What does the Bible say about Praying for Healing?

Bless the Lord, He will give us Himself. We have to be careful, folks. Many times we want the provision of God and we don't want the person of God. That might sound like I'm playing with words, but I want you to let that sink in. Sometimes we want the provision of God and not the person of God. If we understand that all we need is God Himself in life, especially in trial, if we understand that and live that and yearn for that, that's where we will have victory in the trial and in the difficulty. I want to point something out.

If you'll notice that Brother Keith carried a theme throughout the music, throughout our worship through music, and that was the perseverance of the Lord in us and our perseverance in the Lord. We're studying sickness, we're studying praying about sickness and praying for healing. Of course, that all relates to the trial and the valley of life. And so perseverance and the Lord persevering in us, the Lord holding us fast. Those things are what we need to sing about. And I'm very, very thankful. It's very worshipful for me.

Well, if you would take your Bible and turn back to James, Chapter 5, I did read all of those scriptures in that section, verses 13 to 18. But I did say that we're going to land here in verse 14 and in verse 15. Now, here in a moment, I'm going to get you to turn to Romans, Chapter 8, verse 28 and 29. I want us to put our eyes on those verses in just a minute, but then we'll look at a few other verses along the way. You can write those down and make those a part of your own study. Now, I think most of you know that last Sunday we started a part one of a two-part series that has to do with serious physical sickness.

This all has to do with praying for those who have a serious physical sickness and the possibility of healing for those who are sick. Now, the title of last week's message was a question, "What Does the Bible Say About Sickness?" And my goal in that message was to lead us all to a place where we have a better understanding of what God says about all of these things. Of course, we all know why I felt led to--of God to teach and to preach on these things. We have one in our church that has a serious sickness, Evan and Devon's precious, beautiful, wonderful little girl, Allie Jean. Now, I did get an update report earlier.

They have been in the hospital going through treatments. They were there over the Thanksgiving holiday. But Evan texted me this morning. We played a little phone tag. He let me know that they were on their way home and she got a good report. She's been a little nauseous because of the treatment. But they will go back and get a checkup a little later. And I'm sure that you ladies will talk with Devon and get some more specifics and we'll talk with Evan. But they are on their way home and things seem to be going well.

Now, in last week's message, we covered a wide range of scripture and teaching that I believe helped us have a more healthy, a more balanced understanding of these things. But there is one thing that I want to revisit before we move on into James 5. As God's people, we will never understand why these things, like serious sickness, come into our lives, into the lives of God's people, if we do not understand and accept that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose, and for those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.

And if we do not understand and accept these things, when something like serious sickness comes into our lives, we will struggle. We may even fail to walk victoriously with God through all of these things. Here is where I want us to turn over to Romans, Romans 8, verses 28 and 29, and I think these verses reading them will help us. Romans 8, verse 28 and 29, Paul says, "And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Notice His purpose, not ours. "And for those whom He foreknew, He also predestined." Why?

"To be conformed to the image of His Son." Now, church, look at what we have here in these two verses. God has two purposes in His mind when struggles, trials, and difficulties come into our lives, our good and His glory. You see that? Our good and His glory. Now, why do I revisit these things? Because I know we covered them last week. Because when we approach difficulties in our lives like serious sickness, we must start with God. Remember? I review these things. I revisit these things because when we approach difficulties in our lives, like serious sickness, we must start with God. And notice how all of this works.

For those of us who know God, these things are medicine for our souls. These things strengthen us, and these things encourage us, and these things grow us. Now, this morning, we are moving into our part one from James 5, 14, and 15. And this is what I'm calling, "What Does the Bible Say About Praying for Healing?" Again, another question. I'll repeat that. "What does the Bible say about praying for healing?" But just like last week, right here, I want to draw another line in the sand. I want to draw another line in the sand. Now, here's the line. After we see what God's Word says here, are we willing to adjust to what God's Word says?

