James 5 September 29, 2013

Walter White

James 5: Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

James 5: Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

What Are The Benefits of Confession? Forgiveness o Psalm 32:5: Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. o 1 John 1:9: But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. o Romans 10:10: For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. Physical Relief of Stress o Psalm 32:3,4:: When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.... My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Enabling Prosperity o Proverbs 28:13: People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

Why Is Confession Hard? Adam and Eve Confession is hard because of Shame and Vulnerability o Shame and Vulnerability result from Fear that “I’m different” o And I don’t want to be different – it hurts my pride o Confession in the presence of another believer is the most profound kind of humiliation. It hurts, makes one feel small; it deals a terrible blow to one’s pride – Dietrich Bonhoffer “We believe the church is a fellowship of saints not a fellowship of sinners ” – Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline Dr Brene Brown o Shame needs three things to grow exponentially in our lives: secrecy, silence, and judgment. o Shame depends on me buying into the belief that I'm alone. o Empathy’s the antidote to shame. The two most powerful words when we’re in struggle: me too. o Shame cannot survive being spoken," Brown says. "It cannot survive empathy. o Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.

What Can We Do To Enable Confession? There’s an app for that - eScapegoat Community o James 5: 14 - …”confess your sins to each other…” o …the lynch pin this discipline is for real fellowship within our flocks. - Geroge Ackron o “Sin wants to be alone with people. It takes them away from the community. “ – Dietrich Bonhoffer o Requires authentic community and that takes time Baby steps o Find community and build authentic relationships o Start with your struggles o Work up to issues that you are not proud of