Problem Praying

Amen.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my faith and turn from their wicked way, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7.14.

And then we go to Hebrews 4.16, where the writer of Hebrews says, let us come boldly unto the throne of grace that we might receive mercy and grace in time of need.

I'm so excited about this new series.

I'm going to call it, and we've entitled it The School of Prayer.

And I've, listen, these next five weeks on prayer, it could change your life.

It could change your family.

It could change your church.

It could change our city.

It could change our state.

And God help us, it could change our country.

Throughout the Word of the Living God, we see in desperate times, there was desperate praying.

And so tonight, don't you miss 530.

You be here.

We'll stay separated.

But we'll have a time of prayer together, where two or three are gathered together in my name and shall agree it shall be done.

And we're going to call for God to just bring revival to our land and to our city, to our hearts, to our homes, to our individual lives.

It's going to be awesome.

And then we'll do this again at the end of October, right before the election.

In fact, we're going to be looking at the day.

Turn with me in your Bibles to James chapter 5.

James 5 · chapter mention

Does everyone have an outline today?

Anyone that does not have a worship guide, raise your hand.

But I think these next five weeks dealing with prayer can be some of the most transforming truths that we could learn about praying.

In fact, we'll be looking today.

We start with the first lesson.

This is going to be kind of a mini conference for us these next four and five weeks.

Ending on Friend Day.

Start thinking about Friend Day, first Sunday in November.

It's going to be a great day.

Bring somebody.

And we may be looking at it.

I haven't talked to Susan or Heather yet.

But maybe Friend Day, we could look at maybe having uh kind of combining Friend Day and with a Thanksgiving dinner, maybe coming back and having our first meal back together.

We got to look at the logistics and but maybe we can do that.

We'll see.

But that would be great, kind of a climax.

And but here's what I want to do.

If you do not miss a Sunday on prayer, at the end of these five weeks on Friend Day, and I'm going to end the series on when the righteous pray.

When the righteous pray.

That'll be Friend Day's message.

Next week we're going to look at pressure prayer.

Ever been under pressure?

Okay.

And then the Sunday that I'm gone, and I know you'll be lifting up my daughter, she's fixing to have major surgery.

On the 12th, I think it is, Rick will be preaching on public prayer.

Then when I come back, I'll be preaching on praiseful prayer.

And then we'll look at when the righteous pray.

So it's gonna be a great series.

I'm so excited about it because I I've I've it's already changed my praying.

Just studying for the last week and a half, studying these passages of scripture, God is already changing my praying.

And God knew I needed it.

So, today in James chapter 5, and what a powerful, powerful passage of scripture James is.

James 5 · chapter mention

In James 5, we're gonna be looking at verses 13 through 20.

And next week we'll be looking at pressure praying.

Let me give you the Acts chapter 4, verses 23 through 31.

Acts 4:23–31

So you don't want to miss that, plus you can go start studying ahead, dealing with the church.

By the way, we're honored today to have Hugh Richardson, our DOM, director of Misha's his precious wife Lou.

Let's give them a hand.

Amen.

Eight years ago, Hugh, who would ever thought God would be doing what he's doing now, what he's already done, millions of dollars, everything paid for, new building, hopefully being it in January.

It's just been phenomenal.

Soccer field, soccer.

It's just the vision is literally coming true in our very presence.

Is that not all?

Amen.

Is that not awesome?

What a joy it is, Deedra.

Could you imagine?

It's been, and really we've been, hey, we have been outgrown this facility for three years.

But we have been committed not to go in big debt.

And aren't you glad we are with what's happened this past six months?

Amen, amen, amen.

So thank you, thank you, thank you.

In James chapter five, we see there are five problems in the life of every church.

You say only five?

Well, there's probably a lot more than five, but you can you can bring them under each of these five problems.

They'll fit, I'm telling you.

But not only do we see these five problems in the life of every church, we can only which can only be solved.

Okay?

Which can only be solved and answered by pre-failing prayer.

Can I get an amen?

And by the way, the apostle James not only knew this, but he preached this.

And he knew and experienced the never-ending, never-failing solutions to these problems that we're going to be looking at.

So if you notice in your outline, we have, we'll deal with the problem, then the answer.

