Faith in Action: The True Test of Religion
Notes
Transcript
A. Rapport for the time
Religion—One of the two things your are never to talk about at your thanksgiving. But do you realize how many strange religions there are in the world. I don’t mean a little strange I mean like “How do you ever take something this far?”
Before I share two I want you to understand that these “Religions are created by man and both became extremely real and not a joke at all to many.”
Scientology—Human are immortal spiritual beings called thetans who have lived through past lives and have forgotten their true nature.
Thetans are the true self, and the “engrams” are painful, traumatic memories that are stored in the subconscious and negatively affect an individual’s behaivor and well-being.
Spritual Betterment—Focus on spiritual betterment rather than a savior figure, believing that each individual can improve their own life and spiritual state.
Auditing—one-one counseling session with an auditor, helps individuals confront and address past traumatic engrams.
Created by L. Ron Hubbard—science fiction writer creating scientology in 1954.
One of the kids at Bellevue brought me this a few years ago.
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster—
B. Reading of the text
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
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.
C. Review of the text
Trials
Wisdom from God
Humility
Unchanging God
Don’t deceive yourself
Goodness of God
Embracing God’s word because of his Goodness to us
Living our Faith out —Being a doer of the word-True faith
“To some extent, these verses set the agenda for the rest of the letter.
D. Relevance of the text
What about your religion. Has Christianity turned into religion for you? Religion can mean all kinds of things to people. But for us our belief goes beyond religion to a relationship born out of the new birth in Christ Jesus our Lord.
T.S.
I. Tame the Tongue
I. Tame the Tongue
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
...if anyone thinks he is religious
What are we talking about when we talk about Religion?
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The Pharisee see’s himself correct before the Lord because of what he has done and because he is not like all the bad around him. He even follows the rules that rewards himself with good standing before the Lord.
The Tax collector see’s his spiritual position before the Lord and desire mercy and grace from God because he understand he could never earn the favor of the Lord.
James is going to explain to us in 1 negative in this verse and 2 positive in vs 27 what a real religion looks like that begins with our spiritual condition.
does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless
He started this conversation with us not to long ago in
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
This importance of this topic can be seen in James because he will talk about it again in 3:1-12, 4:11-12, and 5:1-6.
A tongue that is under the control of the Lord will be one that is contained and not running around loose all the time.
James is the only one that uses the idea of a bridle on the tongue. But what a picture he gives us.
bridle—
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 88.85 χαλιναγωγέω
to exercise close control over some function—‘to control, to exercise self-control.
Bridle is an instrument that a rider uses to control their horse. The rider uses the bridle to set the control and direction.
28 Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come into my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.
Our question should be why is the tongue so important in the life of a believer?
We are told from a young age sticks and stones may break your bones but words can never hurt you.
I don’t know who ever came up with that but that is just a lie isn’t it? Our words once they leave from our mouth may not do physical harm to anyone but they can do a great deal of emotional harm to others. This is a mere intro to the topic for us in James but he is clearly telling us that because we are children of God our mouths are brought under control by the Lord not our flesh.
Don’t we know this is true? When our inner soul is struggling with spiritual things they can often be expressed with our tongues that are not under control. We are simply told that if we claim to have faith in Christ and are a part of the kingdom of God it will be expressed in an outward form by our tongue.
Our words hance tear down or build up others. All this comes out of a heart that has been changed by a great God who made us alive to the goodness of God that it may now be expressed in our life in the here and now.
“this point to encourage reflection on personal speech habits and challenge your audience to align their words with the love and truth of Christ. By doing so, their faith becomes a living testimony to others.”
(Goes great with the idea of our convictions and how we express those convictions to other from the conversation we had Wednesday night.)
T.S.
II. Transform Through Compassion
II. Transform Through Compassion
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.
James is not telling us everything our religion should be but instead is telling us if our religion lacks these things it is nothing.
True religion—adjectives...
Pure—-pertaining to being ritually clean
Undefiled—pertaining to not being ritually defiled, with implications of accompanying moral defilement..untainted.
33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
To talk only about our care for others without it being expressed in our actions means nothing. We all know this is true in any relationship we have ever had with another human being. If we keep telling someone we love them while at the same time kicking them they are not going to come to a place of understanding how much we love them very quickly.
A. Visit orphans and widows in their affliction
A. Visit orphans and widows in their affliction
For James the expression of this Love will first come out with those that are in need.
22 You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.
28 “At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns.
29 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.
5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
12 “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?
13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
6 if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm,
7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.
1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.
3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.
6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
The Letter of James, Second Edition 3. Marks of Pure and Faultless Religion (1:26–27)
In the absence of money-making possibilities for women in the ancient world and the lack of any kind of social welfare, widows and orphans were helpless to provide for themselves. A mark of Israel’s obedience, therefore, was to be a special concern for these helpless people
We are to be the expression of Love that God showed us when he gave his son for our sin in greatest expression of Love ever known. If we do not in turn love on those that are in need what kind of religion do we really have? Not the one described by scripture.
To love on those in need makes you give of yourself with the expectation of getting nothing in return and that is good for your flesh to experience.
T.S.
B. Keep oneself unstained from the world
B. Keep oneself unstained from the world
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The Letter of James, Second Edition 3. Marks of Pure and Faultless Religion (1:26–27)
The “world” is a common biblical way of referring to the ungodly worldview and lifestyle that characterize human life in its estrangement from the Creator. It is “the system of order contrary to the heavenly order. (Lockett, Purity and Worldview, 117-118.
To keep oneself...
22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
Unstained—Without spot or blameless, free from blemish
13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
Application:
