Two By Two James 5: 13-18

1. Two By TwoJames 5: 13-18 We are not meant to be alone Struggle alone Find joy alone Win alone

2. Genesis 1 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

3. Genesis 6 9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.

4. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.

5. The Bible tells us that success is difficult to accomplish alone That a person without companionship is a sad thing

6. Ecclesiastes 4 7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: 8There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless— a miserable business!

7. 9Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: 10If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

8. Beating addiction Loosing weight Surviving a difficult situation Completing a task Reaching a goal Changing long-held patterns

9. Mark 6 Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.

10. Confession We often downplay it’s power As a culture we see it as a weakness Our military frowns on it In football we hate it But confession is life changing

11. Alcoholics Anonymous 75 years helping people recover THE 12 STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

12. James 5 13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him 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 him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

13. James 5 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

14. Why is confession important? It is the first step toward… Healing Success Control Survival

15. 1. Confession We share our secret We share the burden We begin to see we are not so different We acknowledge we need help

16. 2. Accountability We allow someone into our lives See our heart Keep track of us We volunteer to answer to them Share success and failure

17. 3. Goals and Responsibilities We decide what we want to accomplish How we measure success How we deal with failure

18. 4. Plans and Blue Prints We create an actual process Not a wish list, but a clear plan We look at the details We study past failures and come up with solutions Escape plans

19. 5. Healing, Success and Celebration We struggle together into healing We get excited about small successes We celebrate at major crossroads We keep encouraging each other

20. James 5 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

21. Confession is an incredible gift Allow us to open up our souls to another Gives someone permission to help us on a journey of healing and hope

22. Anyone can confess and walk away However, to have healing… Confession is often the first step of a long journey of faith in God and in humanity

23. Matthew 18 18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

24. When we confess When we trust God When we trust that someone The doors of heaven begin to open And hope takes root as we walk two by two