ourselves behind, and are
thinking more of their needs than our own. To the world, ministering
to others is foolishness, but to God it is the tool to lead them to
salvation.
I Corinthians 1:18 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of
God." I Corinthians 1:21 "For after that in the wisdom of God the
world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe."  If you care enough for others
to help them find God, God will forgive you of your sins.








                          James 8 Lesson


1.  Who is mentioned in verse 11 who had great patience?
2.  The Lord is very _________, and of ________ ________.
3.  What does endure mean?
4.  It is by God's _______ that we are given the opportunity of
    salvation.
5.  What did James say, was above all?
6.  What might happen, if you swore?
7.  Where do we find the warning about swearing {Sermon on the Mount}?
8.  What are we really saying, when we answer with more than a yes or
    no?
9.  What should we do when we are afflicted?
10. What should we do when we are merry?
11. What does afflicted, in verse 13, mean?
12. Music ___________ the lives of the people listening.
13. What should the sick do?
14. Quote John chapter 14 verse 12.
15. What should the elder do, before praying for you?
16. Who has the authority to pray in Jesus' name?
17. What is the only oil permissible to use for anointing?
18. What does olive oil symbolize?
19. What saves the sick?
20. What other wonderful blessing comes from this prayer?
21. Name some things that must happen for a prayer to be answered.
22. Is everyone who is sick, sick because of a sin in their life?
23. What did Jesus have to say about this in the 9th chapter of John?
24. Quote James chapter 5 verse 16.
25. What does "effectual fervent prayer" mean?
26. Who are the righteous?
27. Why does God pay more attention to these prayers?
28. Who prayed and caused it not to rain for 3 and 1/2 years?
29. What did the author relate this 3 1/2 year period to?
30. Quote James chapter 5 verses 19 and 20.