If we have different views here, and after we see what God says here, are we willing to do what God's Word says? You see, are we willing to adjust, and are we willing to do? James 1, 22 says that we are to be doers of the Word, and not only hearers. That means we are to hear what God's Word said, and then we are to do what God's Word says. So we must be doers. But before we get into the message in these verses, we need to see that there has been and is all sorts of confusion and different interpretations concerning the teaching found in these verses.

Our faith-healing friends rush to these verses to say that all Christians can be healed through prayer. Our Roman Catholic friends use these verses to support their sacrament of extreme unction. And some say that these verses are not about physical sickness at all. They say that this teaching is about spiritual or emotional sickness. And then there are others who say that these verses are definitely about physical sickness. Now before I get into my position, let me explain something here.

If some of you believe that these verses have to do with spiritual sickness, but others of you believe that these verses have to do with physical sickness, we will not divide over our differences. We will not. Those differences would not be primary or secondary differences. So we cannot divide over things like this. But if you believe that these verses teach that we have a guarantee for healing from physical sickness, we might have some difficulties. You might need to sit down and let me walk you through some scripture. Some of what we studied last week, because if you were there, if you have that position, you really are out of balance.

And you set yourself up for a lot of heartache and pain in the Christian light. Now something else before we get into these verses, we need to understand what James is doing here in his letter. At this point in his letter, James is drawing things to a conclusion with several themes of a very pastoral nature. He is addressing those who are suffering in the church. We see that in verse 13. He was addressing those who are cheerful or joyful. We see that in verse 13. He is addressing those who are sick in the church and those who need prayer. Because they are sick, we see that in verse 14 and verse 15. That's where we will be this morning.

And he is addressing those in the church who need to confess sin. We see that in verse 16. And he is addressing prayer and the man of prayer. We see that in verse 16 and on down to verse 18. But it is important for us to see that the overall theme in all of this teaching is prayer. Prayer is a part of all that is addressed here in verse 13 and 18. We see that in the verses. And if we do some study on our own, we will see that scholars and commentators all say the same thing. Now at this time, I want you to see my approach in the message. I'm not going to divide all of the verses in this section.

If we were going verse by verse through this book, that's what I would do quite a few years back. I taught verse by verse through the book of James. And you can go look at those messages and maybe listen to those messages that they might bless you. But this morning I'm going to focus on these verses that have to do with sickness. So we're going to look at what I call what does the Bible say about praying for healing. Let's look back at our verses rather short. Verse 14 and 15. James says, "If anyone among you is sick, let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of our Lord.

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." Now here I will make four observations out of these verses. First, we will look at the setting of these things. Next, we will look at the sickness itself. That is obvious. And then third, we will look at the summons from the one who is sick. And then last, we will look at the sins that are committed, if there are any sins committed. So number one, the setting. I want us to look at the setting.

Now to me, if we're not careful, we can rush too quickly into the sickness at hand and to the summons for the elders to come and to pray over the one that is sick. So we need to take our time so that we can see that the setting of this teaching is a local church. And I can prove that the setting is a local church really with two quick observations. First, notice that the one who is sick is to call the elders of the church to pray for them. That's obvious. So the fact that there were elders in this situation tells us this was a local church.

And if we study the book of Acts and on through the New Testament, we can see that from the earliest time, it was a custom that elders were to be appointed in every local church. Sometimes they were called overseers. Sometimes they were called bishops. Those terms speak of the same office. We see a group of elders or overseers in Acts 20 verses 17 to 35. Right there, Paul called the elders of the church at Ephesus, and he called them to himself, and he called them to give them some specific instruction.

Then in verse 28, Paul specifically called them to pay careful attention to their own lives and to the flock which God had made them overseers over. So the fact that we see elders here tell us that this setting here is a local church. But then second, notice that the believer that was sick was submissive to or under the care of the elders or the leadership of the elders. So the fact that there were believers who were under the church elders in this situation, that tells us this is a local church.