That's the solution.

So that's the way we'll be going today in our outline.

But if you know anything about James or the book of James, uh, James is affectionately and traditionally, he was known as Camel Knees.

And the reason he was known as Camel Knees, his life of prayer, and uh, hey, the calluses on his knees from staying on his knees praying were so evident that they called him Camel Knees.

What a testimony.

And if you read through this epistle, you'll notice that in every chapter of these five chapters, he talks about prayer, prevailing prayer, power praying prayer, uh, pressure praying prayer.

So it's it's unbelievable what we see.

And really, the issue on praying here in chapter five is so exciting because he deals with the two parts of the body that are very important.

First of all, he deals with the tongue.

Hello?

And he deals with the tongue, which must be cleansed and controlled continuously.

Can I get an amen?

And that can only be cleansed and controlled through prayer.

If you don't stay prayed up, your mouth will be opened up.

And if your mouth is opened up, usually you won't like what comes out if you're not prayed up.

And Jesus put it this way in Matthew 15, 18, those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man.

So it's very important that we tame our tongue.

Can I get an amen?

And the only way we can tame that tongue is through prayer.

And then the other part of the body, the knees, which must be bent in prayer.

And Jesus put it this way: He said, men ought to always pray and not to quit, to faint, in Luke 18, 1.

And something else that's very interesting about chapter 5 in this topic of problem praying.

This one is one of the few books or epistles that does not conclude with a benediction or a farewell.

Instead, it is climax with a challenge to pray and then special words to each of us through our praying, but yet through our actions to outreach to the erring brother and to the lost sinner.

What?

A charge to the church.

So with that said, let's get started.

Five problem areas that we have to pray in order to solve.

Area number one.

Problem number one.

Psychological problems.

Now I know everybody here is saying.

But look at verse 13.

Is anyone among you suffering?

Let him pray.

Is anyone cheerful?

Let him sing songs.

In fact, what we see here is the emotional life of a church is tremendously important to the Lord.

What is he saying?

People have emotional times in their lives.

Sometimes they're up, sometimes they're down.

Amen.

Now, is there anyone that's always up?

No.

If you are, something's really wrong.

Is there someone that's always down?

Hopefully not.

But we have a tendency to be down more than up.

But that's not the norm.

Life is a life of ups and downs.

The Christian life is a life of victories and defeats.

But the Christian life, hey, is a life that even in the defeats, because of the power of praying, when we're down, we don't stay down.

Hallelujah.

We get back up.

We get back up.

The righteous fall seven times and they get back up.

And how do they do that?

Through praying.

Fervent, powerful praying.

Hey, powerful problem praying is the answer.

So we see that there's got to be a balance between the pessimistic and the optimistic.

There has to be a balance, and that's what he's talking about here.

And I love this because James teaches that if there is affliction or sorrow, it should be brought into the life of the church.

Folks, why do you come to church?

Why do you not forsake yourself together?

Why do we have this body, our family?

It's because when you're suffering and you're hurting, we are here together to pray for you, to support you, to help you, to be here with you, to walk through the valley with you.

That's why you are, hey, excited about being a part of a local New Testament church.

And that's what he means, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some are, but exhorting one another so much more as you see the day approaching.

In other words, you come to be prayed with, to be exalted with, to, in fact, Paul puts it this way in Romans 12.

We come and we weep with those that weep, but yet we, hey, praise with those and rejoice with those that rejoice.

It's a balance, it's a psychological balance in our life, in our church.

And that's just what he means.

We're to bring it.

We're to bring those afflictions and sorrows and be shared in prayer, just as we're to bring the excitement, the joy.

I just got good news uh uh from uh my daughter's birthday, and and uh we celebrated her 35th birthday.

And and should I say anything?

No.

Okay.

Well, anyway, I got a blessing coming.

Another blessing.

But uh Susan, oh, okay, okay, I shut up.

I'm dead.

Well, maybe she won't be looking.

I'm always dead.

Telegraph, telephone, teladny.

Okay, but anyway.

If you don't want to, I know how I don't like secrets.

I'm not a secret person.

What you see is what you get, and that's who I am.

You'll never have to worry about what I'm thinking, I'll tell you.

