Sermons by Darryl G. Klassen

PRAYING THE PRAYER OF FAITH   Praying the “prayer of faith.” That sounds a little redundant, doesn’t it? Isn’t every prayer prayed by faith, in faith, or out of faith? Praying requires some measure of faith that there is a God who hears and responds to our requests. What’s the difference between simple prayer and the prayer of faith?              If we consider the context of James 5:13-18 we may assume that the “prayer of faith” has more to do with asking God for healing. That’s a big “ask” and we would further assume that this request would require greater faith than many of us possess. I first encountered a request for healing as a 20-year-old preacher at a nursing home. After delivering my message on prayer, an elderly resident approached me meekly and asked that I lay my hand on her head and pray that God would take away her pain. I nervously muttered a prayer, but having never prayed for healing before, I wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen. Did I blow it by not praying a pra

WOES, “WHOAS,” AND WARNINGS CONCERNING THE WEALTHY   James has been a challenging book to study as a church. We have often found ourselves convicted by the straightforward tone of his message as it cuts straight to the heart. Faith, he has taught us, is not a mere confession, but a way of life. Faith in God ought to change how we speak, how we evaluate others, how we measure vibrant faith.              Though his style is blunt, James has been practical and wise, helping us to see ourselves in the mirror of the Word. In our text today, 5:1-12, James turns on the “harsh” as he tackles a fiery subject: the oppression of the wealthy.              Our impression of these words may lead us to conclude that its wrong for Christians to be wealthy. A careful study of the text will reveal that this is not the case. The problem that the believers in James’ churches were facing was oppressive working conditions under the power and influence of wealthy unbelievers. In other words, these are their

THE BEST LAID PLANS…   In the first few days of this new year, 2023, I felt as though I were standing on a mountaintop. In my imagination, I perceived the year starting on a vista where I could survey the months ahead in a general sort of way. It was a very simple vision. From January on I could see the year gently sloping downward toward the summer months. Then with the coming of autumn the year starts its climb towards Christmas again.              If you can picture it, the year is like a valley. We stand here on the rise, having climbed the ridge and looking down at the valley and wondering what it holds for us. What will we experience? What triumphs and successes will we know? What griefs and trials will we experience? We have no idea what’s ahead.              As we head into the unknown, we are inclined to make plans. What will we do this year? Some people like to make resolutions; others make goals; still others, knowing that both resolutions and goals are easily broken, are co