You know, if we study the book of Acts and on through the New Testament, we can see that as the gospel was preached and people were evangelized, those individuals who came to Christ were organized in the local churches. We see this early on in the book of Acts chapter 2. The day of Pentecost when those early believers were together in one place, suddenly the Holy Spirit of God fell on them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other tongues or languages as the Spirit of God enabled them. And the result was great.

The Apostle Peter stepped forward and he preached the gospel so that thousands who had gathered there in Jerusalem for Pentecost were converted to Christ. And as a result, the local church in Jerusalem was born. We see this later on in the book of Acts in chapter 16. After Paul had received the Macedonian call, he and his traveling companions then traveled to the region of Macedonia. And after they reached the city of Philippi on the Jewish Sabbath, they went outside of the city to a place of prayer. And the result there was great as well. They encountered some ladies outside of the city.

And after Paul preached the gospel, they believed and they were baptized. And there the church in Philippi was born, which was the first church on European soil. So the fact that there were believers gathered together under the elders here tell us that this setting of this teaching was a local church. Now, what's my point? You might say, pastor, I kind of knew all that. Well, what's my point? I have a point. This teaching was meant for the local church. This teaching was meant to be followed in the local church.

It was understood that these things were for the benefit of individual believers, but not outside of the context of the local church. Now, why do I point this out? Why not just get into the teaching? You see, church, it is the habit of meaning to pull passages like this out of context. I have said this to you thousands of times. Context is king, church. Context is king. We must always keep things in context. And then later, we will see where the context applies to us. But look, folks, there is a lesson. We've got to keep scripture in its context. I'll give you an example.

I didn't document this, but I saw recently on the news where a high school football coach had gotten into a little bit of trouble for baptizing players. Maybe he was leading them to the Lord. Maybe God was using him to bring some of those young men to the Lord. I hope so. And then he was baptizing them. This was quite a few years ago, but the head coach of Clemson University, the football coach there, Dabo Swinney, he got into trouble for baptizing some of his players as well. I hope and pray that he was bringing them the faith in Christ. I trust that they were, and they were being baptized. Now, why do I bring that up?

You never, ever see things like baptism being used outside of the context of a local church in the scripture. When you get into the scripture, what do you see with baptism? Men and women come to faith in Christ. They are baptized as a symbol of what God's done in their life, and they are baptized into a local body. The idea of a baptized believer disconnected from a local church is far into the scripture. Now, why do I bring that up? Because so many people love to pull passages just like these and use this outside of the context of the local church. Setting is key. Context is key. We can never make that mistake.

So the setting of this teaching, it is a local church. But then number two, the sickness. Number two, the sickness. Verse 14 says, "Is anyone among you sick?" Now, right here is where some of the debate takes place. Some believe that James was speaking of physical sickness, while others believe that James was and is speaking of some type of weakness such as emotional or spiritual weakness. Now, if we look at how this word sickness from the original is used, and we see how it is translated in other parts of the New Testament, we will see where the debate comes from.

This word in the original is translated physical sickness 18 times in the New Testament. But this word is also translated 14 times in the New Testament to refer to spiritual and emotional weakness. But the question, which is it? Which one is it? If you will notice, all of the English translations that we use translate this word in the original, sickness, referring to physical sickness. That is because James is obviously dealing with various subjects in his conclusion. Not just one subject, the subject of weakness from verse 13, and carrying it down into the rest of the verses. Let's go back to the progression.

I want us to see the different topics that James addresses. Remember, he's being very pastoral here in his conclusion. In verse 13, James speaks of suffering in general. Then he speaks of cheerfulness or joyfulness in general. In verse 14, James speaks of sickness and a sickness that is pressing enough to bring the believer to reach out for help. In verse 15, James speaks of confessing sin that would cause the sickness. In verse 16, James speaks of confessing sin and the spiritual healing that comes from confessing sin one to another. Then in verse 16, 17, and 18, James speaks of prayer and the power of prayer in the life of the believer.