So, but but but but the excitement, you know.

Hey, you come into the church and God's blessed you and you're excited, and and he's blessed you with great things and happy things and joyful things.

You want to share them with the church too, so that we can rejoice with you.

We have a psychological problem in our church, and the way we solve the psychological problem is you have people that are up, you have people that are down, and how we solve that, we come together and we pray together.

In fact, here's the answer: it is called communion in prayer.

We commune together, we share our hearts together, and we pray together.

Now that's good, folks.

That's good.

We as members of the church are not isolated entities.

That's why you come to church.

People tell me all the time, oh, I can have church wherever I am.

Yes, but you can't be a part of a body that way.

You can't, hey, you can't rejoice with those that rejoice.

You can't, hey, weep with those that weep.

You're special.

In fact, I'll oh, this is so good.

In Romans 12, 4, we have many members in one body.

And then notice the second part of that verse, he says, each member has a special function.

Every one of us as a body, a local body, a church body, we're special.

Say this with me.

I'm special.

You are, you're fearfully and wonderfully made.

Marvelous are, hey, God's works in you.

Psalms 139, 14.

You're special.

And you have a special place and function in this body.

And when you're not here and you're not operating in that position and in that function, the body misses you.

The body, hey, hey, we don't have your function.

We need your function.

Can I get an amen?

We need you, we need each other.

And here's the exciting thing: God needs you.

Why does God need me?

Because He loves you and He chose He has chosen you to be an ambassador.

Hey, with Him to be a part of His work, I did not fall.

But uh anyway, that's so important, folks.

Look at this.

We the first lesson we must learn is that of communion and prayer, is we bring our sorrows and joys into the church and we pray together, we rejoice together, we weep together.

And then when we do this, are you ready?

He says in Galatians 6 2, we bear one another's burdens.

That's what we do to fulfill the law of Christ.

And then he says, we rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those that weep in Romans 12, 15.

And when we do that, now listen, we are balanced emotionally.

That's good.

So the next time you're up on the mountaintop, praise him.

See, most of the time, when we're on the mountaintop, we forget to praise him.

A lot of times.

But then when you're in the valley, praying to him fervently, powerfully.

Bring your problem.

He says, casting all your care upon him because what?

He cares for you.

1 Peter 5.

Second problem in the church.

Verses 14 and 15, look at him.

We call it the physical problem.

Is any 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, and the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.

It is quite clear from these verses that the purpose of God is that the church will enjoy a healthy, hey, body.

It doesn't want it to be all down or all up.

It's, hey, right, psychologically balanced.

We have those good times, we have the bad times, we have the up times, we have the down times, but the way that we deal with it is very, very important.

And we see right here, it is quite clear that he wants us to have that healthy body.

If there is continual sickness, now watch this in this context.

In the body, if there's a lot of suffering and sickness, they are, which is, by the way, are ultimately caused by Satan and sin.

Did you know that?

If you've got a church that's always down, and there's no joy, there's no vibrancy, there's no life, well, they've got a sin problem.

And how do we know that?

Notice what Paul said.

You remember in 2 Corinthians 12, if we have that?

Oh, this is powerful.

In 2 Corinthians 12, what did Paul say?

He had a thorn in the flesh.

And what did he do?

He attributed that thorn in the flesh to the devil.

He said that this messenger has sent this thorn to buffet me.

And you know what that word buffet means?

It means to bring trouble into my life.

It means to bring hindrance into my life.

It means to upset my life.

That's what the word right there means.

And it is true that it was allowed by the Lord, but why?

Here's why, because when you go to verse 9, he says, because Paul said, When I am weak in my body, the power of Christ rests upon me.

When I'm weak, he is strong.

Therefore I will glory.

Notice what he said, in my infirmities.

Because when I'm weak, he is strong.

What a powerful, unbelievable example.

Some sickness right here was caused, we see in the church of Corinth, directly through sin as evidence in the physical condition of a certain believer in the church of Corinth.

In fact, when you get to 1 Corinthians 11 30, he says there were many in the church.

And notice what he said.

He said, Some are weak, some are sick among you.

And then he goes on and says, and many have died.

The word sleep there means death.

They died.

So Paul adds, for this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many have died.

