Obedience to God Marks True Religion
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· 511 viewsTrue religion is marked by obedience to God. In these verses James applies this to three practical areas: controlling your tongue, caring for the helpless, and avoiding worldliness.
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If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
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So tonight we finish the first chapter of James. Everyone pat yourself on the back for making it this far - high five your neighbor. Only four more chapters after tonight! But tonight we see that James continues to press home the idea of authenticity. He takes last week’s idea “be a doer, bro” and applies it to specific area’s of our life. So let’s look together and see how James goes about this in (v.26):
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
So James decides to get at authenticity by talking about religion?
Well that’s different. I mean religion, that word, and the images and ideas that are conjured up when we talk about “religion” has fallen on hard times. James says here that if you think that you are religious, but you can’t control your tongue, well your religion is worthless. In a nutshell what James is really saying is if you claim to be genuinely religious you must submit that claim to some tests. Like prove it.
So who in here is wearing a Christian t-shirt tonight? What about a cross necklace? Who in here has a Christian tat? Anyone post some inspirational Christian verse or quote on social media today?
Okay, for all those raising their hand - you most likely think that you are religious and what James challenges us on tonight is this: prove it.
So imagine you wanted to become a Navy Seal - to even be considered to the program you have to pass something known as the PST “Physical Screening Test”. It begins with a 500 yard swim, followed by pushups, situps (called curlups) and then a mile and a half run. But you don’t get in if you like finish the course. No the minimum standards are 12.5 minutes to finish the swim, 50 pushups (like the real kind - right after the swim) in 2 minutes, 50 curlups in 2 minutes, 10 chinups in 1 minute and 10.5 minutes to run the mile and a half.
Transition: like you guys are going to have to put down the xbox controller and the iphone if you think you have any chance to just get into the Navy Seal Training. These guys are put to the test again and again. Physically and mentally and emotionally. They are strong.
And so James says - let’s put your religion - your claim to be an authentic follower of Christ to the test. Let’s hold it to the flame and see if it burns or if it shows to be even more pure. And we see three tests in this passage. Look back at (v.26) to see the first test of our religion:
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
1. Test 1: Control Your Tongue
1. Test 1: Control Your Tongue
Look religion is not a popular word in our culture - it’s not something we toss around often - “like hey guys, I’m so religious.” No, we don’t do that. In fact, the term religion seems to have a negative idea that surrounds it in our culture - usually meaning, some sort of worship, but most likely it is always outward and ceremonial. Symbolic. Religion, the way we use the term, doesn’t effect the affections. It doesn’t touch the heart.
So the first test we see tonight is - are we able to control our tongue? James uses imagery here to help us capture what it is like to control the tongue - he says “bridle.”
Now, I know most of you are not horsemen and neither am I - in fact, my dad owned horses when I grew up and I would go and watch the preachers wife barrel race them as a kid - but in all my years of being around horses I only rode them a dozen times. But a bridle is the headgear on a horse that is used (with the bit and reins) they all connect to direct and control the horse. That’s the image he is provoking - true religion and real heart change in Christ will be displayed in a myriad of areas including being able to direct our speech.
I said this in the beginning of our series but James relies heavily on the sayings of Jesus - I mean he was his half-brother. And one of the things Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew was this:
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.
You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Do you see what Jesus is getting at here?
Do you see what Jesus is getting at here?
Christian your words tell on your heart. They reveal your allegiance. They are the thermometer of your soul.
Do you have a hard heart toward God?
Check your words that day. See our words really are a flame test to our faith.
Application: so are you overly critical of others - always judging their motives out-loud, always having harsh things to say about them and do you never have the ability to see the good in them. Or maybe you struggle with filthy talk - that’s what she said - like crass joking that is out of place in the people of God. Maybe you can’t help but let your curse words fly - you like the sound of them coming of your tongue - well around your people. Or honestly, maybe you are just a liar. You’ve spun so many webs that you are beginning to bind yourself.
Look we live in a day of twitter and snapchat and instagram that says if you have a though - share it. And so I see Christian after Christian sharing things on social media that is hateful, crass, rude, insensitive and honestly betraying to Christ. The blogs they write and the texts they send demonstrate that the core of their heart doesn’t belong to God - at least not in that moment.
I remember a few years back - probably three - the Subway was actually a donut shop. And the owners were Buddhist. I know this because I remember going into the shop and buying donuts for Sunday school. And one morning I brought it up in our class and we had a discussion over the merits of buying products from heathens. From people who literally worship idols - they had an altar to Buddha with sacrifices of incense in their shop.
Listen to what what Doug Moo says about claiming to be religious or an authentic Christ follower, but being unable to control your tongue, he says this:
If that’s you are only fooling your heart. You are deceived. Your religion is worthless. I love what Doug Moo says:
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letter of James B. Obedience to the Word Is the Mark of Genuine Christianity (1:21–27)
The “religion” that people who do not control their speech have is no better, James suggests, than idolatry.
Don’t fool your heart. Don’t deceive yourself James says. The mouth is the overflow of the heart. Your mouth tells on the condition of your heart. And if you have no control your religion is worthless. That’s the first test. I hope you are grading yourself.