Now, why do I mention these things? If you do some study on your own, and some of you do, you may come across those who do not teach that James is speaking of physical sickness. But I do think that that is the case. All of the English translations translate this word from the original as physical sickness, and most commentators and scholars do the same thing. So what we have here is this. In verse 13, James is writing to those who were afflicted and they were suffering, and he calls them to pray.

And in verse 14, James is writing to those who were afflicted with sickness, physical sickness, and they are sick to such a degree that he calls them to reach out for help and a certain type of help. He calls them to reach out to help from the church elders. But what type of sickness is this? Serious sickness or less serious sickness? Remember, I refer to less serious sickness as common sickness. But which is it? Truthfully, the text does not say. Now, it does seem to indicate that there is a great degree of sickness, but we cannot press the point.

The situation seems to indicate that there is a great degree of sickness, so much so that the one that is sick is instructed to reach out for help. But again, we cannot press the point too far. Now, for me, I do believe that James is speaking of a serious sickness. And I take that position by making several observations that we will get to when we get into the summits. But what might we learn here? Sickness is a normal thing. And sometimes serious sickness does come into the lives of believers. Didn't we learn that last week?

Is it not where last week's message comes alongside this teaching and helps us have a better, a balanced, a more holistic view here? And if you miss that message, you may want to go get that. And notice something. Because we took the time to study sickness last week, we are better equipped to get into these verses. This all goes together with a question. And here you may believe that I am reversing course. Is there room here to address the spiritually sick in any way? I do believe there is. And I will get to that a little later.

If we were sick, if we were weak, if we were very weak and sick spiritually, and we felt the need for the elders of the church to come pray over us, over us, I do believe that there is room for us to call the elders to come pray over us in this manner. Let me pose a question. We know that Evan and Devin are going through a trial. We understand what that trial is. But if we came to the place where we saw that Evan and Devin were very weak spiritually, that they were down, that these circumstances were getting the best of them.

If we came to the place where we saw that this trial was wearing on them and they were wavering and they were worrying and they were losing hope, what would we do? We would gather around them. And as the pastor, I would lead the elders of the church and other men to pray over them. So I do believe that there is room here, but I do believe that James is speaking of physical sickness. So we have the sickness at hand. And then number three, we have what I call the summons. We have the summons. Now here we have what I call the heart of the teaching on sickness.

Really the setting and the sickness itself set the stage for what we have here at the end of verse 14 and verse 15. We see the summons at the second part of verse 14, but let's look at the verses. Again, verse 14 and 15. James says, "Is anyone among you sick?" Well, that would be him or her. "Call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." 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. Now out of these verses, I want to make four observations. Four observations.

And again, this is the heart of the teaching. First, the sick believer here calls for the elders of the church. Notice that this is not the other way around. The elders do not call upon the sick and go to the sick. The sick believer calls for the elders to come to them. But who are the elders? First of all, these are not the apostles because the word used here in the original here is not the word that is used for the elders or the bishops in the scripture. So these were elders within the church. They were not the apostles. And notice that there is no doubt who the elders were.

They were the appointed leaders of the church who led in spiritual matters of the church. They are called elders. They are also called bishops because those terms are one and the same. They are also called shepherds because that is one of their functions. They are also called teachers because they have the gift of teaching and they are appointed to teach in the life of the church. So we have the overseers. We have the elders, the bishops, the teachers, the shepherds. And they oversee the congregation. They teach the word and they shepherd or they pastor the flock of God that is among them. But one more detail here.

The sick believer calls for the elders plural. This is an indication that there was a plurality of elders overseeing, teaching, and shepherding the flock of God here. But notice the nature of this call. This word call in verse 14 means to call to come alongside. It means to call one to oneself. I like something that John MacArthur points out and I'm adding to it. He says that Paul expresses this same thought and this same feeling and this same idea in Galatians chapter 6 verse 1. Galatians chapter 6 verse 1 and 2 says, "Brothers, if anyone is caught in a transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in the spirit of gentleness.