So I thought about that.

Let me tell you what God.

Man, this is good.

Write this down.

You don't want to miss this.

Sometimes the Lord allows sickness to prove and perfect us.

In fact, we see this with Job.

You remember?

Hey, remember?

He addressing the devil, what did God say?

He said in Job 1.8, have you considered my servant Job that there is none like him on the earth?

Wow.

Remember that it was through the process of suffering that Job was tried, he was proved, and it brought maturity into his life so that God could use him in an unbelievable way.

And if you remember, God blessed him even greater after he went through the trial.

I meant unbelievably better.

So we see that it perfects us, it proves us.

You've heard me say many times, our faith has to be tested before right.

Before it, it has to be tested and tried before God can use it.

So it's so important.

Now, other times the Lord allows suffering in order to, hey, ready, punish, and purify.

In fact, in 1 Corinthians 5, concerning there was an immoral person that was bringing havoc to the church at Corinth, who was found in the Corinthian church, and Paul had to say, here's what he said about that person.

We got to deal with this unbelievable, immoral person in our church.

And here's what he said in 1 Corinthians 5.5.

Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

You read that and say, what in the world does that mean?

It means that they've gone to him, they've tried, they've tried to restore him, they've done everything they can.

He's not repenting, he's upset, he's bringing havoc to the church.

So, in order that, hey, hopefully, by asking him to leave, excommunicating him, which we don't like that word, but telling him you can't continue to bring disunity and disharmony to the body of Christ.

You're hurting the body of Christ, you're hurting our testimony by asking him to leave.

Hey, that God can use that to bring conviction to him, realizing what he had and what he's missed, and now he, just like the prodigal son, he gets convicted and he comes home to the Lord.

That's exactly what that means.

And it's reiterated in 2 Thessalonians 3, 14 and 15.

In fact, I need to read that to you.

I wasn't going to use that, but I want you to see how it works here.

2 Thessalonians.

Boy, this is good.

Watch this.

2 Thessalonians 3, 14 and 15.

Watch what he says.

And if any man obey not our word, now he's talking about a believer, a carnal believer.

He's turned from the things of the Lord, he's walking in the flesh.

And he says, if any man obey not our word, by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him that he may be ashamed.

In other words, you disassociate with him because he's living like the devil.

And you're trying to, you've loved on him, you've witnessed to him, and he's just not changing.

And then look at verse 15.

Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

And then he goes on, now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means.

The Lord be with you all.

In other words, then allow the Lord to work on him, love him, you still love him, you still talking to him, but you just can't fellowship with him because he's living for the devil.

Does that make sense?

So this is what he's saying.

So here's the answer.

Here's the answer.

And by the way, remember what he said in Hebrews 12, 6?

And we're familiar with these words.

Whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives, that we may be partakers of his holiness.

The purpose of dealing with sin is so that they will repent and get back right with God, back on the path of God, and start living right again.

Can I get an amen?

So, how do we do that?

Here it is.

Confidence in prayer.

We gotta go to the Lord confidently.

When we have this problem, when we have these physical problems, we gotta go to God confidently because we know that the, hey, he has told us in verse 14, the sixth person is to be, hey, anointed with oil in the name of the Lord.

And then verse 14 and 15, the elders of the church are exhorted to pray over the sixth person, and the prayer of faith will save the sick.

And uh and he restores him.

So he here's what he's saying.

Boy, let me give you the order here.

This gets exciting.

Okay.

So he says, We got problems.

We got physical sickness, we got spiritual sickness.

So what are we gonna do?

We're gonna pray.

We gotta start praying.

And then, if you got a physical problem, if the person in the context, the person's so sick they can't come to church, so they call for the elders.

Now that's very important to understand the process.

The elders didn't call for them, the sick person called for the elders to go.

It wasn't a faith healer calling everybody down.

Okay?

So you gotta be cautious about some of this.

Just stay with the book.

So look at the process.

Number one, there must be an anointing, verse 14.

Now, many expositors and theologians interpret the oil here to symbolize applied medicine.

Applied medicine.

For example, you go to the doctor, they send you the deedra, the pharmacist, you get your medicine, you take your medicine, and hopefully you get better.