Transition: but the second and third test can be found in (v.27) look there with me:
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
So here James points to what “pure religion” is - what someone who has met Jesus acts like - what shifts in their heart and changes when they meet the living Lord. He gives us our second test:
2. Test 2: Care for the Helpless
2. Test 2: Care for the Helpless
Let me just quickly clarify what James is not saying - he is not saying what we are doing here tonight is not good, he is not saying that personal devotion like bible reading and prayer, fasting and scripture memory is bad. He isn’t saying that going to church and participating in the Lord’s Supper and baptism is bad - James isn’t trying to define what religion is but as John Calvin puts it “[he] reminds us that religion without the things he mentions is nothing.” Which means - all the personal discipline and worship if it doesn’t form into specific and concrete action then are religion or you could say your faith is warped. Like a tree in the desert - at best it is not healthy - at worst it is dead.
So here he says that test #2 is to care for the helpless. He says that we are to “visit orphans and widows in their affliction.”
Can you imagine what it would be like to be an orphan - a child with no parents or a widow - most likely referring to women who lost their husband during this time. They were helpless. They could not work - there was almost nothing they could do. That’s why we read all over the OT of God’s compassion on this group of people. Listen:
You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.
or
And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.
or
And so there is a concern throughout the OT for the widow and the orphan, but listen to how David describes God in :
Psalm 68
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
And so it is for you and I - we are to imitate God himself who is the Father to the fatherless and a protector of widows.
Application: so hold yourself to the flame for a moment. How are you doing in this? To be honest we have many a widow in our church. I sat this morning in my devotion time and I felt the conviction of God land upon me with force because months ago Mary McIlroy lost Richard her husband. This family is/was a pillar in our church. And now Mary is a widow. I remember going to his funeral and hearing the armed service men and women play taps. Seriously, that made a huge impression on Noah. He still walks around the house playing the trumpet - and it was from that funeral. But I remember telling Mary - hey I’m going to bring out my kids and visit you in the coming months. Guys, I still haven’t gone to see her. And God used this passage to reveal my selfishness.
What about you?
The reason I want to take my kids to see her is because children remind us that life continues to go on. They remind us of God’s new work - you students, can be a reminder of God’s grace to widows. For those of you who went to the nursing home during our DNow project - all I heard was great reports. It was truly moving. But honestly, until you recognize that you are not the “star” of you life and story - you will never be able to lift up your eyes to see needs all around. Looking after widows and orphans - the most needy in our church first, and in our society second is not an option - it is a test of true religion.
How are you doing? What is your score?
Transition: and finally we see the last test of true religion look back with me a (v.27):
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
3. Test 3: Avoid Worldliness
3. Test 3: Avoid Worldliness
I love how James balances his tests for authentic religion. He doesn’t want to give the impression that faith that is pleasing to God, religion that is worthwhile simply consists in outward acts or social action, but it also has to do with character transformation.
He says the last test is to “keep oneself unstained from the world.”
So I’ve been undertaking a huge digital project where I’m taking upwards of 35,000 photo’s and 1,000 videos and manually uploading them to icloud in order to delete, organize and create searchable albums on the cloud and our external hard drive. This has been a multiple hour, multiple week process. Now, as I’ve been going through thousands of photo’s I ran into pictures of our home before we moved in. I started looking at the pictures and do you know what I noticed? the floors were so clean and shiny, the windows didn’t have the wear and tear. The walls had a fresh coat of paint. It was unstained to say the least. But the fields family of five have had five full years of living in that home. I seriously looked over as I sat at the table this morning and just took a look at the window seal in our like 3 foot by 3 foot dining room and noticed how the white isn’t really white - its like cream colored now.
Transition: now, what’s happened? Well we have Tasmanian Devil “Noah Man” to thank for lots of it. He loves being dirty and touching everything. But more than that our home has been stained by day to day life.
And so it is for the Christian who doesn’t see the reality of the battle all around. Everyday that you wake your soul is on the line. You have evil desires within you welling up that if you don’t go to God in repentance will stain you. We are also to be constant in distancing ourselves from ungodliness that can stain our moral character and witness. I love how the author of Hebrews puts it because he takes it up a notch:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
He says - lay aside your sin. Take it off as James says in (v.21) or shake it off as T-Swift noted. You should not have the same moral character that your lost friend in English class has. You should be unstained from that - so you must be diligent to keep in step with the Spirit of God. But the author of Hebrews also says lay aside every weight that keeps you from running the race.
Well, what does that mean?
It means there are things in your life that are not sinful, but they are keeping you from blooming into what Christ has for you. The hours you spend on your phone could be a weight - it holds you back. You can’t see the widows in our church because all you see is your social life on some cite. I don’t want to be overly critical, but if we collectively put as much effort into our relationship with Christ as we do our social standing and streaks - how much more would we have the heart of God for the things of God.
So the final test is - are you stained by the world? Do you need some purifying? Do you need a good bath in the word of God by the Spirit of God?
These three tests demonstrate the substance of your religion: is it pure and undefiled or is it idolatry? Like that tat you have and that post you posted and the t-shirt you are wearing - is it authentic to your character - do your words, does your compassion for the helpless and your desire to be morally pure align - like the eclipse - does it align with your claim of Christ.
These three tests are telling of where our heart is. They tell on you - I wonder what do they tell.
Spiritual Application
So how did you do on the tests? Maybe you didn’t pass with flying colors (like myself) but you persuaded that you have true religion? I want to invite you to do some business with God right now. Spend some time asking God to make you authentic in these areas of weakness. Spend time repenting of sin now.
If you found that you in fact did fail the test - and your religion is worthless - you need to have a relationship with Christ. I want to invite you to go and see a leader right now who will counsel you in your need for Christ, your lostness because of sin and the mercy that is available through faith in Christ because of God’s grace. Go now if you did in fact fail the test.