Keep watching yourself, lest you too be tempted." And he goes on to say, "Bear one another's burdens." I love that. "Bear one another's burdens so as to fulfill the law of Christ." And the point here in James 5.14 and Galatians 6.1 and 2 is the same. The elders are called by the believer who is sick and they are called to come alongside the sick believer. They are called to come alongside the needy brother or sister so as to help bear their physical burden and any spiritual and emotional burden that may come along with their sickness. Now right here I want to pause in the progression and I want to offer three much needed lessons here.

The first lesson, elders should have a heart for the sick. See that? Elders should have a heart for the sick. You know, in the life of the church and even a healthy church, many can make much of the fact that the elders should be concerned primarily with preaching and teaching the word. Well, that is true. But if we're not careful here, we can get out of balance. Right here we see that elders should have a heart for the sick. But sometimes in some churches, elders and pastors are so concerned for the sick that they cannot devote themselves to the study of the word and prayer and preaching and teaching the word.

So here we see what I call balance, but we really see that the elders should have a heart for the sick, the physical sick, the emotional sick, and the spiritually sick. But then second, believers in the church cannot expect the elders to know all of their needs. You see that? Believers in the church cannot expect the elders to know all of their needs. And then third, if a believer in the church needs the assistance of the elders, they should make that known need to them. You see? You cannot expect your pastor to know all of your needs. And if you have spiritual needs and you need me, you need to reach out. You know, we have cell phones today.

We really don't have the old fashioned phones that we grew up on, but I always say my phone is always on the hook. It's always on the hook. Some of you who are a little older know what I mean. And what I mean by that is this. If you need me, you call me. And if you need other men in the life of the church, you call them. What I'm showing you is this. Believers in the church cannot expect the pastor to know all their needs. And if you need us, you call us. And then second, the elders are called to pray over the one that is sick. Here we see that the elders are called to pray with the sick believer and for the sick believer.

That is because the believer has little strength and needs the prayer of the elders. This is because the believer feels moved. They feel burdened that he or she needs the prayers of the elders. So the elders are called to pray with or for the one that is sick. That's rather simple. And then third, the elders anoint the sick with oil and the name of the authority of Jesus. Now, right here is where some may back away from this teaching because we've seen this abused. And here is where many, I believe, miss the meaning of the verses. But we need to see what James is teaching here. And I think it's far more simplistic than you know.

Contrary to what some believe, James was not speaking of some type of symbolic ceremony. This word for anointing in the original is never used of some type of anointing ceremony in the New Testament. One thing that will help us is to see the meaning of the word anoint. In the original, this speaks of rubbing or covering. So this phrase can be translated rubbing with oil instead of anointing him with oil. And notice the practical or the nonceremonial ways this word was used in the New Testament. In Matthew 6, 17, we see one covering or anointing his head with oil while they are fasting.

In Mark 16, verse 1, the women were going to anoint or to cover Jesus' body with oil. In John 11, 2, we see that Mary was anointing. She was covering. She was rubbing Jesus' feet with oil. In Matthew, or excuse me, in Mark 16, 3, we see the anointing of the sick with oil. Well, if this is not some kind of ceremonial washing or excuse me, ceremonial anointing, well, then what is this anointing? This is simple. In this day and their time and their culture, oil was often used for medicinal purposes. The best example is seen in Luke chapter 10 in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Here we see that when the Samaritan cared for the man who was beaten and left for dead, he used oil on his wounds. Why? Was he anointing him in some ceremonial way? No, it was for medicinal purposes. So right here we have two choices. We can believe that this is some kind of ceremonial anointing. But to me, the language and the usage of this language in the rest of the New Testament really does not allude to that. Now, if you were believing that here, I don't think you're in some grievous, heretical error. I just think you're off. We can either believe that this is simply referring to the medicines of the day.

And the language and the examples in the New Testament do support this position. As one commentator said it, and I'm quoting, "It was also customary in the ancient world to anoint someone with oil. Such an act would be more medicinal, procedural, and connected to the natural healing process. As in Isaiah 1.6, the wounds have not been drained or bound up or softened with oil." See, we see it used for medicine in Isaiah as well. Now, the lesson here for me is rather simple. Medicine and the use of medicine is a gift from God. Medicine, modern medicine, and the gift of medicine is a gift from God. Look, folks, you want a reminder of that?

You go to a third world country. Years ago, I went to India with a friend of mine. Now, we did preaching and teaching on that particular trip, but he had just gotten back from India where they had done some medical work. They would go into the slums and they would minister to the lowest of low. That would be considered the Dalits. Those people were not even recognized by society. You've never seen poor like that. They lived in the garbage dumps. And what they would do as a vehicle to present the gospel was they would provide medical care.

And it would shock you to see and to hear that the most needed and the most popular medical care that they offered was deworming medicine. Yeah, they would give people, humans, deworming medicine. And although they couldn't speak English a day or two later, they would track them down and express their great gratitude because they had passed all those worms that were plaguing them. And you think, "Pastor, I worm my cows and my dogs." Yes. What I'm showing you is this. Medicine, modern medicine. And the gift of medicine that we have is a gift from God.

And in the case of Allie Jean, if she is made healthy by the use of modern medicine, we will rejoice. Why? Because every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1, 7, verse 17. Now, what did I say we would do if we have this kind of healing? What I say last week, we're going to rejoice. We are going to rejoice. As a matter of fact, some of you text me last week and said, "Yeah, Pastor, if she's healed by medicine, we're just going to have a hallelujah shouting time and we will." And then fourth, the prayer of faith will raise them up.

Notice this at the beginning of verse 15. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up. Now a question. Does this mean that the sick will always be healed? No. Because we've already learned that there are times when it is not God's will to heal. If it was God's will to heal every believer, then no believer would ever die of sickness. Well, what does this mean? Here, the prayer of faith is the prayer offered with the sure confidence in God that he surely can heal and will heal the sick person. But there are two key words here and a key phrase that we need to see.

This word sick, this word save, and this phrase raise them up. This word translated sick speaks to a wide variety of sickness and weakness from sickness. As one commentator said it in this situation, this person is sick and they are exhausted from their sickness. And this word save simply means to save, it means to deliver. And this word raise him up. This simply means to raise, to arouse, or to lift up. And this word was used often in different healing situations. Jesus raised up Peter's mother-in-law in Mark 1.31. Peter raised up the lame beggar in Acts 3 verse 7. So the question, what is James saying?

Is he saying that the sick will always be healed when the prayer of faith is offered? Well, no. We know that it is not always God's will to heal. Albert Barnes says, and I'm quoting, "It cannot be taken in the absolute and unconditional sense. For then, if this means were used, the sick person would always recover no matter how often he may be sick and he need never die." Simply the prayer of faith will save the believer who is sick. The Lord will raise up either in physical healing or their eventual healing when they leave their earthly body and go to be with him in glory.

So the prayer of faith will save the believer who is sick one way or the other. You see? Either way, they will be raised up. Now, what's the lesson for us right here today? Folks, we must understand and embrace the fact that there are two kinds of healing. And for the believer, which healing is best? You see, folks, sometimes we could look at these things and be a little more selfish than we know. The only healing we want is physical healing. The only healing we focus on is physical healing. When in all reality, for the believer, look, the spiritual healing, going on to Jesus with glory, that is the better healing.