God uses doctors, God uses medical people, God uses uh pharmacists, he uses medicine.

By the way, who do you think created the doctors?

Who do you think that gave them the wisdom?

Who do you think gave them the knowledge to create the medicine?

So don't they're not in opposition of each other.

Okay?

Now sometimes God just chooses, he doesn't need the doctor, he doesn't need the medicine, he just heals you miraculously right then.

Hello?

Now I prefer that.

But I don't always get that.

I've been praying for my right knee and it's still hurting.

And then the Lord said, well, maybe, dummy, you're playing too much pickleball.

I didn't say that.

I even put the oil on it.

Still hurting.

So there's an anointing.

Now others believe this anointing symbolizes the dependence on the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.

Okay?

It's saying by using that as an illustration that you believe in the power of the person of the Holy Spirit of God to do, one, to inspire you to pray, to pray in the spirit, and two, to quicken the mortal body.

In other words, to bring the body back to life.

To heal the body.

We believe in that.

We exercise that.

We pray for that.

But notice the second thing.

Next, there must be prayer.

Look at verse 14:50.

The elders of the church are exhorted to pray over the sick person, and the prayer of faith will save the sick.

Now, whether or not the phrase pray over him means laying of hands is not totally clear.

But it does, I mean, I have no problem with laying hands on people.

But what is plain that the responsibility of the elders is to pray in faith.

Can I get an amen?

Believing that God will effect the desire healing.

And such confidence in prayer never fails to be rewarded because he says in verse 15, the Lord will raise him up.

Jesus put it this way: Jesus said unto him, If thou can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.

And then the third thing, watch, there must be confessing.

Now here's the part, here's the secret.

If the sick person that's called for the elders to come pray for them has committed sin or their sin in their life, he will be forgiven.

Look at verse 15.

The implication here is that if sickness is the result of some sin, the wrong must be confessed and put right in order that the Lord might forgive the soul as well as restore the body.

Let me say, let me take that a step further.

The people, the elders that are praying, they need to make sure there's no sin in their life, too, before they pray the prayer of faith.

Can I get an amen?

Because he says in Psalm 66, 18, if I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me.

So it's very important.

But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Now, in some cases, we pray for healing, it does not take place immediately.

That's okay.

We see that with Paul.

Remember Paul?

Paul proved this when he implored God to remove his thorn in the flesh.

Instead, he was given grace to endure the suffering.

So, the physical problem of the church is answered by confidence in praying.

May God give us a new confidence and a new faith when we pray.

Can I get an amen?

Look at the third problem.

There was a psychological problem, communion in prayer.

There was a physical problem.

And it could be it can be more than just physical healing.

And we're gonna see that here in a minute.

It can be emotional, psychological healing, which is so good to me.

I love that.

I really love that.

But then there's confident prayer.

But now notice the personal problem in verse 16.

Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed.

Now, watch this.

This is very important.

It is rather the healing of disharmonies and divisions in the life of the church.

God's purpose for every local church is that it may enjoy the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4.3.

In fact, if you remember 1 Corinthians 1:10, what did Paul say?

1 Corinthians 1:10

That there must not be any divisions in the church.

So how do we deal with these divisions?

We pray.

In fact, I love what the psalmist said.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity.

Psalms 133, verse 1.

Psalms 133:1

So we see right here, the answer is confession in prayer.

In fact, Jesus said this: if you bring your gift to the altar and, hey, the remembrance that your brother has something against you, first be reconciled to your brother.

So it's very important that we understand right here that we have to make things right, first of all, with the Lord.

And then we have to make things right with each other.

Can I get an amen?

Do you know if people really did that in the church, you would see a joy and a happiness and a power that you've never seen before.

Remember, this is in relationship to what?

Problem praying.

So we see this.

That's why he's talking about confessing one to another.

If there's all, get it right.

Husbands and wives, listen to me.

If you could deal with the problems and confess and be honest and truthful, and lovingly and compassionately and generously deal with the issue instead of making it personal.

What do you say, well, the issue is personal?

Yeah, it has personal results.

But if you could deal with it, it'd be amazing the relationship.

But how many of us pass?

Especially if you don't get your weight.

