The Prayers Of A Righteous Man Will Availeth Much

James 5:13-20

13Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14Is 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: 15And 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. 16Confess 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. 17Elias 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. 18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. 19Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20Let 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.

Num 21:4-7 4And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

5And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

6And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

7Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

9And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

They strayed from God's path - vs. 4

They had just left the "mountain top"

(Satan will attack you at your highest too)

They were experiencing difficult times (when you are down)

They forgot their great victories (Red Sea)

They had forgotten where their great victories came from

They had begun to look at each other instead of looking to God

They sinned against God- vs. 5

Spoke against God

Spoke against God's man

Spoke against God's plan

Spurned God's provisions

They suffered because of their sin - vs. 6

There is a deadly price for sin in our lives

The Lord will send a notice (fiery serpents)

Sin hurts our families too - vs. 6b

Sin separates us from God

They sought God's rescue - vs. 7-9

Acknowledged sin in their lives

Sought intercession (pray unto the Lord…)

Obeyed God's direction - 8

Reaped the benefits of God's help

 

We need to be praying for those around us that have strayed from God's path, carrying sin in their lives and are hurting because of sin in their lives. We can help them find the rescue God has for them in their lives.

So why did they come to Moses? Read Numbers 14 & 16

Why will our friends look to us?

When we talk to God about them

When we plead for them with God

When we are approachable for them to ask us to pray.

 

 

 

 

Gary Marcum - New Beginnings Church - 013005am