I know I referenced our friend George Crosby, our brother George Crosby, who was a part of our church. He had a lot of physical sickness and we prayed for his physical sickness. Look, folks, I prayed for George in his home, over the telephone, in hospital rooms, many times. And we yearned for physical healing, but God did not grant that. But, oh, God raised him up. God raised him up and he's not dealing with physical healing anymore. So here we see the summons of the call. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them, the elders, pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

And the prayer of faith will save the one who was sick and the Lord will raise him up. So the summons of the call. And then number four, this might surprise you. This is what I call the sin. This is what I call the sin. Notice that in verse 15, it seems that James pivots to dealing with sin. Go back to verse 15. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up. Now, if we stop there, it's rather simple. But notice what he says. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Here we need to see that it is not a question of if the believer is living with sin. No, for no believer is free from sin.

The question is if their sickness is a result of sin. The question is if their sickness is the result of sin and they are some type of discipline under the Lord as a result. And if that is the case, notice the remedy. If that sin is repented of, they will be forgiven. If there is sin which has caused the sickness, then if that sin is dealt with, repented of, they can be forgiven. Now, the lesson here is this. It's rather straightforward. Do not commit a sin that leads to sickness. You see? Do not commit a sin that leads to sickness.

You know, in pastoring and pastoring for quite a few years and being in ministry for quite a long time, the saddest things are when you see folks losing their health and dying because of sin and sinfulness. That happens. Didn't we learn that last week? You see? There are times when people are dying a physical death and in many ways it is their own fault. But what about how this applies to Allergane? You see, there is no sin in this situation. On her part, obviously. There's no sin on Devon and Evan's part. No. So that's not an issue. But notice one more thing before we move on. Notice how beautiful this is. Notice the grace.

Because if we have a believer who is sick and maybe even near death's door, and it is because of their sin, there is the possibility of forgiveness. And there is the possibility of forgiveness and healing. Now as I close, I want to ask and answer a few questions. And this will conclude the message and our quick study on sickness, prayer for sickness, and healing. First question. As pastor of Grace Life Church of Brookhaven, as an elder, would I go and pray over the sick if I was called to do so? Yes. Just like what we see here. Yes. And you know, I have done this throughout the years countless times.

In hospitals, in homes, and even over the telephone. You see? This is far more practical than you know. I have prayed for you many times in times of sickness. I visited in hospitals and in homes and in some of the most serious situations and done what we see here. But if I was called, if someone called and said, "Pastor, will you bring the elders? And when you come to my home in a private setting, would you come and pray over me?" Yes, I would. Then number two, as pastor of Grace Life Church of Brookhaven, would I go and pray over Allie Jane if I was called to do so? Most certainly. Most certainly.

In their home, in a hospital setting, most certainly. I would do that privately and I would do that publicly. And we very well may have a public prayer service for Allie Jane and Evan and Devon. And the third question. If I were called to pray for the sick and I suspected that there may be sin involved, would I address that sin? Yes. And I have done so. There have been times in my counseling dealing with those who are sick, I knew that it was as a result of sin and I guided that conversation. I guided that counseling for them to see the ramifications of their sin. Why they were dealing with sickness, that it was because of their sin.

And then fourth, if I were called to pray over the spiritually sick and the spiritually weary, would I go and pray? Yes. Look folks, there have been times that I needed the elders and the leaders of the church to pray for me. There have been times I have been weak and weary and down and spiritually worn. And I have desperately needed the leaders of the church to gather around me and to pray over me. Keith can attest to that and my wife can too. And you know, there may be a time, I mentioned this earlier, when we suspect Evan and Devon are down. They're not as strong as they were. See, they're human too.

There may be a time when we discern they're down and they're struggling and they just can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Oh, they were strong last week, but they're weak this week. And we might have to gather around them and pray for their weariness. As they face this physical sickness. So last week, the question, what does the Bible say about sickness? And this morning, what does the Bible say about praying for healing? I trust and pray that God has answered questions, helped us have a better understanding, balanced us out and equipped us to be doers of the word here. Let's pray and we'll commit all these things to the Lord.