You know what my number one thing is when I disagree with Susan?

I just don't want to talk about it.

Am I the only one?

Y'all just hung me out to dry.

I don't want to deal with the issue.

But I've learned.

I may not like it, but if I deal with the issue, it sure goes, it makes everything a lot more peaceful and enjoyable.

Amen.

So men, confess up.

Oh me.

I know.

Number four.

There's another problem.

Personal problem.

Confess your trespasses one to another.

Pray for one another.

Confession in prayer.

Gotta get it out.

Got to get in under the blood.

Gotta make it right.

Then we have a practical problem.

Look at verse 17 and 18.

Elijah prayed earnestly.

Now he goes to Elijah in 1 Kings 17 and 18 as an example for us to study and learn to pray like Elijah prayed.

If you remember, Elijah told the king, Israel had been disobedient.

And he goes to the king and he tells him, the king, that he's gonna pray that God's gonna send a drought.

Guess what?

He went and he prayed, and God sent a drought for almost three years.

Wow.

He prayed.

Now watch this.

This gets good.

In fact, here's what he prayed in verse 17 and 18.

It says that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months, three and a half years.

And he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

James brings the prayer life of Elijah in context, and here's why.

Verse 16, watch.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Now, and by the way, you say, yeah, but that was Elijah.

No, no, no.

He even says he was a common ordinary man.

It wasn't Jesus, it was Elijah.

Yeah, but Elijah was powerful.

He's a prophet.

No, he used him as a man, but the difference, hey, this man had a heart for God and a fervently for God, believing God would answer his prayer.

So now watch this.

God had scourged his blacks, hey, his backslidden people with a drought.

But in answer to the prayer of a simple man, and that's what the word means, for Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.

Notice what he says right there in verse 17.

And he prayed again, and heaven gave rain.

He prayed for three and a half years and stopped raining for three and a half years.

He prayed again and it rained.

What an example, folks.

So, what is the answer?

Here's the answer: consistency in prayer.

Consistency.

In fact, in verse 45 in 1 Kings 18, we read the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain.

But now let me tell you, it took him seven times.

He had to pray seven times before this heavy rain came.

The guy'd go out and he'd come back and says, There's nothing there.

He said, Go again.

He kept praying.

He came back, nothing there.

He'd go again.

Came back, go again.

Third time, go again.

And then on that last time he said, Oh, oh, there's a little cloud.

I said, Yeah, it's coming.

Go again.

Next thing you know, a flood.

See, sometimes we quit praying too soon.

Hello.

Hello.

I prayed for my mother.

Years, years.

And she got saved three months before she died.

I kept praying.

I didn't give up.

She got saved.

Well, here it is.

When it comes to practical matters, look at it.

God always tests our reality, our simplicity, and our consistency.

Always.

Okay.

One more problem.

Problem prayer.

Last one deals with us pastors.

Pastoral problem.

Look at what he says in verse 1920.

Brethren, if any among you wonders from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Wow.

Although prayer is not specifically mentioned in these two verses, it is quite obvious right here that James intends that pastoral problem, hey, the pastoral problem to be linked here with the power of prayer.

And the key word here is ready.

Here's the key word: compassion in prayer.

We need to be compassionate for two types of people in the church.

Well, actually, in the context, you say for the people in the church, and then we need to be praying for those outside the church that are lost and need Jesus, have no concern about the church.

But the first context is the erring brother.

Here's what he's dealing with.

He says we ought to pray about the erring brother.

In fact, Paul put it this way, brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual, you know what that means?

That means that you're a spiritual snob.

That doesn't mean that you're a super saint.

What that means is that you are a maturing Christian, you're walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, you understand life is up and down, and you understand we all make mistakes, and you understand that when somebody's down and out, you don't go over there and kick them.

You go over there and you bring the bomb of Gilead, the Samaritan.

The two super Christians past the Samaritan.

But the commoner went over and helped him.

You know who helped him?

The half-breed.

The Samaritan helped the Jew.

Unbelievable.

Well, we need that in America today, don't we?

So watch this.

Watch this.

What he's saying here, the required, here's what it means.

We have discernment, meekness, and tenderness.

Those are the ones that do the restoring.

Can I get an amen?

