True Religion

James 1:26–27 ESV

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.

Opening Sentence: Is it bad to be religious?

Only if your religion is bad.

Intro

Describe keeping swimming pool water clean using chemicals.

Looks can be deceiving: clear water could be hiding dangerous bacteria or harmful chemicals.

To know what’s really in the water, you have to use test strips.

FCF: Similarly, we can look spiritually clear on Sunday, but James is dipping a test strip into our lives. Does the gospel shape our religion, or is our religion worthless?

Main Point: True religion is a matter of the heart.

Transition: Just like a test strip reveals the actual water quality of a swimming pool, James is testing the water of our hearts in our passage today. The test strips he’s using today are the tongue, the vulnerable, and the atmosphere we are in.

I. The Test of the Tongue (v. 26)

The Warning: If you don't bridle your tongue, your religion is worthless.

Bridle: control; specifically, self-control and guidance.

A bridle controls the direction of a horse. Certain pressure leads to a change of direction.

James says when our speech is uncontrolled and ungodly, we are self-deceived. We can’t claim to be godly and loose with our tongues. James says it doesn’t work!

The Tool: The tongue is the spiritual "test strip" for the heart's chemistry.

Matt 12:34: You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matt 15:18: But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

Prov 4:23: Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

The Gospel: Jesus was silent before His accusers to pay for our reckless words.

Jesus used His Words to teach, build up, convict, rebuke, and exhort.

When we would’ve been tempted to sin with our words, Jesus was silent.

His silence speaks volumes about how we can use (or not use) our words as Christians.

Application: Assess your speech.

Do you mainly use your words to build people up? (Eph. 4:29)

Do you give a “gentle answer” as Proverbs 15:1 says?

Do you use your words like a gracious seasoning? (Col. 4:6)

Do you use your tongue to speak life into others? (Prov. 18:21)

Do you speak a lot of careless words? (Matt. 12:36-37)

In general, are you cautious and careful with your words? (Prov. 21:23)

As we will later see in James, we can’t tame our tongues in our own strength.

If you’re convicted about your words, admit your weakness. When you’re weak, He is strong.

Make Ps. 19:14 your prayer this week: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

II. The Test of the Vulnerable (v. 27a)

The Command: Pure religion visits orphans and widows in their affliction.

In the early church, orphans and widows were among the most impoverished in society.

Families were called to care for widowed women.(insert scripture reference here).

If the families couldn’t care for the widows or the orphans, the church would step in and help out as well.

Many orphanages were created and funded by churches in the old days to help meet needs.

The Distinction: Caring for those who cannot pay you back or boost your status.

James’s core argument in this passage is that true religion helps people who can’t always help us back.

Jesus taught on this when he said to invite poor people and those who can’t help us to our dinners. This will test whether we are doing it for networking or clout.

This does not mean we teach merely a social Gospel. But the Gospel we believe gives us hands and feet.

The Gospel: While we were spiritually impoverished, Jesus "visited" us from Heaven.

The Gospel is a picture of James’s command.

We had nothing to offer Jesus. We can’t pay him back for an eternal debt.

He gave up his riches and his position in order to reach down and rescue us.

It is not out of guilt that we serve the needy and neglected. It is because we were needy and neglected and have been served by the Savior.

Application: As we consider the teachings of James, it’s important to reflect and remember the Gospel.

Reflect on your walk with Christ.

Do you visit widows and orphans in their affliction? Do you help people who can’t benefit you in any way?

Reflect on your heart as you serve others.

Do you serve because you primarily love and genuinely want to help others? Keep serving! Do you notice impure motives sometimes? Pray for a pure heart.

Rest in the Gospel.

Some of us will feel the burden of this passage because we don’t feel as though we are doing enough.

Other of us will feel the temptation to go do more in our own strength.

We must remember why we do it and through whose strength we serve.

III. The Test of the Atmosphere (v. 27b)

The Guardrail: Pure religion keeps oneself unstained from the world.

The world is not just where we live. It’s the corrupt system under the control of satan.

The world is not neutral. The world has the desire to ruin us.

The world wants conformity. We will either be CONformed to the world or TRANSFORMED into the image of Christ.

The world is passing away. Nothing in this world will last. Christ will destroy it.

REMINDER: Staying unstained from the world is evidence of a changed heart, not earning it.

The Imagery: Walking through the "muddy field" of worldliness.

Being unstained from the world is like walking through a field of mud and striving to keep your clothes clean.

Mud will sometimes splash up on you, but if you’ve got boots and protection, you’ll stay clean.

Similarly, we are IN the world, not OF the world. The world may sometimes splash up on us, but we don’t let it stain us. We recognize the world’s influence and repent as soon as we see sin.

We pray for the purifying grace of Christ to keep us from falling back into the same sins and patterns.

The Command: Stay unstained from the world. But how?

Pray for God’s protection. Live every moment under the shield and protection of God’s grace!

Guard your steps. Live a good and thoughtful life that is guided by conviction and Scripture.

Be careful who you hang out with. Don’t hide from unbelievers, but get counsel from Christians.

Build heavenly desires. Work hard to desire heaven more than the things of this earth.

Keep a clear conscience. Strive to never sin willfully, and when you see sin, repent of it.

The Gospel: Jesus remained unstained by sin so He could give us His white robe of righteousness.

We were stained by sin, but Jesus put on our sin-stained garments. “Sin had left a crimson stain, but He was us white as snow”!

The hope of the gospel is that our religion doesn’t save us or make us fit for heaven.

For every failure to speak well, there’s grace at the cross. When we neglect to care for the outcast and marginalized, there’s a Savior. Every time we see the stains of the world on us, we are covered by the blood of Jesus.

Will you trust in Him today?

Conclusion: What do the test strips of your heart reveal?

If the tests revealed that you’re not perfect but you’re truly following Jesus, keep the faith! We will see sin in our lives, but grace abounds for broken sinners like us.

Maybe you need to spend a season studying passages on the tongue so you can grow.

Maybe you need to pray that God would give you a heart to serve the vulnerable in our society.

God might be calling you to fast from social media or to distance yourself from certain people because you’re being too stained by the world.

If the tests revealed that your heart is completely dirty and doesn’t have the gospel in it, then now’s a chance to turn to Christ.

Jesus will give you a new heart. Then you’ll control your tongue with His help. Then you’ll have a heart to help the less fortunate with needs from a genuine, loving, gospel heart. Then you’ll be able to remain unstained from the world!

Everyone here is religious. The question is this: is our religion pure and undefiled? Or is it self-deceived and worthless? Our answers matter for eternity.