That doesn't mean you give in to their sin or you condone their sin by no means.

And you don't because you've already dealt with them.

You've already possibly had to ask them to leave the church, but you're still loving them.

Him, you're still reaching out every opportunity you get to help them and to bring them back.

Why?

Because you could be next.

You could be out there next.

And then the last thing, the straying sinner.

Let us recall what the Lord Jesus said about the Good Shepherd.

If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the 99 and go to them, hey, mountains to seek the one that is straying?

Matthew 18, 12?

Wow.

Then expressing his own compassion for the lost sheep, that was for the erring brother.

Notice what he says in John 10, 16.

Jesus declared, Other sheep I have which are not of this fold.

Them also I must bring, and they will hear my voice, and they be, hey, they and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

In other words, we are urged to go after the lost sinner and bring him into our fold.

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Now, write this verstand, Psalms 126.

He that goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again.

Hey, rejoicing.

Now watch.

Bring in his sheaves with him.

Woo! Is that not good?

Compassionate praying.

Folks, listen, the reason we come and visit you if you miss three times.

I see some people here today that you were gonna get a visit if you hadn't shown up today.

Just a thought.

Why?

We care.

You're part of our body.

This is what I'm talking about.

We don't know.

There could be a problem.

What's going on?

Can we help?

Can we pray?

What can we do to help you?

Now, if you want to be of a church that nobody calls you, nobody goes sees you.

Why would you want to be in a church like that?

Well, I won't know.

I don't want anybody knowing my business.

Well, I got news for you.

God already knows your business.

The eyes of the Lord in every place, behold, the evil and the good.

Proverbs 15, 3.

He knows your thoughts for you.

Think them.

How do you like that verse?

I don't like it.

Hello?

So what are you saying, preacher?

Let me wrap it up.

Here's what I'm saying.

We see that the key to the pastoral problem is compassion in prayer.

Until God fills us with his Holy Spirit compassion.

I wrote this to me.

We shall never know how to travail for souls in prayer.

God takes account of the tears of those who know how to weep in prayer.

Luke 19, 41.

Jesus wept bitterly over Jerusalem and the people.

He wept over you.

He died on the cross for you.

For me.

So let me ask you, church.

Are you ready?

Ready?

To do some problem praying.

Because if we do, listen to me.

I promise you, we will see revival break out.

But it, hey, we've got to do it together.

So today at 5 30, if you can, and some of you still be doing soccer or whatever.

Just come on in here.

And for about 45 minutes to an hour, we're just going to pray down heaven.

Can I get an amen?

We're going to pray just like we just went through.

We are going to pray for each other, our families, our church, our government.

Our elections coming up.

That there be peace.

There be righteousness.

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.

But when the wicked beareth rule, the people more.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

Pray.

I'm telling you, I've been praying like I've never prayed before.

I really have.

I'm so sick of what's going on in America.

I'm so sick of this virus.

And I know who sent it.

You say, well, it came from China.

Well, I got news for you.

It came from Satan.

Hello.

It came from Satan.

He's come to kill, steal, and destroy.

He wants to destroy your home.

He wants to destroy our church.

He wants to destroy your business.

He wants to destroy your relationships with your wife, with your children, with your husband, with your grandparents, with your relatives, with your friends.

He wants to divide.

A house divided or a church divided or a business divided or a country divided, a state divided, cannot stand.

Divided we fall, united we stand.

And there's only one way we can be united.

Through prayer.

It knits our hearts together.

When you come in here and you tell me of your sorrows and your afflictions, I can identify with you and pray with you.

I've had two or three people call me this week.

Because I've asked you, please, when you have things going on in your family, let me know so I can pray.

I still pray fervently for Deedra's mother.

Been praying for Susan.

By the way, her mother got out of the hospital.

She's doing better.

She had the virus.

So, but they called me and said, I've lost my job, or I've lost this, or this has happened, or that's happened.

And you know what I did immediately?

I, oh God, opened the windows of heaven.

First of all, God comfort them.

Secondly, God provide for them.

Thirdly, God encourage them.

And hey, be with them.

Don't let Satan win.

I'm convinced we can outpraise Satan.

But we gotta do it, church.

You may be here this morning.